Hardball (2001)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Hardball |
| Original title | Hardball |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2001 |
| length | 106 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Brian Robbins |
| script | John Gatins |
| production |
Tina Nides , Brian Robbins, Michael Tollin |
| music | Mark Isham |
| camera | Tom Richmond |
| cut | Ned Bastille |
| occupation | |
| |
Hardball (alternatively Hard Ball ) is a 2001 American drama based on a true story starring Keanu Reeves .
action
Conor O'Neill, a gambler, is in debt. When his creditors threaten him and he asks his friend Jimmy Fleming for the money, he agrees, but sets one condition: O'Neill has to coach a Little League youth baseball team and work off the debts. Torn between his respect for the boys' achievements despite difficult social circumstances - the action takes place in Cabrini-Green , a social neighborhood on Chicago's North Side - and his resurgent gambling addiction, O'Neill makes his first payment at an illegal betting shop a. He also learns more about his players and their gang- determined lives.
He tries to stand up for the boys at school and falls in love with the teacher Elizabeth Wilkes, who teaches most of his players. He tries to hide his gambling addiction from her, while at the same time placing his bet on a basketball game. He wins a large sum and is able to avoid threats of violence from his creditors. Then he invites the boys to a major league game , which gives them motivation for their own game. He also buys team equipment for his team, so the boys can play their own jerseys for the next league game for the first time.
The youngest player in this game makes his first bet and earns the victory point. On the way home, he was shot dead in front of his apartment block in a gunfight between enemy gangs. The team convinced O'Neill, who wanted to give up looking after the team after the funeral speech for the boy, to continue as a coach. The boys win the league cup and O'Neil gets an offer for a permanent position at the school.
production
The production of the film cost about 21 million US dollars . It was shot in Chicago and Detroit . Baseball star Sammy Sosa makes a cameo in one scene in the film .
Reviews
Mark Caro criticized the script in the Chicago Tribune as "shamelessly manipulative". Jay Carr wrote in The Boston Globe that the film was not original.
Morton Gudmonsdottir criticized Keanu Reeves' “limited” play on filmstarts.de .
The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.
Awards
Keanu Reeves was nominated for the Golden Raspberry in 2002.
Web links
- Hardball in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Hardball on filmstarts.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Hardball at Rotten Tomatoes