The Perfect Game

The movie has a nice plot, and any intense baseball fan will love the history of the story (I'm a huge baseball fan, yet I had never heard of the 1957 Little League Champions before I watched this film). The acting is OK; the visuals are nice. The only criticism I have is that the movie gets way too sappy and syrupy at times.

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

If you liked movies like The Blind Side, Hoosiers or League of Their Own then you will like this movie. Quick description, this movie is a based on the true story of a little league baseball team from Monterey Mexico 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 am pleased to say that they did not overdo the part of the struggle. These boys were underdogs in every sense of the definition; they were poor, smaller and foreign. This is a powerful beautiful movie of the power of children's love for the game and their desire to overcome obstacles. I do not want to give too much of the story away, but I will touch on a few points. The movies color, lighting and sets are very well done for a very low budget film, which is not easy to recreate 1957 Mexico and America. I really liked the actors and their roles, Cheech Marin put a nice zip in being a priest and Clifton Collins is a great little known actor as the coach. There were a lot of great actors in smaller parts David Koechner, Frances Fisher, Emilie DeRavin, John Cothran, Tracy Walter and it was really nice to see Louis Gossett Jr again. I was a little disappointed that the child actors were not Mexican decent, mainly because the accents were way off. Other than that there were only minimal complaints of over acting, clichés and tempo, that did NOT rob from the spirit of the movie. Fantastic movie, that is more than a movie, for anyone who has ever been an underdog.

I thought the acting was great, but I was not a huge fan of the baseball scenes. The throwing mechanics of several of these players was awful...and there was one scene where Angel supposedly threw a strike, yet the ball was clearly spiked (thrown in the dirt). That's really the only thing missing, and I felt it was significant enough to warrant giving it a 7 out of 10. Definitely an inspiring movie though, and you could sense the support the team gained along the way. I do realize that they have changed a few things from the true story, such as the quantity of time spent playing baseball prior to leaving for America. I loved the incorporation of the actual footage into the movie. It was a bit weird too with the several instances where the coach/someone would say, "they don't speak English," yet the movie was entirely in English.

This dramatization of the 1957 World Little League Champions is just a terrific watch - sure, it is a little clichéd in places - but what sports movie isn't, but it has the same vibe as The Mighty Ducks and The Bad News Bears except that is based on a true story.

All in all, baseball films are nearly always good to watch, and this is no exception - the team is fun, the story is built well, the film is nicely edited, you get a ton of baseball, and the moral compass is firmly fixed to good throughout.

One of the better sports films for kids - and adults - and one that deserves a wide audience.