There They Are And There They'll Stay: The Rookie

 I believe that I have said it several times that my experience in movie watching is not as strong in certain decades. Usually, it's starting in the 60 my interest in films starts to slide. I have found over the year that there are lots of movie that I do like from the 60s but it's usually the musical that start to become a little hard to watch, not all movies in general. 

Because of this, and because of my and and not being able to take myself to the movies, I missing lots of movies from the early 2000s, including The Rookie. 

Jim Morris had big dreams of becoming a MLB playing from when he was a young kid. He loved throwing a baseball to his brother, and only ever wanted to play the game his whole life. However, life had other plans. After some very serious injuries to his arm, he promise his wife, and several doctors, that he would never throw a baseball to the extent that he did again. 

That is until the high school team that he was coaching convinced him to throw a few, and not to pull any punches. He gets a taste of something that he had lived without for a very long time, and realized how much his missed it. 

When the team is loosing, because they aren't inspired by anything to keep winning, the team cuts him a deal. They win state, he has to try out for the majors again. The problem that Jim has with this is that he is twice the age of the other guys that are also going to be trying out. He think that he lost his chance and doesn't want to make a fool of himself. A deal is made anyways, thinking that nothing will come from it. 

Then the team wins state.

He goes to the tryout and is shocked to find out that not only is he is good, but he is throwing the ball at 98mph! He is signed onto the minors. He has a few problems at first, not making enough money, leaving his family, and then the team is not a big fan of him at first, but he is called up to the major leagues.

What I loved about this film is that it's the classic hopeful feeling that we got when we used to watch Disney films. I won't go on a tangent about my current thoughts of what Disney is doing, but this film makes me mourn what they have become. However, this film is based off of a true story, and I am so happy that it was a great story to tell. It's so full of hope and not giving up on your dreams, and that it's also ok for your dreams to take longer, or ever change.

When watching the movie, and thinking about how it might relate to God and faith, I thought that the relationship the Jim has with his father was something to make note of. Jim and his dad love each other but did not have much in common. No matter what Jim was always looking to his dad for direction and also acceptance. 

What I love is the Phil Strangoagalli had a different approach to the film.

"Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, 'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bare a child at the ago of ninety?'" Genesis 17:17

He talks about having a dream. Abraham and Sarah want children of their own but they were not able to have them. When an angel came and told them that it was going to happen they didn't believe it, so much so they mocked them. 

However, the dream did come true! He said that it was never too old and too impossible to dream. Dreams don't have to die, when they are in alignment with God's will.