I was so unenthused about this film before I saw it that I almost didn’t watch it at all. I thought I could skip it and be just fine, and it really was a coin toss as to whether I would ever see it. However, I’m glad I did.
What Works: Is this movie clunky? Sure. Is it too long? Right. Is it downright cheesy in certain places? Can’t argue with you there. However, if you go in with an open mind this true story of the first Indians to ever be signed to a major American sports team will win you over. It revolves around Jon Hamm’s struggling sports management firm who are desperate for the “Next Big Thing” and think they may have found it with a contest to go to India to turn cricket players into baseball pitchers.
Sure, it may be a cynical grab for the India market share (the last major untapped revenue stream for pro-sports), but it’s hard not to get invested in the lives of these players. The ending is just feel good enough without being overly saccharine. Better still, it’s believable enough to keep my eye-rolls to a minimum.
What Doesn’t: Lake Bell as the female lead and really the whole romantic subplot probably takes up too much screen time, and I think fans of a straight baseball film may be disappointed that there’s very little of the actual game in this movie. And I did mention before about how not all the joke’s work, the movie’s a little cheesy, and the pace drags in certain parts.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Trim ten or so minutes off the run-time, maybe punch up the dialogue some, and include more (literally) inside-baseball knowledge. Still, a decent film and better than I thought it would be.