Keanu Reeves and DeWayne Warren in "Hardball."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, we give this film a: Stars: Keanu Reeves and DeWayne Warren Director: Brian Robbins Rated: PG-13, with profanity, violence and adult themes Length: 102 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Forrest Hartman
Gannett News Service

(September 14, 2001) -- At his best, Keanu Reeves is a charming movie star who inspires empathy with a mere nod. At his worst, he is a woefully inadequate actor capable of turning key scenes into nonstop cheese fests.

In Hardball he is both.

Reeves is Conor O'Neill, a desperate drunk who needs to come up with a lot of money -- fast. Otherwise, some Chicago bookies will break his knees, or worse.

In his quest for cash, he gets conned into coaching a poor baseball team for a weekly stipend. He resists, but not too firmly because he really has no choice.

O'Neill slowly becomes attached to his charges and, to toss out a movie cliche, ends up learning more than they do. He's also drawn into a sentimental turn of events that may leave moviegoers weepy.

Such contradictions define Hardball, and that makes a contradictory star like Reeves the perfect person to set its tone. The moment he left the confines of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure to try more "serious" material, Reeves made the list of the least talented leading men in America. At the same time, however, he's built a likable screen presence in a number of good movies. This proves that, if you land the right role, you don't have to be a great actor.

But Hardball isn't the right role. Or at least Reeves didn't receive enough direction to make it right.

In several key scenes, he lays the melodrama on so thick that it seems like a low-budget soap opera. A good example of his ridiculous acting style can be found in just about every William Shatner outing in the original Star Trek. "Spooock!!!!! I might ... convince you ... to feel sorry for me ... if I wasn't so busy ... overacting!"

Yes, it is that horrible. And yes, it does make you forget the story and wonder which dinner course is going to hit your lap first. Oddly, Reeves helps you keep the meal down with a couple of contrasting scenes that are not only solid, but also touching.

But Hardball has its problems. The first of which is, it banks way too many jokes on the shock value of little kids using profanity. Secondly, the story is nothing new. We've seen lots of "reluctant mentor" films and we've seen plenty that portray the horrors of growing up poor. Hardball gives us a watered down version of each.

If the story had been better, or Reeves had offered a more consistent performance, this would have been a three-star movie. But it's tough to get a hit when you have two strikes against you.