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Visitors Review

Jackpollins 2012-05-25 13:51:53

A huge strike out

Having seen the trailers a lot for this film and looking at all thetalented people involved with it, I was very excited to see The PerfectGame. I thought it looked excellent. Unfortunately, things sometimes donot go as planned. This is one of those times. Where the film goeswrong is they forget there's still racism left in the world. The film'sfull of racial slurs that would make even David Duke offended. Thefilm's more down putting that uplifting like it's supposed to be. Thefilm is based on an excellent true story that deserved much bettertreatment than this garbage. The talented cast has everyone fromClifton Collins JR to Cheech Marin to David Koechner. The talented castdoes what they can with a lousy, forced script, but none of them canseem to overcome the limited amount they have to work with. Collins,JR, Marin and Koechner are all very disappointing here, not showing toanyone that they're talented people, which they are. While I did nothave the same mad why did I see this reaction I had walking out ofsomething like Leap Year, The Bounty Hunter, or Alice In Wonderland, Iwas perfectly not happy I spent the time and money I did to see thisfilm, and I think you should definitely save your time and money andsit this one out.

dickgowins 2012-05-25 02:27:45

Release It Now

The Perfect Game movie would be a great movie to release right now.This is especially true now since baseball has moved from becoming awonderful and meaningful sport to a business and profit making venture.The movie will serve has a true motivator for kids and will inspire allviewers alike. Based a a true story, the movie truly shows how a poorgroup of Mexican kids went from being no bodies to a team that changeda county and the city of Monterrey, Mexico. Having played on the teamthat Angel Macias Barba threw the perfect game against, I can truly sayhow unique the story is, how it still affects both teams to this dayand what it meant to each one of the Monterrey team members. Both theLa Mesa and Monterrey teams have been privileged to see the movie andread the book. We all can attest to the hard work that William Winocurput into both the book and movie script.He definitely brought the fouryears of research, writing and movie work to life. Compared to most ofwhat Liongate is now releasing, this would be a fun,inspiring,wholesome, family and clean movie for all.It's time forsomething really worth seeing and walking away from with a sense aappreciation.

wagnerad 2012-05-25 07:44:00

Appalled!!!

I went to the movies last night and I saw the preview for this film. Ihave heard about this story all my life, and I am glad someone ismaking a modern version of it. There is an much older Mexican filmversion, but it doesn't get much airtime. But I must say that I wasAppalled by what I saw in the preview.First of all, let me say that I am sucker for a good underdog sportsstory. I come form a region where baseball is the top sport, as opposedto soccer, which is king in most of Mexico. One of our native sons isFernando Valenzuela, who helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series.Among my favorites I can name Major League, Hoosiers, Glory Road, andthe great German film Das Wunder Von Bern. But I am also a stickler foraccuracy.The film portrays the players as coming from an impoverishedbackground, which is true. However, My jaw fell to the floor when I sawMonterrey depicted as a two-burro village where the children playedball in the dirt choked streets with pigs and chickens serving asbases. I went to college in Monterrey, and I lived there for four and ahalf years. Monterrey has been one of the leading industrial centersand largest cities in Mexico for over 100 years, well within the timeframe of this story. An impoverished URBAN setting would have been moreappropriate.The scene that showed the players crossing into Texas from Mexico at anearly-forgotten, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere border crossing alsomade me gag. As anyone with basic elementary school geographicalknowledge would know, there is a big river smack in between Texas andits neighboring Mexican States. It is called the Rio Grande, which,coincidentally, means "big river" in Spanish. There are a great numberof automotive, pedestrian and rail bridges spanning this river.The scenes in Texas seem to be something that would have take place inthe 1940's rather than the 1950's. Texas was still very rural in the50's granted, but the clothing styles and hairdo's on the women seem adecade out of place. There was plenty of bigotry in Texas at the time,and that seemed well depicted.I normally do not take offense when my country is misrepresented likethis in a film, mainly because some people just can't help beingignorant. I do admit that there are severe poverty issues here and yes,there are still many places that don't have pavement. But... COMEON!!!! Do your research!!!! Does anyone remember Ross Perot's claimthat a Mexican's biggest ambition in life was to own an outhouse? YoursTruly Arturo Wagner Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico

2012-05-24 23:52:14

Perfectly Fine Family Fare--A Remarkable Historical Event Reduced To A Lightweight Comedic Fable

If ever there was a movie that showcased the difference between "Based on a True Story" and actual reality, William Dear's "The Perfect Game" would stand as a prime example. While a serviceable entertainment that is completely expected and thoroughly non-challenging, the film doesn't feel the least bit authentic. Yes, it has heart. Yes, it aims to be a crowd pleaser. Yes, apparently many people love it. This genial and unassuming movie is family friendly and its deficiencies are easy to overlook--especially by younger viewers. What's not to love? Utilizing every established underdog cliche from every routine sports story, the film hits all the beats necessary to be comfortable and safe. Kids may well love it. But it takes a fantastic, and almost epic true story, and drains the realness out of history to become a lightweight comedic fable. The movie chronicles the formation of a misfit Little League team in Monterrey Mexico. In 1957, this motley crew crossed the border, challenged much larger and more experienced teams, and ascended to the Little League World Series. It was the first time an International team qualified for the World Series and the only time in history a perfect game was pitched during this competition. It is an absolutely stunning story! Had it been played straight, this might have made a powerful biographical narrative. These kids challenged all expectations and restrictions to be world champions. In real life, they came from an existence of poverty and hardship and faced bitter prejudice and overt racism. Don't worry, though, in "The Perfect Game" these are minor issues and mild lessons to be learned. The boys are remarkably precocious and modern. Their sass and attitudes reflect current sensibilities, but have little to do with the actual time period of 1957 or their culture. The coach (a nice Clifton Collins Jr.) is saddled with a strained comedic side plot--his attempts at romance are remarkably inept. The boys are certainly wise and witty on the subject of wooing the ladies. Nothing in Monterrey feels remotely real in its tone. Any unpleasantness (such as the aforementioned racism) is slight and easily solvable--or, at least, not worth revisiting in this feel-good saga. I didn't hate "The Perfect Game." As a work of fiction, it's a pleasing enough concoction. But the true and incredible story is done a disservice by this superficial portrait. Predictable and enjoyable--but lacking in genuine authenticity--I know I'm in the minority. I just wanted to experience the real story of triumph and not just another exercise in underdog cliche. KGHarris, 7/11.

F_Jenkins 2012-05-16 09:05:36

Leaves no cliché unturned

This is a movie for young kids who like baseball and people who haven'tseen a lot of movies. It has pretty much every cliché you can think of.The dad who is always mad and doesn't want his son to play ball butturns around when he wins. The guy who never made it big so he has tocoach young folks and what do you know, he's a great coach. The dialogis so predictable throughout it's painful. I said "one less mouth tofeed" literally ten seconds before the dad did. By that time I was justfast forwarding.There's all kinds of incorrect stuff like the kids are wearingpolyester uniforms which were not around in the 50s (it was flannel)and in '57 the one kid loves and pretends to be Sandy Koufax. Koufaxwas a nothing in 57. No kids were pretending to be him. His ERA in '56was 4.91. The radio also "broadcasts" his first shutout however thathappened in '55 - he threw two in five starts. He didn't become THESandy Koufax until '62. And the other thing I hated was the bad fake"announcing" where they get guys who sound like today's announcersdoing over the top announcing which doesn't sound real for today, letalone for the '50s.At no point do you believe these kids have the ability to beat the kidsthey're playing in baseball. And since there's no real baseball action(that I saw, I was just skipping over stuff after a while), but justquick cuts and close ups to insinuate stuff is happening, you can'treally see these kids are not real good at baseball. The lead is alsonot that good. It pains me seeing actors playing guys who are supposedto be great in baseball (or whatever sport) and clearly are not(watching him throw was painful).The bad accents the kid had were annoying and it was just directedpoorly. I see lots of raving reviews. Maybe I'm just a mean guy. Ormaybe I"m a baseball fan who has seen a lot of movies. You be judge.

jac7 2012-05-16 01:44:08

Truth hearts, sometimes.

I was fortunate to see the film, compliments of studio movie grille,and I was not disappointed. I thought it was a classic "feel good" family movie. Yeah, it won't winany awards, but it will win over your heart. For some that need "deeper" in a movie for it to be worthy of praise,forget a' bout' it. It's simple and to the point, yeah, you know what's coming next, butthat's alright, it's why we go the movies with our families!Get it, watch it, enjoy it. Yes, just that simple.I thought they did a good job of making it all look fifties. Just likethe movie, simple times.

2012-05-09 13:45:54

Good for Children

This review is from: The Perfect Game (Amazon Instant Video) I liked this movie only because there was no cussing and there were goals met in this semi inspiring movie,good actors but it was lacking, it could have been bursting with more powerful moments

mdixon 2012-05-08 18:16:57

crappy movie (note I didn't say uninteresting story)

this isn't a good movie, it seems as if it's made by someone that'sseen all the archetypal feel-good, rags-to-riches movies then tried hishand at making one without understanding how the good ones actuallywork. in this genre "the blind side" is fantastic, "rudy" superb, even"the sandlot" is head and shoulders above this.the main problem with this movie is that it has the gruff embitteredcoach who didn't really want to be, check, the grandfatherly advicegiver, check, a side love interest, check, impoverished kids who wantto beat the odds, check - but when strung together as things we want tocheer for it falls completely flat. everything is too shallow.I mean I know as viewers we're supposed to do xyz at abc but themovie's job is to lead us to those points which make us want toreflexively cheer. this movie seems to use those recognizable spotssimply as the indication that "ok audience, here's where you cheer".that's not how it works. things in this movie seem to just happen forno real reason except the feel-good format requires them. the build-upscenes seem disjointed/incomplete so there's no build-ups, the pay-offs("hurray" "cheer" "you go!") appear out of nowhere making them utterlyunsatisfying because they were unexpected.I had very little expectation other than to watch something fun andmarginally gratifying for a couple hours but even with such a low barthis movie fails. I should add that I could only take a little overhalf of this movie but in fairness how many times can one watchsomething lousy saying "this stinks, I hope it gets better; thisstinks, I hope it gets better; this stinks... the end"?

ar-hoffmann 2012-05-05 15:50:52

'based on a true story' ?

The indication 'based on a true story' is supposed to be a cover-up forall the cheap clichés in film. The story is a fiction about a underdogmiracle team. The true story is a lot different, because the littleleague Industriales de Monterrey team had played two seasons on thelocal 4 team little league circuit before participating for the worldseries in the US. They were so dominant that year that they repeatedtheir world series win the following year. It was the US's trauma theAmericans could not explain, so the film comes up with an explanation:the miracle myth. So 'the true story' has nothing to do with a miracle,nor underdogs. Sorry for the spoilers... I still recommend watchingit...

Samuela55 2012-05-05 11:47:39

"The Perfect Game" is "The Perfect Movie"

This is a wonderful, inspirational, fantastically acted movie. Don'tmiss it. I was in tears during parts of it because it was so touching.Love it, love it, love it. It is comparable to "Chariots of Fire". Allof the acting was outstanding. It is a true story with black-and-whitestill photographs of the actual people portrayed in the movie. There'sa 10-line minimum required for all IMDb. reviews. It is too bad that Iam probably not allowed to fill in all of my remaining three lines with"Love it, Love it, Love it". I would like to fill-in my remaining twolines with "Don't miss it, Don't miss it." This film is also a goodwholesome family film that all ages can enjoy.

bonimdb 2012-05-05 01:20:04

Wonderful family film

I went to see this movie because my daughter loves sports movies. Itwas completely enjoyable although a little bit clichéd. The acting was not that good but there were so many feel good momentsthat I could completely forgive any faults I may have found. I evenclapped at the end. My daughter's friend was cheering as if he were actually at the game.What made this even more special is the knowledge that this "perfect"game actually happened and, along with the end credits, we got to seethe actual players. This is a great movie for the whole family, andthat in itself, is a great feat!

paul2295-799-422959 2012-05-04 19:49:03

Wonderful, Inspirational, Film

This is an absolutely wonderful film in every respect. Don't be thrownoff by the critics. They are wrong! I went away feeling that this isone of the most enjoyable films that I have ever seen. Wheras it is anexcellent "family" film, it will be enjoyed by people of all ages.Bring along a tissue or two. Some of the scenes will bring forth anoverwhelming emotional rush of what those boys were able to accomplish.What is so amazing is that the story is actually true. I can't believethat the release had so little publicity and is playing in so fewtheaters in the US. I saw it by accident. Don't miss it. It isWONDERFUL

chinilla1010 2012-05-04 02:35:31

Very entertaining.

So what? Some of the characters are over the top. Some of the actorsplaying the kids from Monterrey might have pushed the stereotype, butquite frankly, I LOVED IT! The movie is entertaining and such a joy towatch, and it's supposed to be stereotypical. If we can't laugh atourselves and our own not so perfect life, then we'd be rather dullwouldn't we? If I recall my trip to Monterrey, where I have encounteredtrans-gendered, gay, and transsexuals; who live their lives as normallyas any of us do, they are very much like how the actors portrayed themin the movie. If this movie misrepresents diversity, then I would begto differ. Being a gay man myself, and knowing all the obstacles thatcome with acceptance, the LAST thing I'd want to do is JUDGE somethingwe have no real connection to. I have never put on a dress, have neverwalked in their shoes. I do play a mean game of baseball though, and ifI were to meet these lads across the net, I would be honored to playwith them as I would any other team. GAME ON! For the team! May thebest "man" win.

f. baez 2012-05-03 16:45:53

Something true, something false, something missing

The Perfect Game is a nice, feel-good, crowd-pleasing, human values,baseball-packed movie. It is, indeed, based on a true story, but thefictional elements are so heavy and full of stereotypes, that theybecome a burden for the viewer and for the movie itself. The odd thingabout it all is that some of the things that seem the most incredibleare true. Yet still, a key character in the story -a Gringo- is leftout of it. Why?Here come the spoilers.Something true. The basic line of the story is true. The 13 straight games won by thekids from Monterrey. The perfect game pitched by Àngel Macías -Iwatched him play as an outfielder for Poza Rica 7 years later-, somekey plays. Things that may ring as an exaggeration are also true. CoachCésar Faz had been a bat-boy for the St.Louis Browns, the kids didcross the US- Mexico line walking in their baseball uniforms(it was abridge, though); they ran against some racist behavior; there was anattempt to deport them in Biloxi, as their visas had expired; they weregiven discounts and even a free meal in local restaurants, as theirlegend grew; they ran out of money and depended on a fund raisingeffort in Monterrey; the uniforms they were offered for the final gamewere way too big for them; most of them were working class kids andeven the relationship between coach César Faz and María is true. Thelittle players did meet President Eisenhower and the Brooklyn Dodgers.This was more than enough to make a sound film.Something false. You don't make a baseball team in four weeks. The Liga PequeñaIndustrial had been set four years prior to the championship. It was aproper Little League, with a proper field and stadium and they, ofcourse, knew what a baseball looked like. The team had been playingtogether so long that they wore in 1957 the same uniform they had usedin 1956 -when they beat other leagues in Monterrey-. Monterrey was anindustrial city of half a million people, not a semi-rural town with asteel mill in the middle of nowhere, and baseball was the main sportplayed over there -in 1957 it had a strong team in the Mexican BaseballLeague, but not a first division soccer team-. César Faz was a US-born,after being deemed too short for MLB, decided to make a career as amanager. He coached Nuevo León State team to the National finals theyear before, and was hired -nominally as a worker in FAMA machineryfactory- to take the 12 year olds to the World Championship. There were14 players, not 9, and there was no priest with them -even though it issaid that they were religious children. And, at their arrival from theUS, they were received by thousands of admirers both in Mexico City andin Monterrey. Something missing. One of the key men behind the Mexican kids' victory was an American,Harold "Lucky" Haskins, a former war-hero who helped fund, with hispersonal money, the Liga Pequeña Industrial, the working-class LittleLeague where the champions came from. It was Haskins who gave themgloves, bats and uniforms, it was him who intervened to clear the visaproblem for the children. It was him, the manager of FAMA machineryfactory, who paid Faz. Why is he left out? Probably because he was abigamist -not good for a religion oriented movie-, or probably becausehis intervention would prevent a couple of Hollywood clichés fromappearing. Anyway, I felt it was an injustice done to a good man.

intelearts 2012-05-02 05:43:50

432rd Review: Excellent Inspitatonal Sports Movie - not just for kids!

This dramatization of the 1957 World Little League Champions is just aterrific watch - sure, it is a little clichéd in places - but whatsports movie isn't, but it has the same vibe as The Mighty Ducks andThe Bad News Bears except that is based on a true story.All in all, baseball films are nearly always good to watch, and this isno exception - the team is fun, the story is built well, the film isnicely edited, you get a ton of baseball, and the moral compass isfirmly fixed to good throughout.One of the better sports films for kids - and adults - and one thatdeserves a wide audience.

gbremer-703-231572 2012-05-01 19:24:36

Truly Inspirational!!!

Our kids really enjoyed the movie and were impressed with the story andall the adversities the kids had to endure to achieve the final goal.Truly motivational for kids. It is a great example for kids to startlearning about setting goals for themselves and work towards thosegoals and deserving glory after the achievement.Faith is another important element in the movie that is a greatvaluable lesson for kids. Its a great depicted true story that itsdefinitely worth to watch it with the whole family.I watch the "premier-event" live on Mexico television (it took place inMonterrey in Fundidora "Horno 3") which is the old furnace in Fundidora(steel Mill). Actors and real players from the story gathered to watchthe movie with other VIP people who walked the red carpet. In theinterview before the premiere an actual player from the Monterrey Team(that played in 1957) was interviewed and mentioned that most of themdid not know that they were playing a perfect game. At the end of thegame they learned this fact. he ended his interview saying: "We sureplayed each and every play as it was the most important play of thegame". His comment hooked me and made me watch the movie.Truly inspirational movie worth watching!!! Billy Bremer L. Monterrey,Mexico

ciscokid1970 2012-04-27 19:20:29

Fantastic underdog feel good movie

If you liked movies like The Blind Side, Hoosiers or League of TheirOwn then you will like this movie. Quick description, this movie is abased on the true story of a little league baseball team from MontereyMexico that came to the USA to play in the little league tournament.The movie is set in 1957 when prejudice was healthy in America. I ampleased to say that they did not overdo the part of the struggle. Theseboys were underdogs in every sense of the definition; they were poor,smaller and foreign. This is a powerful beautiful movie of the power ofchildren's love for the game and their desire to overcome obstacles. Ido not want to give too much of the story away, but I will touch on afew points. The movies color, lighting and sets are very well done fora very low budget film, which is not easy to recreate 1957 Mexico andAmerica. I really liked the actors and their roles, Cheech Marin put anice zip in being a priest and Clifton Collins is a great little knownactor as the coach. There were a lot of great actors in smaller partsDavid Koechner, Frances Fisher, Emilie DeRavin, John Cothran, TracyWalter and it was really nice to see Louis Gossett Jr again. I was alittle disappointed that the child actors were not Mexican decent,mainly because the accents were way off. Other than that there wereonly minimal complaints of over acting, clichés and tempo, that did NOTrob from the spirit of the movie. Fantastic movie, that is more than amovie, for anyone who has ever been an underdog.

latriciasaucier 2012-04-27 08:01:27

Very inspirational and moving!!

This movie was very inspirational. I have to admit, I did not knowabout the true story at all, so after watching this film, it made mewant to know more. I actually read about the Monterrey Industriallittle league team, and why they were called the little giants. I alsoread about Angel Maccias after wards. I am very glad this movie cameout, it helped me learn some history. This is a must see film. Don'tforget to research the true story it is based off. The film is based ona true story about a group of kids from Mexico who played in the littleleague world series. It is about having faith and never giving up nomatter how tough the road is. I have watched this movie three times andI brought the movie. I highly recommend it.

2012-04-25 11:05:06

Great for conservative families

This review is from: The Perfect Game (Amazon Instant Video) Finding a fun, clean movie for our family is a constant challenge today. My boys, 7 and 8 years old, loved it, laughed, wondered, asked questions, got excited, the whole bit. My wife and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This movie tells a great story and I don't have any reservations recommending it. That was two hours of family time and a few bucks for the rental well spent!

dollarbillsemail 2012-04-25 00:58:57

Lackluster

I just viewed the DVD of "The Perfect Game" and it left me somewhatbewildered as to why they attempted a theatrical release. The movie isnot on that level. It would have been better served as a TV-movie. Setin 1957,it's based upon a very interesting true story about a group ofimpoverished Mexican kids who seek to establish a Little League team intheir factory town. After coercing one of the factory workers withmajor league credentials (he was once a towel boy for the St. LouisCardinals) to coach them,they gain membership in the league and defeatthe highly touted rival Mexican team. Then,it's across the boarder intothe United States and their quest for the Little League championship.You'd think that this would make a great movie. It didn't. Why? Tworeasons. First,it was told in a lackluster manner. You've all seen theLittle League playoff and championship games on TV over the years andthey're very exciting. You don't feel any of that excitement in thismovie. Second,the acting,for the most part,was flat. The only inspiredperformance was by Emilie de Ravin who played Frankie,a news reporterpressed into service,against her wishes,to cover the kids progress. Shewas spot-on playing her character. In fact,she has been spot-on inevery performance that I've seen her in. Slowly,her character becomeswon over by the kids as they win game after game in their march to thechampionship. Along the way,the team encounters a multitude of setbackswhich they overcome with the help of others. In short,great story,badpresentation.