HARDBALL (2001) 2 stars out of 4. Starring Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane, John Hawkes, D.B. Sweeney, Mike McGlone, and Graham Beckel, Screenplay by John Gatins, based upon the book by Daniel Coyle. Directed by Brian Robbins. Rated RG-13. Approx. 106 minutes.
Many factors contribute to the distant nature of Hardball: the flimsy characterizations, the plot clichés, the overall familiar feel of this comedy-drama.
Hardball may sound like an inner-city remake of The Bad News Bears, but the sunny, light touch of that film is nowhere to be found in this somber feature.
Part of Hardball's lack of spontaneity can be blamed on its star, Keanu Reeves. He is a talented performer, but not a charismatic one who can grab an audience and hold it to his bosom.
In Hardball, Reeves plays Conor O'Neill, a degenerate gambler who owes thousands to various bookies.
To help erase his debt, he takes over - for $500 a week -from a busy investment banker pal as coach of an inner-city Little League team.
Of course, O'Neill cares nothing about the kids under his charge. It's merely a means of getting money for his weekly payoffs. But, as happened to crusty Walter Matthau in Bad News Bears, the youngsters eventually get under O'Neill's skin, sparking a regeneration and transforming him into a warm and caring individual.
But questions remain: How and why is O'Neill the way he is? No one is born a compulsive gambler, risking life and limb on the throw of the dice or a shot at the buzzer.
We only get a surface picture of this desperate hustler.
His young charges are merely types: Loud, brash youngsters who look and act older than their ages because of the circumstances life has dealt them.
Showing the wretched and sometimes deadly conditions these young boys must routinely face is what sets Hardball apart. For these youngsters, fear is a constant companion.
Escorting one child to his door, O'Neill notices the family sitting on the floor watching television. Asked why, the young man matter-of-factly tells his coach that it's to keep low and avoid stray bullets.
The young men who comprise O'Neill's team are heart warmers. For them the baseball diamond is a refuge. Watching them come together as a team is inspiring.
But the script really fails to address how O'Neill sparks these rambunctious youngsters to solidify into a united force. In one scene he orders them to stop the trash talk amongst themselves, and before you can say Sammy Sosa, they are do-or-die teammates.
Hardball may bring a tear to your eye, especially when the dangers of the projects are tragically brought home to O'Neill and his team. Yet, even this feels more like a clichéd standard plot device than the natural course of action.
What Hardball needed was a larger-than-life actor, one who can inspire, for the part of Conor O'Neill. Reeves is competent and can ably show angst, but he lacks the warmth required to pull off the part.
Hardball has a few moments of truth. The rest, however, feels like your watching a game replay.
Bob Bloom isthe film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net. Bloom's reviews also can be found by logging into www.jconline.com and clicking on golafayette. Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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