Hollywood Snubs John Grisham ('hard times, transition and little league baseball')

TheLeftCoastReport ^ | Tuesday, May 11, 2004 | By James Hirsen

[fight_truth_decay]

A Political Look at Hollywood

Besides looking like Sen. John Edwards' older bro, John Grisham is one of the best-selling fiction writers of our generation.

He has taken the legal thriller genre to new heights. His best-selling books "The Firm," "The Client," "The Pelican Brief," "A Time to Kill" and "Runaway Jury" were lobbed onto the big screen, too, each generating lots of dough for Hollywood insiders.

With that kind of leverage one would think Grisham would have no trouble finding a distributor for his latest flick, called "Mickey."

Not so. Mel Gibson's recent experience proved that Hollywood clout isn't necessarily helpful when the content of your flick doesn't match Tinseltown's prevailing worldview.

What? Does Hollywood have a problem with Little League baseball now?

The novelist's memories of playing Little League in Southhaven, Miss., in the 1960s were the inspiration for "Mickey." Grisham wrote the script and produced the movie.

The plot involves a widower named Tripp Spence who finds himself on the run with his 12-year-old baseball phenom son, named Derrick.

Tripp and Derrick assume new identities and move to Las Vegas, which forces Derrick (whose new name is Mickey) to skip his final year of eligibility in a Virginia Little League.

Mickey's newly adopted identity reduces his age by a year. So he plays the following year as still a 12-year-old, believing that the deception will end with the final game of the regular season.

As it turns out, the league Mickey joined has a dream season and a shot at reaching the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Although the movie stars Harry Connick Jr. and is directed by Hugh Wilson (who, incidentally, directed "The First Wives Club," "Guarding Tess" and episodes of "WKRP in Cincinnati"), Hollywood has taken a pass on distributing the film. So Grisham and Wilson are distributing it on their own, circumventing the normal channels of Hollywood.

"We got tired of talking to distributors and studios," Grisham told the Associated Press. "That went on for a couple years. It was a pretty frustrating experience, and we finally made the decision several months ago that we'd made the movie totally independent of Hollywood and we could also distribute it that way."

The Left Coast Report points out that Hollywood has already chucked traditional mom. Now it's passed on Little League baseball. Could it be that apple pie's next?

[fight_truth_decay]

Grisham played the role of the commissioner and his first-ever movie appearance. To save himself (the financier), money Grisham said,

''I saw in the budget there was $10,000 to pay an actor to be a Little League commissioner...

''I said, 'We're not spending $10,000 to pay an actor to do what I do myself every year.' ''

The premiere of “Mickey” took place Wednesday, May 5 at the Alys Stephens Center with proceeds benefiting the Literacy Council of Central Alabama.

"Mickey" is said to be a story about "hard times, transition and little league baseball".

For a list of theatre locations and openings, click here.

[Clemenza]

John Grisham: Mediocre Author (most overrated since Conan Doyle) and Friend of Bill.

[uncitizen]

this is just the kind of movie America is looking for. Someone will pick this up for distribution and again, the real Americans will have the last laugh on the Hollywood leftys.

However, it's getting kinda suspicious how everyone is all of a sudden claiming they're having trouble getting their movie distributed. ?

[WOSG]

"However, it's getting kinda suspicious how everyone is all of a sudden claiming they're having trouble getting their movie distributed. ?"

Media deflection attempt?

oooh, wont it be quite hillaryous if we get every hollywood reject distributed "wholesome" movie to have a nive fat profit, and to watch Moore's 911 agitprop bomb out totally?

[Cicero]

I think I'll give this a miss.

[uncitizen]

Yep. It will be nice to see that. And i predict Moore's so-called documentary will flop. This just isn't palatable by the public right now. Not even Bush haters will want to pay to see it. People want entertainment these days. Times are tough. We want to be happy.

[fight_truth_decay]

Grisham said he and Wilson tried to find a distributor for three years, then decided to "self-distribute this movie themselves", under the "Slugger Pictures" banner.
Harry Connick, Jr.-widowed father . Shawn Salinas-12 year old son.

Perhaps Hollywood was probably looking more for teen sexcapades with a rap edge. Remember the hipsters in Hollywood give your kids what they want them to see, not what you want them to see. Support of films such as "Mickey", even though it may not be Oscar winning material, still sends a message!

[RansomOttawa]

The Left Coast Report points out that Hollywood has already chucked traditional mom. Now it's passed on Little League baseball. Could it be that apple pie's next?

Hollywood likes apple pie just fine, as long as Jason Biggs is humping one.

[stands2reason]

LOL!!

[sharktrager]

Maybe it's not the subject matter. Maybe the movie sucks.

[RightWingAtheist]

The article neglects to mention that Hugh Wilson also directed the first Police Academy movie...I wonder why?