The Rookie (2002)

A Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.

Director:

John Lee Hancock

Writer:

Mike Rich

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Jimmy Morris
Rachel Griffiths	...	Lorri Morris
Jay Hernandez	...	Joaquin 'Wack' Campos
Beth Grant	...	Olline
Angus T. Jones	...	Hunter Morris
Brian Cox	...	Jim Morris Sr.
Rick Gonzalez	...	Rudy Bonilla
Chad Lindberg	...	Joe David West
Angelo Spizzirri	...	Joel De La Garza
Royce D. Applegate	...	Henry
Russell Richardson	...	Brooks
Raynor Scheine	...	Frank
David Blackwell	...	Cal
Blue Deckert	...	Baseball Scout Dave Patterson
Danny Kamin	...	Durham Manager Mac (as Daniel Kamin)

Storyline

Jim Morris is a Texas high school chemistry teacher and coach of the school's baseball team. He's always loved baseball and as a way of motivating his players, he agrees to go to a professional try-out if they win the championship. He once had aspirations to be a professional baseball player but an injury brought that to an end. Sure enough, the 39 year-old father of three finds himself at a camp for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and he somehow seems to have regained his pitching arm, easily throwing a 98 mph fastball. Signed to a contract, he toils in the minor leagues while his supportive wife stays home raising their children. He soon finds himself called up to the big club and pitching for Tampa which is in Texas playing the Rangers. Based on a true story.

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | pitching | texas | coach | high school | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes dreams come back to life.

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Disney

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

El novato

Filming Locations:

Austin Studios - 1901 E. 51st Street, Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$214,718 (Japan) (24 January 2003)

Gross:

$1,173,179 (Japan) (31 January 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

98 MPH Productions, Gran Via, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The tennis shoes young Jimmy Morris is wearing when he first moves to Texas and visits the old ball field by the oil derrick are Converse "Jack Purcells," named after a popular Canadian badminton player from the late '20s and early '30s. It was perhaps the first popular rubber and canvas American "tennis" shoe. They preceded the iconic "Chuck Taylors," which came later.

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Goofs

When Jim Morris attends the try-outs, the collar and armpits of his t-shirt are sweat-soaked immediately after he pitches. Moments later, the t-shirt is dry.

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Quotes

Lorri: Jim Morris, I'm a Texas woman, which means I don't need the help of a man to keep things running.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Batter Up! (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Embryonic Journey"
Written by Jorma Kaukonen
Performed by Jefferson Airplane
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Entertainment
Under license from BMG Special Products

User Reviews

excellent

This was one of the best bio-pics I have seen in years. Dennis Quaid is perfect as Jim Morris, a man who finally gets a shot at his lifelong dream-pitching in the big leagues. He is a high school science teacher/baseball coach whose players make a bet with him:if they win district, he tries out for the majors. You can probably guess what happens next. I found this story made even more powerful by the fact that it was based on a true story.

*** out of ****