Movie Review: Airlift..takes off in nearly grand style

Movies like Airlift are not generally made in Bollywood and that?s really a pity. If this is a harbinger of things to come, 2016 couldn?t have started on a better note (let?s just forget about Wazir for the moment). While its not perfect, Airlift sets the bar really high. More so, it pays a grand tribute to an epic story, that most would never have known had it not been made.

There are two main reasons why Airlift succeeds ? one, due to its powerful storyline which is inspired by real events and two, because of the wonderfully understated yet deeply intense performance of Akshay Kumar. In fact, it?s the second of these that will get you to overlook some of the flaws in direction ? the unconvincing transformation of Akshay?s character, the hurried build up to the sequence of events that play out and even the over-dramatization of the hero towards the climax. I wouldn?t be overstating the case to say that this is probably Akshay Kumar?s best performance till date.

Playing his better half is Nimrat Kaur who is surprisingly a bit of a mixed bag. The dolled up look doesn?t suit her and for someone so naturally beautiful it is the second half where she isn?t wearing that much make up that she is much more appealing. Her performance also has a similar trajectory and it is her acidic monologue in the second half that gets you to sit up and take notice. The side act isn?t really for her and she should take more and more central roles ? she seems most comfortable and convincing in those. The side acts are solid as well ? Purab Kohli, Kumud Mishra, Inaamul Haq (a tad unconvincing in comparison to his natural act in Filmistaan previously) and Prakash Belawadi (as the particularly well delivered obnoxious Malyali) all bring credence to the script.

Unlike Baby, which harped too much on the mission and action, Airlift is about human emotions and you can feel for the trials and tribulations of every person you see on the screen. There are other gems as well ? the good production design, wonderful camerawork and mostly tight and deft direction which keeps your interest going in the events of Airlift pretty much throughout its runtime. There are some special touches too ? scenes where no words are spoken and yet everything is said, the aforementioned monologue, Purab Kohli?s understated character and his story arc. I should probably stop here..lest I spoil your fun.

Its not all a smooth ride though. There is the obvious turbulence with completely avoidable songs ? which do nothing to help the tense nature of the plotline and seek to provide unnecessary relief. Thankfully they are cut short and we go back to the events before they can become more tiresome. There is a distinct focus on keeping things real and balanced rather than making them sensational, that is truly the hallmark of the film and takes the script to greater heights. This has been the bane of most Bollywood commercial entertainers and while it almost teeters on the edge, Airlift doesn?t succumb to that trap.

Instead Airlift gives wings to a tight script and makes a near perfect lift off the runway giving us a flight that is truly worthy to remember and a great start to 2016

Movie Review: Room..its confines are its best times

The worst thing you can do before you watch Room is to watch the movie trailer. Even if you watch the first 20 seconds, it?ll give away all that the Room has in store in terms of plotline and plot twists. Then again, it might not be as bad because the Room is really about the presentation and the performances than what happens to its occupants.

Working in the tiny space that the Room offers can be an exhausting and claustrophobic task. However, the director does a brilliant job and coupled with the exquisite camerawork gives us the best moment the movie has to offer, within those confines. Sure, its intense and not at all pretty, still it delivers what it needs to. As the audience, you too begin to feel confined, wonder if the room extends to more than it appears and sympathize with the occupants of the room. This would be roughly the first half stage of the two hour runtime. So far, so very good.

The movie makes references to Alice in Wonderland and the rabbit hole she disappears into. That is an apt frame of reference to wonder at what goes wrong in the second half. Given perhaps a thousand possibilities after the limited arena in the first half, the Room begins to lose its firm structure and foundations. If this is done on purpose by the director, to align with the confusion its central characters feel by the course of events, it would be a masterstroke. Unfortunately, it just feels like the director (or maybe the writer since this is a book adaptation) genuinely got confused with what to do with all the options now available. It is only in its final 20 minutes that that movie truly redeems itself and gives meaningful dialogues and some structure to what it wants to convey ? the ending being particularly noteworthy.

There are gaping plotholes and convenient contrivances in the Room but all that can be ignored and forgotten simply because of the earnest performance of the mother and son at the heart of this unusual tale. An absolutely astounding performance by child actor Jacob Tremblay is more than ably supported by a wonderful performance by Brie Larson. These two are the life of the movie and together deliver its most memorable moments ? though the feather in the Room?s cap is that you view the entire movie from the eyes of the child. In a side act, we also have a short but credible performance from Joan Allen (Pamela Landy from the Bourne series).

Barring the half hour that the Room comes somewhat off its hinges, it offers a deeply stirring peep into a beautiful mother-son relationship and the innocence and simplicity of childhood despite its terrifying situation. I can say this much for sure ? you?ll emerge from the theater with a better appreciation for your life and the world you live in ? for that and the astounding performances its worth glancing through the skylight and looking into the world of the Room

Movie Review: Wazir..check but far from checkmate

Making a movie titled Wazir is a risky move to open with. Having themes of chess introduced into it is riskier still. Why? Because It gets your audience thinking in that vein as well. As the director moves his pieces into place, as the audience you too start trying to guess what he is up to. Unless, he?s got something really unexpected up his sleeve, there?s a good chance you?ll see through his game. And that..in a nutshell is the issue with Wazir.

If you hear absolutely anything about the movie, and there?s a fair share of spoilsports who would like nothing better than to ruin things for you, there?s nothing left to go and watch so, read as few reviews as you can (barring this one, of course)

Wazir starts off strong. While the title credits start with a song, it goes for the jugular right from the first few scenes and has you invested in its characters and context. Unlike chess, however, to which the movie alludes every chance it gets, there are no pieces being laid out, no stage being set to reel you in. Still it all builds up well and you are engaged for majority of the movie. However, the climax squarely falls flat.

Maybe if you can?t figure it all out, you?ll have your moment of shock and awe. Me, I could see where it was all headed at the interval itself. Hardly the thrills one would hope for. Also, the sequences are contrived to the nth degree. Throughout the movie, while you?ll have every urge to do so, avoid questioning ?how? did this happen and just assume that is how it is meant to be. The sad part is, even if you accept the sequence of events as they play out, the finale doesn?t create those moments of disbelief that thrillers are supposed to be all about.

Some of the writing is par excellence. A few lines will get you to have a lump in the throat and could scarcely be presented more simply and effectively. Unfortunately that?s not the case throughout the movie and despite all its ?talk? of shatranj and the ?khel khel mein..? strain, the dialogues are quite straight forward.

The acting is top notch as well and the exchanges between the duo of Amitabh and Farhan (which forms a significant part of the movie itself) being particularly engaging. Some of the high strung scenes have Farhan screeching rather than performing, but he does equally well in the more restrained emotional bits. Aditi Rao Hydari while she has a side role, expresses plenty with her eyes and despite less dialogues makes her presence felt. Amitabh performs flawlessly but then he has far more calibre than what his (finally) simple character demanded.

The songs are the other bane of this a little over 2 hours of drama. While sung by the best crop of singers we have today, none of them are particularly melodious and most of the time they only slow down whatever little pace the movie would?ve developed so far.

Much like the game of chess, the checkmate move is what would?ve made this one stellar ? when one had the sinking feeling that they?ve been outwitted by a mind keener and sharper than their own and the gameplan is truly worthy of applause. Unfortunately, instead you come back with the feeling that you spent the last two hours playing with an amateur who while he had the best pieces and played what he thought was a winning move basically led you to the conclusion that you deserved a more worthy opponent.

Inside Out

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  There's no way mortals work at Pixar.  The creators there have to be gods of some kind.

Inside Out ? 5 out of 5

I?m quite the fan of Pixar?s work.  Ever since I first saw Toy Story, I was hooked with their films.  I hold them completely responsible for the renaissance of animated films that happened and the new golden era of family films we have.  They showed us that animated features don?t have to be song and dance numbers with bright colors and dumb characters meant to occupy your child while you sneak off to power nap or wolf down candy you hide in a secret stash.  Pixar showed us that the stories can by dynamic and deep and the characters can be rich and fun while all existing in a premise unlike everything else out there.  With the exception of the Cars films, I?ve never been disappointed with a Pixar movie and that?s why I bought this one on Blu-ray without actually seeing it.  I figured with their track record, purchasing Inside Out before seeing it was a completely safe bet?and boy was it.

For now on, I'm just going to pretend I have anthropomorphic emotions in my head.

Inside the mind of a small girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), deep within the center of her mind, exists her emotions:  Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).  These emotions find their work cut out for them when Riley?s mother (Diane Lane) and father (Kyle MacLachlan) packed up their life in the Midwest and moves them to San Francisco.  While the stress of moving comes into play, Sadness starts to act up and begins to turn happier memories into sad ones.  After Sadness takes control of Riley?s mind and ends up creating a sad core memory?the memories that create who and what we are?Joy attempts to stop her from creating any more sadness but accidentally ends up getting her and Sadness lost in the deep recesses of Riley?s brain.  Now they must figure out a way to get back and take control before Fear, Anger and Disgust does something drastic that can change Riley?s life forever.

In all seriousness, Inside Out really creatively captured the difficulties that kids
face as they grow up and their world changes around them.

Like all Pixar films, this feature has some absolutely amazing animation and voice acting.  I really loved the look the emotions had with their glowing appearance and a texture that made them look a bit like Muppets.  The core cast of Poehler, Smith, Hader, Black and Kaling are incredible at bringing to life these characters but the film also has a great supporting cast that helps really give this world life and depth?and yes, John Ratzenberger continues his streak of doing a cameo voice.  Furthermore, and once again like all other Pixar films, the concept of this story is incredibly creative and imaginative.

I get the same way when I see the posts my racist uncle puts on Facebook.

Joy is looking at her hand...she must be high.
That's probably why she's so upbeat.

This unique look at what drives a young girl trying to come to terms with moving across country perfectly illustrates the difficulty that comes with being a kid and growing up.  Seeing inside Riley?s mind and seeing things like memories fading and being forgotten or, more importantly, meeting an imaginary friend from Riley?s childhood help Joy and Sadness on their journey really crafted some incredibly emotional scenes.  It?s never surprising that Pixar creates stories that will fill the viewer with happiness and incredible sadness (dang, Up makes you cry within the first five minutes) but it?s always impressive how they can create dynamic characters that you get invested with and then have a very strong emotional reaction to.  So, yes, I will admit that Inside Out made me cry.  I watched it with my girlfriend and tried my hardest to not bawl in front of her but the story was so strong and the characters so likable and sympathetic that fighting those feelings were impossible.  So, once again, you made tears come out of my face, Pixar, and I?m not mad at all for you doing it. 

Bing Bong's part in the story really had me in tears.  I don't know if I should be
openly admitting how often this film made me cry.

 

What's that?  No, I'm not crying again.

With its excellent animation, perfecting voice acting cast and a story that is overflowing with creativity, wit, humor and drama Inside Out is just another epic feature from a studio that keeps churning out amazing films.  I find it hard to category which films they?ve done that are their best because their level of creativity is beyond so many other animation studios in existence but I do think that this is definitely one of my top five films they?ve done.  I walked out of this one with no complaints and the only regret being not seeing this one in the theater when it was out?but if I did it then, I would have been trying even harder to not cry because as much as I don?t want my girlfriend to see me shed some tears, I REALLY don?t want complete strangers to see me bawl over the heartbreak of some animated emotions.

The Fault in Our Stars

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  More like The FART in Our Stars, amirite?  You know...because stars are made of gas...I'll show myself out.

The Fault in Our Stars ? 4 out of 5

When I first saw the trailers for The Fault in Our Stars, my gut reaction was that this was a feature for tweens and teens.  I won?t say I thought it was a ?Chick Flick? because it?s 2015 and those ideas that pertain to those gender roles are pretty much non-existent now?besides, if you have a heart that is capable of love and deep emotions, everyone should be getting down with romantic films and dramas that pull on the old heartstrings.  Regardless, I didn?t think I would enjoy this one not because of a gender thing but more due to an age thing.  It?s about two teens falling in love and I?m a jaded man approaching middle age.  Falling in love when you?re in your mid-30s is not as whimsical as it was when you were in high school.  So, honestly, that was the only thing about the movie that screamed, ?This isn?t for you, Rev.?  However, gut reactions aren?t always correct and I stopped using them a long time ago to judge whether I will see a movie or not.  So, I have to say, I was completely wrong about this one.

Of course, if someone told me that Willem Dafoe was in the film I might
have seen it earlier...

Hazel Grace Lancaster (Divergent?s Shailene Woodley) is, for the most part, a normal teenager.  She?s smart, well-read and filled with an insightful wit and sense of humor.  The problem she has is she has terminal thyroid cancer that spread to her lungs and now leaves her in need of an oxygen tank to breathe.  One day at a support group meeting (which is led by one of my favorite stand-up comedians; Mike Birbiglia) she finds she is being checked out by Augustus Waters (a character who sounds like he's about to take a trip to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and is played by Ansel Elgort).  Waters is a bone cancer survivor who lost his leg and is taken by Hazel Grace.  After some initial resistance, the two start to bond and what follows is a budding romance between two youths.

This is Mike Birgiblia.  He is hysterical.

Like I stated, I didn?t really think this would be a film for the good old reverend.  However, since I started this blog, I?ve realized I?ve become way more open-minded about films and am now giving movies a shot that I never would have even considered ten years ago.  Sometimes I watch these new things just to review them for the blog or for another site I contribute to (The Robot?s Pajamas, check it out.  It?s a great Geek Collective site and I?m not saying that just because I occasionally write for it and it?s run by my friends.  I seriously love the site and it?s one of the few sites I religiously check out on a daily basis) and other times I watch them because I figure why not give a film I would normally write-off a chance.  Regardless of the why when it comes to the films I watch, I?ve found that sometimes when I watch a film that I was reserved about seeing that my reservations were completely incorrect and I?ve watched something that is extremely well put-together.  That is the case with The Fault in Our Stars.

She was playing a role but I feel like, because of the character's terminal disease,
I can't make a joke here.

The story for TFiOS, based on a novel by John Green, is very moving and dramatic.  You would think that a feature about two teens finding love with each other while simultaneously seeing their time on this planet run out due to their terminal diseases would be very heavy and probably very depressing but what makes the film great is how the story focuses more on the relationship between Hazel and Gus and how they go from being friends to falling in love.  Yes, the film still deals with the diseases and tragedy that comes with them but it never feels like what is transpiring is meant to bring you down.  The film focuses on the positive and really highlights the hopes and joys that both characters feel and bring out in each other.  I won?t pull any punches and try and claim that tears didn?t come out of my eyes during moments but the tears weren?t always from sad happenings.  The story is actually quite beautiful in the way that it, to quote Monty Python, always looks on the bright side of life.

The bright side being that Hazel's father is a shape shifter from the bayou and
her mother survived an island of dinosaurs.

The performances in the film, especially from Shailene Woodley, were excellent.  The story is told nearly entirely from Hazel?s perspective so the responsibility for Woodley to carry the film was mighty and she handled it immensely.  Her performance comes off freakishly real and it made Hazel?s journey that much more emotional.  Admittedly, I had some trouble getting into the character of Gus due to Elgort?s performance.  He?s not bad at all but the way his character is introduced?with some creepy staring?sorta made me feel like he was a douchy character.  As the film progresses, you see that he is quite arrogant and has a frat boy-level of cockiness and that continued to make it hard to get into him but this was an issue I had with the character and the way the character was written.  Elgort?s portrayal of this arrogance was excellently done and, like Woodley, his performance was very realistic.  This clash of two realistic performances was also mixed with some natural chemistry between these two actors and it really made the budding love between Hazel and Gus feel less like the over-the-top love stories we usual see in films meant for the teens and tween and more like a real, mature romance between a pair of real people.  Granted, it?s a little strange that in Divergent Woodley and Elgort play siblings and now they have to play girlfriend and boyfriend but, hey, that?s the acting game.  It needs to be noted that, as the story progressed, I warmed up to Gus and became quite invested with his journey and his relationship with Hazel?which is what I was supposed to be doing, so Mission Accomplished there, film!

Guys, even if you are attracted to a pretty girl in public, don't look at them
like this.  It's creepy.

There?s a striking simplicity to The Fault in Our Stars.  The film isn?t delivered in a flashy or slick manner, there?s no clever editing, no nifty camera angles or use of pop music to quickly establish atmosphere or create character cred; instead, the film is a simple story about a low-key love affair between two dying teens.  The story never tries to make itself bigger than it is and it's staying at ground level and on the positive side the entire time.  The only real downside to the film is the fact it has limited replay value?I can?t imagine this is one I?d own and every wanna watch again but, this aside, the film is touching and charming.  Everything about the movie feels like it should be a depressing tale of a doomed love story but, instead, was a warm and beautiful tale that left me both smiling and crying at the same time.  Of course, the tears were totally from the onions I was cutting at the time.  I was making soup and totally not crying at the film.  You know, because I?m a man and I?m not supposed to have emotions like that.

*Sniff* Shut up, I'm still not crying.

Movie Review: Spectre..casts a terrible shadow on the Bond franchise

Mr Mendes ? let?s just face it. You don?t ?get? Bond. Either that, or the Bond that I?ve been a fan of - especially in the Pierce Brosnan era and post that in Casino Royale ? the one that was like a guilty pleasure that took me on an action packed, escapist adventure albeit with a wafer thin plot ? is more a matter of me not being mature enough and nothing to do with your seeming intent to kill everything that is beloved about this (so far) wonderful franchise. I sincerely doubt that is the case though.

I was appalled after watching Spectre and I wouldn?t recommend it to anybody ? least of all fans of the action adventure Bond like myself. I had a sneaky suspicion post Skyfall itself ? while the world was marveling at what Mr. Mendes had achieved ? humanizing Bond and all that drivel ? I saw it as a ?wannabe Dark Knight? that didn?t even come close and a homage to HomeAlone in its second half. Still, I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. Skyfall had its moments ? maybe Sam Mendes too could do justice to Bond.

After sitting through an agonizing 2 hours 30 minutes of Spectre though, I am firmly convinced -if you want to save the Bond franchise, please hand over the reins to someone who understands him better. We might as well invite Mr Mendes to Bollywood though ? what with true love, heroic rescues and even I love you moments, why he would fit right in.

Spectre doesn?t feel like a Bond movie. The start is promising ? one explosive action sequence makes you sit up and take notice. And then, it all just dies a slow and painful death. Bond is supposed to be about Bond himself, his death defying stunts, his dogged single mindedness on the mission and his outlandish actions to stay on course with one action sequence leading into another ? a web of deceit, espionage, sabotage and master plans galore. Instead Mr. Mendes will have you see the natural beauty, sights and sounds of the various places Bond ends up visiting. There will be slow ?supposedly? meaningful close up shots and as you gear up for something interesting to come, it?ll abruptly cut to the next scene leaving you wondering why was there a close up in the first place. This happens too many times to keep count.

The good and there is very little of it in my view, is the handful of action sequences that are shot well and keep you somewhat interested. There?s a ridiculous one involving a plane ? I don?t allude to that one. In between, it also manages a street car race/chase which could easily have been straight out of the Fast and Furious franchise. Let?s ignore that one as well. The camera angles and cinematography is the other plus.

Daniel Craig is also in sleepwalk mode in his role. Christoph Waltz plays his act well and has commanding screen presence. Ralph Fiennes is a fine actor but he is wasted as the new M and the new Q is too much of a kid. Like so many of the Bollywood remakes of old movies, Mr. Mendes just seems intent on re-modelling Bond to the very opposite of all that it was, even if it shreds the very soul of the franchise in the process.

I guess Spectre is aptly named ? it is truly a sinister apparition that threatens the Bond franchise to have the most painful of last memories. This is not how I want to see the Bond franchise end. He deserves a better farewell than this. There was some talk of Nolan taking over this franchise, before Mr. Mendes unfortunately decided to oblige us one more time. Maybe Nolan can provide some saving grace. Somebody, anybody ? let?s do justice to Bond ? get one more action packed adventure and let him have his moment in the sun one last time before he fades into the sunset.

Movie Review: Bridge of Spies..makes an ethereal connection

This one almost seemed a no brainer.  With Tom Hanks in the lead and the veteran Steven Spielberg directing it was a foregone conclusion that this was going to be good. The only question now was..how good..

However, as the movie began and leaning into the first 40 minutes or so you suddenly weren't so sure.  After the thrilling opening sequence,  the movie slows down to such an extent that one begins to have doubts. In fact, unless you really took a keen interest in the proceedings  you could even be excused of wanting to snooze every now and then. However, you can easily cast aside these concerns.

That's because Bridge of Spies is well and truly a director's movie. He has paced it the way he wants you to experience it.  if you still have  doubts just watch the way a plane crashes and shots are fired to be assured that this director knows what he's doing. I better not say any more at this point.

You can't plan to watch  Bridge of Spies hoping for a thriller - with tense car chases, cross and double cross, espionage, mystery and intrigue  at every turn.Bridge of Spies is none of the above. It has a unique storyline, a context that takes some connecting to and a tone and subtlety that not all will appreciate. Like a mature wine of a particular vintage it takes a true connoisseur to appreciate the richness of its texture.

Tom Hanks pulls off a relatively easier  character, given his acting talent, with a wonderfully restrained performance. A special word of mention to Mark Rylance who makes his presence felt despite the much shorter air time.

Bridge of Spies is not a must watch for all. However for the few who can appreciate it, it will certainly feature very high in that list. Go find out if it manages to make a connect with you.

Million Dollar Arm

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching! Judging by my pitch...I'd say I have about a dollar fifty arm.

Million Dollar Arm ? 3 out of 5

If you follow my blog or know me personally, you probably know that I don?t really know much about sports.  I don?t watch the stuff and, to be honest, they sorta confuse and frighten me.  However, despite my complete lack of enthusiasm and total ignorance of all things sport, I do enjoy a great inspiration film about overcoming adversity and sporting as hard as one can sport.  Sometimes these films are amazing and fill me with pride for a competition that clearly goes over my head as to why it is so popular and, other times, they are just kinda?mediocre and have the same level of excitement I have when I?m forced to go to a sporting arena by friends/family and made to watch the sports match..

Of course, having Don Draper in the sports film didn't hurt me wanting to watch it.

He stood like that for an entire hour...and the movie shows
it in real time.

Million Dollar Arm tells the true story of famed MLB (which, thanks to Google, I found means Major League Baseball?which is a sport, I?ve heard) pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel.  While on the verge of hitting rock bottom, sports agent J.B. Bernstein (Jon Hamm) and his partner Aash (Aasif Mandvi) decide that they are going to discover the next great baseball pitcher by diving into the pool of cricket players (which, I?ve also heard, is another sport that was not named after the bug).  So, JB heads to where cricket is huge; India.  There, a reality show is done in order to find the right players who can pitch fast and accurate enough to be trained to play with the big dogs.  After what feels like an endeavor in the pointless, JB and a retired major league scout (Alan Arkin) finally find Rinku (Suraj Sharma) and Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) and take them to train under veteran pitching trainer Tom House (Bill Paxton).  However, as time grows closer for the boys to try out for Major League Baseball, they start to wonder if they are actually players JB believes in or if they were just some publicity gimmick meant to strengthen JB?s fledgling career.

With Alan Arkin in the film, you know you are going to laugh with every scene that
contains him.  It's a scientific fact.

Despite my complete lack of understanding when sports come into play, I won?t pass up a sports drama because they can be so damn inspiring.  Sure, they don?t inspire me to go to a Packers game or bother to learn the rules of basketball but they can make me swell with pride over the indomitable human spirit and its endless drive to compete, succeed, and do end-zone dancing.  Sadly, Million Dollar Arm isn?t that inspiring.

Even Aasif Mandvi is checking out Jon Hamm's awesomeness.

Someday, all jobs will be determined by a reality TV show
competition.

For the most part, this film (even though it is based on a true story) seems to follow the pattern of sports dramas to the very letter.  The drama, the characters, the unfolding plot all move in the exact sequence that you would predict it to move.  There are no real surprises here.  JB?s move from jerk go-getter businessman to compassionate area of support for the two pitchers is called from the moment the story gets going and the love story that feels completely tacked on (yes, I know it?s based on a true story and is there because it happened) all play out like it was some sort of Fill-in-the-Blanks sports drama script purchased from a script store and Disney just got a director and the actors needed.  This doesn?t necessarily make the film bad; it just makes it predictable and pretty clich?.  This does, however, make the drama and uplifting moments feel empty and devoid of any real punch.

He's dying to say that it's "Game Over" for Rinku and Dinesh's chances in Major
League Baseball.

He's about to do something sports related...look, I really
don't understand sports at all.

Aside from having a story that you can see coming a mile away, the film does have a tremendous cast.  Sure, all the characters are like the story and play out the way you expect them to but guys like Jon Hamm, Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, and Aasif Mandvi all do their jobs and don?t look like they are going through the motions.  Heck, even with all its formulaic glory, the film still has some very amusing scenes with the characters of Rinku, Dinesh, and an eager character who desperately wants to coach baseball and becomes JB?s basic apprentice named Amit (played by Pitobash).  The only thing I didn?t care for in the cast was Lake Bell as the love interest Brenda.  Bell plays every emotion, whether it is happiness, joy, sadness, or even irritation, exactly the same.  She doesn?t really have that strong of a screen presence and comes off so bland that I couldn?t quite figure out what the character of JB saw in her?other than the fact that the romance angle had to happen because it happened in the real life story.

I never thought I would say this but it might have been better to get rid of the Brenda
character and add more sports.

Million Dollar Arm isn?t the worst sports film I?ve seen but it?s far from the best.  A lot of drama and heart fall flat due to the predictable nature of the story and the fact that it is trying to oversell the drama and heart doesn?t help things.  However, the film still has its moments of fun and the cast is very enjoyable.  

"And now it disappeared..."

"I thought you were suppose to be pumping us up for this tryout?"