The Rookie (2002) | 100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #144

Directed by John Lee Hancock. Starring Dennis Quaid.

What is the greatest theme for a baseball movie? Some baseball movies, like 42 and the Natural, have highlighted an exceptional player that accomplishes something great or makes the major leagues. Another possible theme revolves around an underdog team that transforms from a dreadful team into a successful winning team, maybe one that wins a championship. Examples of this are Moneyball and Bad News Bears. Lastly, a baseball movie could highlight the importance of baseball in the relationship of a father and a son. Probably the most famous example of this is Field of Dreams, where the importance of having a catch with dad is highlighted. This is also an important theme because of the importance of fathers for children in baseball whether it be simply having a catch or having your father in attendance watching your game. All of these movies have great themes and all of them go about unfolding them in their own way, but what if one movie could tell all three? If a movie could achieve depicting all three in a successful way, wouldn’t that place it among the best baseball movies? One might think that that is an impossible task to combine all three of those aspects and still produce a coherent and enjoyable movie, but Disney’s The Rookie does it perfectly. The exceptional player? Jim Morris, who overcomes adversity to fulfill his dream and make the major leagues. The scrappy underdog team that flips from worst to first? The Big Lake Owls, who with the help of Morris and the purpose of playing for a greater cause turns the team around into a successful team. Finally, the father and son relationship that highlights the importance of baseball between a father and a son? The relationship between Jim and his father, Jim Sr. that is complicated throughout the movie but with the hope of sorting things out by the end. Disney’s The Rookie has all of these themes and combines them in a unique way to give us a truly distinct baseball movie.

Jimmy Morris...another masterful pitching performance...well on his way...to another World Series title.

At the beginning of the movie, we see a young Jim Morris dreaming of pitching in the major leagues. During this portion of the movie, Jim pretends he is pitching in the major leagues and throwing a no-hitter. Later in the movie, an older Jim Morris is talking about how he dreamed of pitching in a big league ballpark and in the final inning of the last game of the World Series. Although an older Jim realizes that he might not ever get that opportunity, it is clear that that dream to pitch in the major leagues has remained with him for his entire life. After a good performance in a minor league game, one step away from making it to the major leagues, Jim is called into his manager’s office. When the manager tells Jim that they are promoting him to play in the major leagues, Jim is speechless. His dream is finally fulfilled. The next part of the movie feels like a dream as Jim arrives at the major league ballpark and starts to warm up, it begins to sink in that he really is in the major leagues. Near the end of the game it is time for his team, the Devil Rays, to switch pitchers. One of the coaches on his team simply says, “Morris, you’re in,” and it is time for Morris to enter the game. As Morris walks out of the bullpen and onto the field, it feels like a fantasy as the excitement of the crowd and the major league ballpark hits him. What follows is a thrilling at bat and Jim wins the battle and strikes out the hitter. At last, Jim’s dream of playing in the major leagues and being successful there has come true.

Three years ago...this program ended the season with only one win. Two years ago...one win. Last year...same story. This year...we have won sixteen games. And gentlemen, we need seventeen.

Before Jim tries out for the Devil Rays and makes it all the way to the major leagues to fulfill his dream, he coaches a high school team, the Big Lake Owls, who over the previous three seasons have only won one game each year. Although the team is not winning, there are a couple of likable players on the team. Joel catches Jim after practice when Jim begins to throw hard again. Jaquin Campos, who is just referred to in the movie as “Wack”, gives Jim a hard time and challenges Jim on things, but doesn’t want Jim to leave and coach at another school when the opportunity comes. Rudy is a pitcher who is having a rough year, but perseveres through hard times and becomes a reliable pitcher. Finally, Joel is the firstbaseman who provides the comedic aspect to the group. After a particularly tough game, Jim needs something to motivate his team. When the team mentions that Jim throws hard and they all think that Jim should try out for a major league team, Jim makes a deal with them that if they win their district championship and go to the state playoffs, that he will find a tryout for a major league team. This motivation works and with the help of seeing Jim’s faster pitching in batting practice the team begins to win games. The Owls make it all the way to the district championship and win a showdown with a rival team to win the championship and advance to the state tournament. The players are excited that they win the championship, but were excited for their coach and after the win, every player tells Jim that it is his turn to chase his dream and find a major league tryout which Jim does and begins his journey to fulfill his dream of pitching in the major leagues. The underdog team with some likeable players finds a higher purpose and is motivated to turn their season around which leads to a championship win, a classic characteristic of a baseball movie.

I wasn’t missing this one.

Although Jim has always had a dream to play baseball, his father, Jim Sr., never seems to understand his love for baseball. In the early stages of the movie when Jimmy is a child, he visits his dad after one of his games. While Jimmy is describing how good of a game he had, his father seems distracted and simply asks him if his team won, to which Jim nods yes. We never see Jim Sr. at any of Jimmy’s games or encouraging him in his love for baseball. As Jim grows older and is pitching in the minor leagues, he gets an offer to teach and coach at a big high school in Fort Worth Texas which is a stable job and will comfortably provide for his family, but Jim would have to give up his opportunity to pursue his dream of pitching in the major leagues. When Jim asks his father for advice on what to do, Jim Sr. tells Jim that it is okay to think about what he wants to do until it is time to start doing what he was meant to do, implying that what he is meant to do is take the coaching job and provide for his family. This is consistent with Jim Sr.’s demeanor throughout the movie. He doesn’t seem to understand Jim’s love for the game and how much it means to him. Eventually though, Jim does make it out of the minor leagues and into the major league game. As reporters crowd around Jim to ask him about his game, something changes and Jim sees his father who has come to watch his game. Jim asks for a second to get away from the reporters and goes over to talk to his dad. Jim Sr. tells him that not many fathers get a chance to watch their kids in a game, and that he let too many of those opportunities get away. Although Jim Sr. might not know why baseball is important to him, he realizes that baseball is important to him and to two people that might not fully understand each other have an understanding in that moment and baseball was the connection that provided it.

Disney’s The Rookie has not one, not two, but three elements that make a great baseball movie. Jim’s unlikely journey from high school baseball coach with an injured arm to major league baseball player is just one story that makes the Rookie special. Not only that, but the Rookie also has a story about an underdog team that finds itself and becomes a winning team and earns a championship win. Finally, the complicated relationship between Jim and his father and the differences in opinion that they have about baseball is finally understood by both of them. Many baseball movies try to tackle one of these topics and make a movie based on just one of these aspects, but the Rookie takes on all three and succeeds at delivering on all of them. Since the Rookie takes on three central storylines of baseball movies and succeeds at delivering on all of them, it makes it a truly unique baseball movie and puts it amongst the best baseball movies.