Hard Ball (2001)

An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.

Director:

Brian Robbins

Writers:

Daniel Coyle (book), John Gatins (screenplay)

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane, John Hawkes

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keanu Reeves	...	Conor O'Neill
Diane Lane	...	Elizabeth Wilkes
John Hawkes	...	Ticky Tobin
Bryan Hearne	...	Andre Ray Peetes (as Bryan C. Hearne)
Julian Griffith	...	Jefferson Albert Tibbs
Michael B. Jordan	...	Jamal (as Michael Jordan)
A. Delon Ellis Jr.	...	Miles Pennfield II
Kristopher Lofton	...	Clarence
Michael Perkins	...	Kofi Evans
Brian M. Reed	...	Raymond 'Ray Ray' Bennet
DeWayne Warren	...	Jarius 'G-Baby' Evans
Carol Hall	...	Pearla Evans (as Carol E. Hall)
Jacqueline Williams	...	Lenora Tibbs
Freeman Coffey	...	Darryl Mackey
D.B. Sweeney	...	Matt Hyland

Storyline

An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | little league | coach | teacher | baseball movie | 

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Taglines:

In a place where all bets are off, he's got nothing to lose.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English German

Release Date:

14 September 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hardball

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£79,864 (UK) (21 June 2002)

Gross:

£79,864 (UK) (21 June 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fireworks Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Nides/McCormick Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All of the league's team names are taken from tribes in Africa.

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Goofs

Right before Jefferson Tibbs is beat up, he is seen without a hat. However, while he is being beat up by the two guys, he is seen with a hat on.

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Quotes

Conor O'Neill: I want you guys to take a good look at yourselves and feel proud. We made it here. We're here. What I've learned from you is that really one of the most important things in life is showing up. I'm blown away by your ability to show up through everything that's gone on. The league never wanted you to play this game, but you showed up. But, uh, we only have eight players so, we can't play.

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Connections

Spoofs The Bad News Bears (1976)

User Reviews

Not original, but it works

I want to start by saying that this movie was actually a pleasant surprise. Knowing that this was a movie based on a true story, made with Keanu Reeves and a lot of kid-actors in it, I honestly feared the worst. But after watching it I must say that it really wasn't all that bad.

Sure, the story is as predictable as you can get them in Hollywood. With a desperate white guy who is forced into coaching a children's sporting team from a rough black neighborhood, you already know perfectly what to expect and of course he will only keep doing his job because of a beautiful lady at first (the kids school teacher), but in the end he will learn the true value of these kids' will to win and to make something of their lives, so they can get out of the neighborhood. No the movie never gets far away from the stereotypes. But somehow it didn't bother me all that much for once.

This is probably one of the best performances I've ever seen from Reeves (except for his roles in "The Matrix" and "The Gift") and despite the fact that this movie isn't a comedy, the dramatic story is relieved with some nice humorous touches. I don't know anything about baseball and normally I don't care about movies with baseball as the subject either, but for once I kept watching.

As a conclusion I would like to say that if you are looking for an original movie, you better start looking somewhere else, but if you want to see a drama that exceeds the average Disney boundaries, you might want to give it a try. As I already said, I was pleasantly surprised by it and that's why I give this movie a 7/10.