It's a baseball psychology movie set in modern times that follows a talented young pitcher with a 98-mile-an-hour fastball who gets the "yips" and can't throw strikes sometimes. It's said to be loosely based on the early career of Rick Ankiel.
Hopper Gibson (Johnny Simmons) is the young phenom who has been sent by his Major League team to a sports psychologist, Dr. Mobley (Paul Giamatti), to try to learn how to regain his ability to pitch at an elite level. Many flashbacks give background to Hopper's current state. These flashbacks include his father, Hopper, Sr. (Ethan Hawke), a sociopath in and out of prison. Other significant characters include his high school coach (Yul Vazquez), his mother (Alison Elliott), and his high school girlfriend (Sophie Kennedy Clark).
Significant portions of the film depict the interaction between Hopper and his father, and Hopper and Dr. Mobley. The movie ends as Hopper is about to be called up again as a pitcher, but we're uncertain whether he will be successful. So in one sense, there is no ending.
This is an interesting, albeit slow-moving, movie. There is not much baseball action; the focus is more on exploring Hopper's psychological baggage.
Johnny Simmons and Ethan Hawke give strong performances, as does Alison Elliott. The rest are less memorable, including Paul Giamatti. The ending could have been more robust and would have been if more of Rick Ankiel's trajectory had been included.
Hopper Gibson (Johnny Simmons) is the young phenom who has been sent by his Major League team to a sports psychologist, Dr. Mobley (Paul Giamatti), to try to learn how to regain his ability to pitch at an elite level. Many flashbacks give background to Hopper's current state. These flashbacks include his father, Hopper, Sr. (Ethan Hawke), a sociopath in and out of prison. Other significant characters include his high school coach (Yul Vazquez), his mother (Alison Elliott), and his high school girlfriend (Sophie Kennedy Clark).
Significant portions of the film depict the interaction between Hopper and his father, and Hopper and Dr. Mobley. The movie ends as Hopper is about to be called up again as a pitcher, but we're uncertain whether he will be successful. So in one sense, there is no ending.
This is an interesting, albeit slow-moving, movie. There is not much baseball action; the focus is more on exploring Hopper's psychological baggage.
Johnny Simmons and Ethan Hawke give strong performances, as does Alison Elliott. The rest are less memorable, including Paul Giamatti. The ending could have been more robust and would have been if more of Rick Ankiel's trajectory had been included.