Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Always two, there are: a Master, and an Apprentice. Deep Impact, master. Armageddon, apprentice. Se7en, master. Copycat, apprentice. Stir Of Echoes, master. Sixth Sense, uhh, other master.

Anyway, Rookie Of The Year and Angels In The Outfield have come together here today to battle it out, to see which one's the Master and which one's the Apprentice. And yet, the two films share so many similarities, it's almost too much to bear...

1.) Both movies are about a kid helping a baseball team.
2.) Both movies feature a fictional pitcher who used to be good, isn't good now, but will make a huge comeback.
3.) Both movies have fat clowns for announcers, with skinny "sidekicks".
4.) The kids in both movies have deadbeat dads.
5.) Both baseball teams start out not just bad, but laughably bad, and both teams have a black coach with a temper.
6.) Both movies pay extraneous attention to the baseball teams' owners.

7.) (SPOILER)

Both grown-up pitchers, when pitching their last pitch, manage to grab the ball themselves after the batter hits it.

(END SPOILER)

Rookie Of The Year takes us to the home of the Chicago Cubs, who are in loads of trouble and need to sell out every following game to break even. Enter faithful fan Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nichols), whose recent injury caused his muscles to heal a little differently than they should have. Now, he can throw 100-mph pitches without even breaking a sweat.

Cubs dude: "Say, kid, how would you like to pitch for the Chicago Cubs?"
Henry: "Great! But I have to ask my Mom first."

We all know things like this can't possibly go over without eventual consequences, and there are plenty to go around. Fame is keeping Henry from his friends, not to mention making them jealous. And then there's the guy that Henry's Mom is dating, who is trying to take advantage of his new "abilities" as Henry's manager.

Meanwhile, Chet Steadman (Gary Busey) is the pitcher formerly known as "Rocket", who hasn't been so hot in recent months. When Henry joins the team, though, Chet finds himself strangely inspired, and more than a little smitten with Henry's Mom.

Most of the acting is purely comedic. Even the "bad guys" play it kind of tongue-in-cheek. Dan Hedaya and Bruce Altman are perfect candidates to play daddylike characters who want what's best for the kid, but are partial toward a path that is more likely to line their pockets with that sweet gold. John Candy basically plays his usual lovable self as the announcer.

Henry's Mom, Mary (Amy Morton) is a good parent, but it doesn't mean she won't join his friends in playfully screaming "Hey Rowengartner! You SUUUUUUUCK!" at him. She is a very well-done "cool Mom". Busey in the role of Steadman becomes likable after the "change" in his character. The only problem with his character arc is that if you blink, you miss it. One second, he's a total meanie who has given up on life, and after the first time he talks to Mary he's like the nicest guy in the world.

Thomas Ian Nichols is fun enough and even relateable enough as Henry himself. He hangs out with his buds, wants to impress the girls, and does whatever he can to keep the prospective stepdad out of the picture, even if it's just pulling the wool over his own eyes... literally. I've got to admit that there are one or two moments in which maybe he is a little too cute. Such as in the dugout when the other guys on the team tell him, "Pitchers sit over there." and he looks over, sees a bunch of intimidating tough guys looking back, but then just goes "Hey!" and smiles at 'em. On the other hand, he's got a nice sneer for moments such as the "hidden ball trick".

Daniel Stern (who surprisingly also directs) pours the sugar of his own comedy on an already calorie-infested chocolate sundae. He's the guy that played Marv in the Home Alone movies, but in all honesty I don't find him all that funny here. The problem is that he knows he's funny, so it looks like he has to compensate for that by going way way way off the deep end. Sometimes into downright stupid territory, as in his "breakfast!" gag on the plane.

I'm not sure whose idea it was to use a euphemism for farting as a way of telling someone to throw a fast ball. Maybe this is just something I never knew about, but I'm not complaining! I just think it's really funny that someone would ever say "Cut the funky cheese!" in a baseball game.

One other thing I should mention -- the music in this movie is written by Bill Conti who also wrote the music for the Karate Kid movies. I can't say I noticed it all that much, but after Chet's final pitch, the way the music plays into that whole scene is beyond awesome. On one side, you have an anthem from a brass section, indicating a huge battle; on the other, you have a briefly blaring electric guitar indicating extreme pain, and just as Chet makes a crucial decision, the two segments of music come together; I get goose bumps just thinking of it.

So what's the story, morning glory? Rookie Of The Year can be over-the-top at times, but that only lends itself to the movie's attempt at showing it from a kid's point of view. Not much repeat-play value to be found here, but it's a jolly old time even just to see once every few years.

The only DVD features to be found are a Featurette and the usual subtitles.

So Angels In The Outfield, you're next!



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12