Home Run Showdown (2012)

Director:

Oz Scott

Writers:

John Bella (written by)
Tim Cavanaugh (written by)

Genre:

Family | Sport

Plot:

Two little league teams take on their coaches sibling rivalry, and end up doing battle in a place the baseball world never expected it: in the outfield of the Home Run Derby.

Plot Keywords:

Little League | Baseball

Cast

Kyle Kirk	...	Lori
Matthew Lillard	...	Joey
Wayne Duvall	...	Simpson
Stephanie Koenig	...	Aunt Janey Moore
Emma-Lee Hess	...	Fassi
Annabeth Gish	...	Michelle
Brandon Balog	...	Tanker
Anthony Talley	...	Cub #1
Dean Cain	...	Rico
Carlos Faison	...	Coach Jeff (as Carlos L. Faison)
Joshua Saba	...	Dave
Jordan March	...	Bobby DeLuca
Jesse Harper	...	Sal
Mike Evans	...	Admiral
Barry Bostwick	...	Big Al
Gary Sheffield	...	Gonzo
Dmitri Young	...	Tank Turpino
Molly Gundry	...	Osprey's 2nd Baseman
Cristina Sasso	...	Coach Joules (as Cristina V. Sasso)
Conner Wise	...	Carter Ford
Kaleigh Ryan	...	Felicia Lee
Mark Robert Ellis	...	Umpire #1 (as Mark Ellis)
Vic Faust	...	Reporter Channel 7
Dave Marcon	...	Umpire #2
Darren Daulton	...	Harrington
Harold Martin	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Derek Brandon	...	Ryan (uncredited)
Noah Fisher	...	Red Sox Player #10 (uncredited)
Megan Mockensturm	...	Baseball Fan (uncredited)
Dwayne Roszkowski	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Oz Scott

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Bella		written by
Tim Cavanaugh		written by

Produced by
Lloyd D'Souza	....	associate producer
Joe Gressis	....	producer
Dena Hysell	....	producer
Marvin Towns Jr.	....	line producer

Original Music by
Austin Wintory

Cinematography by
David Stockton

Film Editing by
Joe Gressis

Casting by
Russell Boast
Richard Pagano

Production Design by
Bruton Jones

Art Direction by
Mary Lee Hannington		(supervising art director)
Bill King

Set Decoration by
Graziano 'Rocky' Gooden

Costume Design by
Couni Young

Makeup Department
Tricia Krupske	....	assistant makeup artist
Jeannette Moriarty	....	hair department head
Francie Paull	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Marvin Towns Jr.	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Becky Chin	....	key second assistant director
Mark Robert Ellis	....	second unit director
Joe Gressis	....	second unit director
Lucille OuYang	....	key second assistant director: second unit
Kimberly Sizemore	....	second second assistant director
Rebecca Strickland	....	first assistant director
Marvin Towns Jr.	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Robert Auerbach	....	props
Christian Barr	....	graphic designer
Lucie Bouchard	....	assistant property master
Robert Brenner	....	propmaker
David Burgis	....	production assistant
Jamie Callahan	....	property master
Sean Clouser	....	construction coordinator
Chris-Teena Constas	....	buyer
Susan Dieters	....	props
Nancy Janosi	....	props assistant
Rosalyn A. Johnson	....	buyer
Tim McFadyen	....	storyboard artist
Ronit Pinto	....	set dresser
Aferdita Redmond	....	lead scenic
Vicki Stefanopoulos	....	art department coordinator
Michael Trosper	....	key on-set dresser

Sound Department
Keith Birchfiel	....	boom operator
Cary Clark	....	technical support
Andy Hay	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mike Hostettler	....	sound utility
Eric Maldin	....	adr mixer
Jamie Scarpuzza	....	production sound mixer

Stunts
Jim Teachout	....	assistant stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
K.C. Bartos	....	electrician
David Brush	....	assistant camera
Jacob Clegg	....	best boy grip
Nick Cutway	....	camera loader
David Dalton	....	grip
Mike DiVito	....	electrician
Frank Dorset	....	gaffer
Michael Dzialowski	....	second unit: first assistant camera
William Eichler	....	camera operator: "b" camera
William Eichler	....	steadicam operator
Tracy Facelli	....	second assistant camera
Nickolas Gilbert	....	second assistant camera
Gregg Horvath	....	first assistant camera
Colleen Lindl	....	second assistant camera
David Markey	....	grip
Todd 'Chin' Piepenbrok	....	best boy electric
Mark Preston	....	still photographer
Madeline Sekela	....	camera pa
Michael Tambasco	....	a dolly grip
Doug Susalla	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Russell Boast	....	casting director: Los Angeles
Patty Majorczak-Connolly	....	adr voice casting
Aimée Musil	....	casting associate
Richard Pagano	....	casting director: Los Angeles
Dayna Polehanki	....	casting director: Michigan
Kathy Remski	....	extras casting
Mark Sussman	....	adr voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rozzi Bryant	....	costume researcher
Claudia Combee	....	key costumer
Maria Erfourth	....	costume supervisor
Mona Lesnick	....	assistant to costume designer
Claire Parkinson	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Tom Phillips	....	digital intermediate conform artist

Music Department
Tom Strahle	....	musician: guitars/electric bass

Transportation Department
David B. Jackson	....	driver
Kurt Knudsen	....	transportation coordinator
William Searles	....	transportation captain
Bob Wood	....	driver

Other crew
Tarrance Alfred	....	location manager
Michael J. Ball	....	production assistant
Hunter Reed Baum	....	production assistant
Ryan Bennett	....	key production assistant
Susan Boyajian	....	voice actor
Felecia Hatcher Brown	....	script supervisor
Donald Bruce	....	production accountant
Chelsea Compton	....	assistant to director
Patrick Currey	....	animal trainer
Brenda Dixon	....	assistant animal wrangler
Mary Dixon	....	head animal wrangler
Brian Durling	....	background production assistant
Mark Robert Ellis	....	sports coordinator
Steven Enwright	....	michigan counsel
Marybeth Bordeau Flynn	....	assistant to producers
Cody Giampa	....	production assistant
Zac Halley	....	production supervisor
Annie Jeeves	....	publicist
Connie Johnson	....	location scout
Kathy Kochish	....	accounting clerk
Geoff Lassers	....	set medic
Vikki M. Magdich	....	assistant location manager
Dave Marcon	....	baseball coach
Marvin Martin	....	set medic
Tim McClure	....	location scout
Kim McCray	....	set production assistant
Aimee McDaniel	....	assistant sports coordinator
Jessi Moore	....	assistant sports coordinator
Aaron Schlager	....	production assistant
Jack Schmier	....	production assistant
Mason Semble	....	production assistant
Kevin Smith	....	production coordinator
Ian M. Stratford	....	finance legal

Thanks
Sam Eigen	....	special thanks
Brian Sweet	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Secret Handshake Entertainment

Other Companies

• Carlson Catering Company  catering
• Gray Krauss Des Rochers  legal services
• Lotus Post  ADR recording
• Lotus Post  post-production sound services
• Lotus Post  sound re-recording
• Mup Mups Animal Actors  animals provided by
• Schellenberg & Evers  Michigan tax & audit professionals
• Three Point Capital  funding

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Secret Handshake Entertainment

Cheesy, but good messages for youth

The direct-to-video film, "Home Run Showdown," was recently released on DVD. The film stars Matthew Lillard ("Without a Paddle") and Dean Cain (television's "Lois & Clark"). The director is Oz Scott, whose last film was Disney's 2004 flick, "The Cheetah Girls." Scott has also directed several television shows in the meantime, including many episodes of "CSI: NY" and "The District." The film is not rated, but is marketed toward families. A few elements could have easily been omitted to make the movie completely suitable for younger children. The film most likely fits into the Motion Picture Association of America's PG rating category due to its use of mild profanity.

Joey Deluca (Lillard) is an ex-minor league baseball player working in his dad's sports bar. Since he left baseball, he's bounced from hobby to hobby, but hasn't stuck with anything long enough to find his new niche. Joey's brother, Rico (Cain), was a more successful and popular professional ball player. He owns the local Chevrolet dealership and coaches one of the town's little league baseball teams. When their father, Al, learns that the league needs one more coach, he insists that Joey take the job. The heart and soul of Joey's team, the Cubs, is a new kid in town named Lori. His mother died, and his father is in prison. Lori's goal is to take the field shagging balls at the upcoming Home Run Showdown. He desperately wants to be on television so his dad can see him from jail. However, only the league's top three teams can participate. He works diligently to ensure the Cubs' success, but Joey isn't as motivated. Al soon sweetens the deal for Joey by proposing that he'll leave his bar to the son whose team collects the most balls at the Home Run Showdown. Game on!

Some films that never go to theaters have a real low-budget feel. They may have hokey action sequences or poor special effects. The main issue with "Home Run Showdown" is simply its level of "cheesiness." Specifically, the film contains poor dialog and lacks plot depth. A few randomly placed political references just seem bizarre. However, the cinematography is decent and the acting is as good as can be expected for second tier actors, given the script. The film is predictable, but does produce some good laughs throughout. And though the movie is somewhat silly, it does offer several valuable lessons for youth. It directly addresses issues such as sportsmanship, cheating, bullying, loyalty, and fairness. The rivalry between Joey and Rico parallels Lori's journey, and viewers can take something away from both story lines. Though "Home Run Showdown" may not be a hit, it's fairly enjoyable to watch and reinforces positive values and sportsmanship for PG audiences.