The Phenom

It was an alright movie for the most part, but when it was over I sat up in bed and said "Is that it"? I guess this is one of those movies that you just have to decide what happens to the characters when it's all over.

There are certain scenes that just felt very out of place and a few different parts of the story that didn't get fully fleshed out. Towards the end of the movie, I thought the movie was finally building up to a climax but it turned out to just be the end of the movie.

One thing I did like about the movie though, was that there were some very beautiful scenes and shots. Good camera-work and use of color, but the writing couldn't keep up with the directing.

If you're into baseball, are a huge sports enthusiast, or like movies without an ending, then this film may be for you. Otherwise, your time might be better spent elsewhere.

After watching the trailer for this movie, and being a big fan of baseball in general, I was really, really excited that this could be a winner. It looked like a taut, psychological take on the national pastime. What I found, however, was a movie that was a complete mess from beginning to end.

For a basic plot summary, "The Phenom" tells the story of Hopper Gibson (Johnny Simmons), an enormously talented pitching prospect who is having trouble harnessing his control. As a result, Hopper is sent to world-renowned sports psychologist Dr. Mobley (Paul Giamatti) in hopes of getting himself straightened out. During the course of his visits to Mobley, flashbacks reveal that many of Hop's problems may stem from overbearing father Hopper Sr. (Ethan Hawke).

The main problem with "The Phenom" is that it doesn't create any sort of emotional connection between the characters and the viewers. It basically just throws out a number of baseball clichés in place of meaningful character development. Even in the presence of some great actors (Giamatti & Hawk), this script/story just doesn't hold up. Heck, had the film just given me what the trailer showed it would have been at least decent. However, it ends up a muddled mess of clichés, flashbacks, and long dialogue scenes that don't seem to go anywhere or mean anything in the end.

Another big issue with the movie? I hate to criticize one single individual for the failure of an entire movie, but I will say this: Simmons (as the lead Hopper) either gave a poor performance or just wan't right for the roll. Never once did I feel caught up in what he was going through, likely because it didn't seem like he himself was too interested, either. I read a comment where this movie was called the "Good Will Hunting" (a film I don't enjoy all that much) of baseball flicks, but even in that effort at least Matt Damon gave a great effort as a mentally tortured youth. Simmons' character shows no such promise here.

So, unfortunately, "The Phenom" ended up being one of the poorest movies I've seen in quite some time. Whoever cut the trailer sure knew what they were doing, but other than that nothing goes right. The film needed to either go whole-hog into the baseball clichés, or not use them at all. Instead, the muddled middle is reached which, combined with a dud lead actor performance, sinks the entire project. I can't recommend this one in any way, shape, or form to anyone.

This is a strong character study. I really enjoyed it, but it is not a sports movie, at least not what one thinks of a typical sports movie. Strong acting throughout elevate this from being a pretty run of the mill character study. I really enjoyed hating the Ethan Hawke character. At times I thought the character was slightly over the top, but I still liked it. Worth watching. Just a word of warning, if sports movies are your favorite genre, you may want to reset your expectations a bit before watching. You will probably enjoy it more.

"It doesn't matter what I want cause I have a contract, and you know what, I'll tell you something. They picked the wrong guy because I'm just an ordinary kid." Hopper (Simmons) is a star baseball pitcher that has recently been demoted after a shaky outing. He is sent to psychologist Dr. Mobley (Giamatti) in hopes of him figuring out what is wrong. When Hopper begins to talk about his overbearing father (Hawke) Mobley begins to understand what Hopper's problem is. But it may be too late. I am a huge sucker for all sports movies and I love Paul Giamatti so I was really excited about watching this. I have to say though this is nothing like I expected. At the risk of over simplifying, the movie is basically a baseball player version of Good Will Hunting. Simmons actually plays the part perfect as a kid who isn't sure what he wants anymore and is essentially going though the motions while his dad tries to totally control him. I could keep going on about this but if you liked Good Will Hunting I would recommend this as well. Overall, not what I expected, it was better. I give this a B+.

As my first experience with a film from writer/director Noah Buschel, I worry that his five earlier efforts also exhibit a sore lack of editing. Did not spot any editor credit (other than that of an assistant or something) and believe Noah Buschel handled it himself. He seems unable to discard anything he films (a lesson all great directors learn to do). Cast is fine, but scenes don't join together for a unified whole and often reach points of stagnation as well as present conflicts of information.