Charming film has perfect pitch

If ESPN and Hallmark Hall of Fame collaborated on a "really special" edition of "The Wonderful World of Disney," it might look something like "The Rookie."
A G-rated movie about professional baseball sounds about as ludicrous as "Jurassic Park" minus the dinosaurs.
Only The House That Walt Built could expect audiences to buy such a ridiculous concept, right? Miraculously, "The Rookie" turns out to be a first-class charmer with a lead performance by Dennis Quaid that's certain to rank among the year's best.
The plot: Based on the true-life story of Jim Morris, a chemistry teacher and coach in Big Lake, Texas, who became a major league pitcher at the ripe old age of 35, the movie's all about second chances and chasing your dreams.
After briefly sketching in young Jim's childhood years, the movie flashes forward to 1999, where a now-grown-up Morris is married with children.
When his high school baseball team beats the odds by winning the district championship, Morris makes good on his promise to try out for the majors. A 98 mph fastball soon gets him signed to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, where he becomes the oldest rookie pitcher in 40 years.
What makes "The Rookie" work, and why it deserves to be an early spring hit, is a refreshing lack of cynicism. That bedrock foundation of decency makes it easy to suspend disbelief, even when the script by Mike Rich ("Finding Forrester") piles on the corn so high you'd swear he was Orville Redenbacher.
Helping us swallow this Cinderella story with cleats are some truly gifted actors, none of whom is exactly known for family fare.
Cast: Besides the enormously appealing Quaid, there's fine support from Rachel Griffiths ("Six Feet Under") and Brian Cox (of the NC-17-rated "L.I.E."), playing Morris' wife and father, respectively; and "Crazy/Beautiful" breakout hunk Jay Hernandez as a member of Morris' high school baseball squad.
Although the outcome of the story is never seriously in doubt, and first-time director John Lee Hancock's somewhat poky pacing makes the movie seem even longer than it actually is, fans of previous dugout fairy tales such as "Field of Dreams" and "The Natural" will find plenty to like about this cinematic comfort food. That is, if they aren't scared off by its kiss-of-death G rating.
A note of caution to parents thinking about taking along their preschoolers: "G" does not automatically connote infantile, so leave the toddlers at home.
The mom and dad sitting behind me at a recent preview certainly would have been wise to heed that advice. Their rug rats made the experience positively hellish for anyone unlucky enough to be within 50 feet of them. Eight and up sounds about right, especially if they're baseball enthusiasts.
-- Milan Paurich