| | | The most important thing in life is showing up.
Features: DVD, Dolby, Digital Audio, English, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, Widescreen
This uplifting story of triumph over adversity that "hits an emotional home run" (George Pennacchio, ABC-TV) stars Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane and D.B. Sweeney. Conor O'Neill (Reeves) is a down-on-his-luck gambler in debt to dangerous loan sharks. Desperate for cash, Conor reluctantly takes a job coaching a youth baseball team. The "team" turns out to be a ragtag group of tough-talking kids from Chicago's inner city. Secretly, Conor plans to desert the team after he wins a big bet. But the stakes are higher than Conor imagined: The kids need someone to believe in. As Conor wrestles with his past, the kids start to teach him some lessons that will forever change his future--that responsibility and trust must be earned and hope can appear in the most unlikely places.
"...the film packs some powerful emotional swings..." David Germain, Associated Press
"...simply fantastic!" Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV
"...alive with vitality and many pleasures! Keanu Reeves excells." Gene Shalit, Today
Editor's Note
Brian Robbins (VARSITY BLUES) directs another sports-related picture with HARDBALL, an uplifting story about a man who finds redemption when he's least expecting it. Keanu Reeves stars as Conor O'Neill, an underachiever whose gambling addiction has gotten him into seemingly insurmountable trouble. Desperate for money, he begs his friend Jimmy (Mike McGlone) to bail him out one more time. Jimmy agrees to give Conor a weekly stipend, but only if Conor agrees to coach a little league baseball team in Chicago's inner city. At first, Conor realizes just how unequipped he is for this particular task, as the assembled team goofs off, fights, and curses, paying no attention to his authority. Eventually, however, he gains their respect, and pretty soon, they're winning games. Meanwhile, off the field, Conor finds himself falling for the children's schoolteacher, Miss Wilkes (Diane Lane). He also places a potentially life-threatening bet with a high-level bookie, but after a miracle saves him and he begins to fully embrace his new role as a coach and father figure, tragedy strikes and teaches Conor a much more valuable life lesson. Based on the non-fiction book by Daniel Coyle, HARDBALL is an uplifting story that gets a boost of energy from its non-professional cast of youngsters.
| Features | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16x9 TVs | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround & Dolby Surround; French Dolby Surround | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | "Making Of..." Featurette | | Commentary By Director Brian Robbins & Writer John Gatins | | Theatrical Trailer | | Interstitals | | Subtitles: English | | 3 Deleted Scenes | | Music Video "Hardball" by Lil' Bow Wow, Lil' Wayne, Lil' Zane & Sammie |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 1/4/2005 |
| Running Time: 106 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 330794 | | UPC: 00097363307945 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
|
| | Professional Reviews | Los Angeles Times
"...A surefire heart-tugger made with skill and judgment....This endearing film strikes an all-crucial consistent balance between grit and sentiment..." 09/14/2001 p.2Variety
"...[Warren is] a tiny fireball of energy....Perkins provides quiet intensity..." 09/10/2001 p.57-68 New York Times
"...Its uplifting message about teamwork and caring wouldn't hurt a fly. You might even say, the movie is good for you..." 09/15/2001 p.B14 USA Today
"...Lane conveys warmth and intelligence..." 09/14/2001 p.8E Sight and Sound
"...It offers a refreshingly realistic approach to the way pre-teens actually talk..." 06/01/2002 p.44 Los Angeles Times 9 of 10
...a surefire heart-tugger made with skill and judgment, affords Keanu Reeves a career high point... this endearing film strikes an all-crucial consistent balance between grit and sentiment... - Kevin Thomas
|
| |
|
|
|
