Sa the movie opening night here in LaGrange,GA. Room about 80% full for the 7 pm showing, mainly an older crowd.
The story line is interesting, and you pretty much know the story before it starts. An aging baseball scout for Atlanta who has to rely on his hearing rather than his failing eye sight to scout players.
He shows up at games with an amplified hearing aid, and from the sound of the ball hitting the bat, he knows what pitch was thrown. FAr fetched? Yes, but no one questions it. We go along for the ride.
HIs daughter, whom he abandoned twice, as a child and again as a young woman, puts her law partnership opportunity on hold, to help him scout a number one draft pick in some NOrth Carolina town. She ends up being his eyes.
I noticed that Clint doesn't direct but is one of three producers. That should tell you right there where his energies are.
The movie over all is good Like a Doris Day movie, you leave the theater feeling good. Clint doesn't hit you with a morose ending. We all chuckled, (the guy behind me laughed hysterically thru out), at the vintage Clint zingers.
The script is cliched. Good guy, bad guy characters. A bit a friction here, a love story of sorts there etc. The plot right up to the end is predictable.
Foul language? Clint takes the Lord's name in vain several times, but I don't recall the f bomb or some of the other usual Hollywood filth.
The script is weak, making it, I'm sure difficult for the actors. I detected a couple times, where I'm sure Clint read his lines from a cue card. I don't recall any extended dialog from him, so I'm sure they put this movie together quickly with few takes.
Adams, on the other hand, makes the most of her part. She's quite good. Very sexy. She looks tall. Justin, too, is a likeable sort in this movie.
In summary, I give it a solid 2 1/2 stars, where you leave the theater feeling warm and fuzzy but the movie doesn't stick with you. In other words, you're not going to be thinking deeply about this film two weeks from now, as you typically do with a Clint Eastwood film, but I recommend seeing it, especially if your picnic or other outdoor event is rained out.
One thought...don't know if you've seen Money Ball..which I loved...( and the book is even better) but the Eastwood film is, in a way, an ANSWER film to Money Ball..it takes the tottally oposite viewpoint about the value of scouts and stats in baseball
This is a classless post. I understand your take, and taste. To each his own, but the offhand digs (”older crowds, Doris Day, etc.) comments, as well as the details provided was a cheap-a$$ swipe.
In the future, exercise some consideration and provide a *SPOILER ALERT*. Perhaps you wanted to dissuade potential viewers by providing more than enough details concerning the film. What ever the case, let Freepers know you’re going to reveal some information about the movie which they may not wish to know.