It's been done before, with reference to virtually every sport: basketball (Hoosiers and Coach Carter), football (Remember The Titans), hockey (Miracle and Mystery, Alaska), boxing (Rocky), track and field (Chariots Of Fire). The list goes on. This is the baseball version of the "underdog overcomes" formula as the high school baseball team struggles to overcome adversity in its last season before the school closes to win another state championship. Yes, it's inspiring. Yes, it's a true story. All that's true. But the biggest truth? The formula is getting tired! In this one, the Tigers of the high school in little Norway, Iowa face not only the above mentioned adversity, but also a school board that would like them to lose to shut the people up about the dynasty and all that the team means to the town and, to essentially sabotage them, hires a former girls volleyball coach to replace the former legendary coach who led them to title after title. Frankly, it seemed strange to me that the local school board was so willing to jump on board with the state to close the school. That whole tension was where the movie had some potential to break out of the standard formula but didn't really manage to do it. Where the movie was interesting was in its analysis of the place of the school in the life of the small town, and of the implications to the town of closing the school. But there wasn't enough of that analysis. The focus kept going back to the baseball team and its final season. (I know, that's the title, that's the purpose, but that final season wasn't that interesting.) The movie also completely failed to document the evolution of the team. They won their first game, then fell apart, then were suddenly a respectable 17-12, then were suddenly playing for the state championship. It never really seemed clear to me how the team pulled that off.
Basically, this is a tired formula and a rather disappointing movie as a result. 4/10
Basically, this is a tired formula and a rather disappointing movie as a result. 4/10