Rookie of the Year (1993)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Daniel Stern

Writer (WGA):

Sam Harper (written by)

Release Date:

7 July 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sport

Tagline:

The Chicago Cubs needed a miracle... They got Henry Rowengartner.

Plot:

When an accident miraculously gives a boy an incredibly powerful pitching arm, he becomes a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Chicago Cubs | Child Player In Adult Sport Team | Chicago Illinois | Sports Team

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Thomas Ian Nicholas	...	Henry Rowengartner
Gary Busey	...	Chet 'Rocket' Steadman
Albert Hall	...	Sal Martinella
Amy Morton	...	Mary Rowengartner
Dan Hedaya	...	Larry 'Fish' Fisher
Bruce Altman	...	Jack Bradfield
Eddie Bracken	...	Bob Carson
Robert Hy Gorman	...	Clark (as Robert Gorman)
Patrick LaBrecque	...	George
Daniel Stern	...	Phil Brickma
Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine	...	Becky
Kristie Davis	...	Tiffany
Tyler Ann Carroll	...	Edith
Tom Milanovich	...	Heddo
Ross Lehman	...	Dr. Kersten

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Australia:G | Germany:6 (w) | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Oak Park, Illinois, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

According to Henry's estimates, his allowance is $1.60 per week.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the final game, everyone is saying that this is the Cubs last inning to keep their 2-1 lead over the Mets. While this is true, the home team always has the bottom of the inning; had Heddo hit the home run and the next batter got out, it would've been the bottom of the ninth, not the end of the game.

Quotes:

Chet Steadman: Henry, don't take this serious. But its nothing to joke about. But one day, your gift will be gone.

Movie Connections:

Features Nightshift Nurses (1987) (V)

Bringing the fun back to baseball

This movie asks the question: "What if pro baseball was fun again, like in little league, and not so taken so seriously?" The device of Henry's miraculous arm allows the story to inject a kid's eye view into a somewhat cynical world. Juxtaposing the sleazy Dan Hedaya's attempted $25 million trade of Henry to the Yankees with the Henry and his buddies taking a day trip on a boat, as well as Henry's adolescent antics on the field, director Daniel Stern is trying to get us to look at baseball, and maybe sports, maybe life, like we did when we were ten.

I think Roger Ebert, although I agree with his review, took pretty poor notes while reviewing this film. From his article: "When the cast comes off, his dad takes him to Wrigley Field, and he catches a home run ball while he's out in the bleachers, and then he throws it back - all the way to the catcher behind the plate." Actually, he went with his friends, he doesn't even know his dad. And he didn't catch it, his friends pick it up from nearby, and hand it to him because they're scared to throw it on TV and embarrass themselves. Doesn't he have a fact-checker to proof his reviews?

Second, he writes: "Henry becomes an overnight celebrity, and is signed to the Cubs by the team's genial owner." This ignores the desperation of Dan Hedaya, the would-be owner of the team, who sees the publicity and marketing windfall in having a kid on the team. The sell-out crowd is an important story element, as it reinforces the idea that we are all hungry for baseball to be fun again.

There's are lots of laughs to be had in this film, although Stern seems to want to indulge in over-the-top hysterics from time to time, such as with the character he was playing. Also, the bilious "Jack" who gets Henry's mom to sign a contract without telling her it's a trade to NY, is downright spastic in his final scene. Stern shows a lot of promise as a comedy director if he could tone it down just a touch with the tangential characters. Understatement can be funny, as Busey shows with a few choice glares at the right moments. I loved Stern's allusion to the Wizard of Oz, likening the Emerald City gates to the Wrigley stadium gates, when Henry first arrives to play.

The Cubs haven't won a Series since 1909. "And a little child shall lead them..." Every kid should see this movie.