(2014 - May 16)
Biography | Drama | Sport
2 hr. 4 min.
Rated: PG | Mild language with some suggestive content. Read more
Grade: A-
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Thomas McCarthy (screenplay)
Stars: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Alan Arkin | See full cast and crew
Based on a true story, Disney's "Million Dollar Arm" follows JB Bernstein, a once-successful sports agent who now finds himself edged out by bigger, slicker competitors. He and his partner Aash (Aasif Mandvi) will have to close their business down for good if JB doesn't come up with something fast. Late one night, while watching cricket being played in India on TV, JB comes up with an idea so radical it just might work. Why not go to there and find the next baseball pitching sensation? Setting off for Mumbai with nothing but a gifted but cantankerous scout (Alan Arkin) in tow, JB stages a televised, nationwide competition called "Million Dollar Arm" where 40,000 hopefuls compete before two 18-year-old finalists, Rinku and Dinesh (Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal), emerge as winners. JB brings them back to the United States to train with legendary pitching coach Tom House (Bill Paxton). The goal: get the boys signed to a major league team. Not only is the game itself difficult to master, but life in the U.S. with a committed bachelor makes things even more complicated-for all of them. While Rinku and Dinesh learn the finer points of baseball and American culture, they in turn teach JB the true meaning of teamwork and commitment. Ultimately, what began as a purely commercial venture becomes something more and leads JB to find the one thing he was never looking for at all-a family. (c) Walt Disney Pictures
Neither am I a baseball or a cricket fan but this looked like an interesting story to me. There are obvious comparisons to the 1969 Tom Cruise film 'Jerry Maguire', which I must confess, I could never sit through although I started to several times. Perhaps after Million Dollar Arm I might try again. I really liked this film. I enjoyed seeing the stunning India locations. Then there were the intriguing depictions of the bleak surroundings the dearth of opportunities that were the future for the Million Dollar Arm contestants. A stunning reminder of why their life changing dreams of winning was so important. This is the true story of those dreams coming to life. This is somewhat more interesting to me than a fictional Jerry Maguire. 
Cast
JB Dinesh Rinku
Ray Brenda Tom House
Amit (Deepesh Solanki) Aash
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