Million Dollar Arm
(2014)Sometimes to win, you have to change the game.
True underdog sports story starring Mad Men's Jon Hamm as washed up talent agent J.B. Bernstein who travels to India to set up a televised game show - titled Million Dollar Arm - in an attempt to find a baseball star amongst the cricket-mad population. Co-stars Life of Pi's Suraj Sharma, Slumdog Millionaire's Madhurt Mittal, Argo's Alan Arkin and Lake Bell. From the writer of The Station Agent.... More
The show uncovers two fast-pitching young men in Dinesh Patel (Mittal) and Rinku Singh (Sharma), both from extremely poor families. Despite the pair never having seen a game of baseball and being unable to speak English, Bernstein brings them to America for training before setting his sights on Professional League contracts.Hide
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Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Aasif Mandvi, Suraj Sharma, Madhurt Mittal
Written by Thomas McCarthy
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Million Dollar Arm
BY christinec superstar
This movie moves at a great pace (No drawn out slow boring parts) & really well directed. Dont think its in any way too long.
Excellent range of interesting characters and has alot of very funny parts. Totally enjoyed from start to finish & love at the end when they show you the real life characters & some footage of them in action. as with many true stories ... It's an easy 4 stars.
BY Brian1 superstar
As always find the not true parts in a true storymakes the experience that much better. I think Flicks are a bit tight with their rating on this one. Some have said its a bit long. Disagree. Enjoyable.
The Press Reviews
61%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Hamm does an amiable riff on his Don Draper persona, Lake Bell is a delight as his tart-tongued love interest, and Sharma and Mittal are all charm as the cultures-uniting underdogs. Full Review
The only splash of cold water comes from Lake Bell as J.B.’s bohemian tenant, who pops his bubble of self-importance (and the film’s) whenever she gets the opportunity... Full Review
Sometimes a hard-hitting expose, sometimes a big-hearted crowdpleaser... Full Review
Credit a rock solid turn by lead Jon Hamm that doesn’t shy away from revealing a darker underbelly to his underdog character... Full Review
Hamm is first-rate, his nuanced portrayal lifting the movie to the winner's circle. Full Review
BY Rebecca Barry Hill Flicks Writer
What’s not to love about Jon Hamm? The Mad Men star continues to get away with Draper-like behaviour (of the family-friendly variety) in this unconventional true story, told in a conventional way. Hamm plays real-life sports agent J.B. Bernstein, who travelled to India to produce a reality TV show competition to get young Indian cricketers to give baseball a shot in the U.S.... More
According to the film, having thrown pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel into a totally different culture, he gave them all the love and affection you’d offer a computer. Such flaws can only be corrected by the med school girl next door, of course (Lake Bell), as his young protégés suffer from homesickness and high expectations.
Much of this feels like your classic Disney underdog tale with a twist of Slumdog Millionaire as it flits between the US and India, with all the colourful ra-ra you’d expect. But it’s a sports film with a little extra. Yes there’s that slow-burning romance, the fish out of water/culture clash comedy, and an eventually redemptive feel-good factor.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Thomas McCarthy maintains a breezy wit throughout and remains firmly behind the wheel, juggling several characters’ emotional arcs without crossing into schmaltz. That said, the familiar formula means you’ll know what’s coming.
Bringing it down to earth are great performances from Alan Arkin as the curmudgeonly Ray and Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal as the real-life pitchers. Million Dollar Arm may not confound expectations but as far as sports movies go, like Hamm, it’s immensely likeable.Hide
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