Konterr Brilliant and touching

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

WILLIAM FLANIGAN Viewed on DVD. Subtitles =three (3) stars. Director Fred Schepisi delivers a very limp romantic comedy with a phony, Americanized version of Japanese baseball as a back drop (those interested in the culture of real Japanese baseball may wish to read Robert Whiting's 1989 definitive book on the subject, You Gotta Have Wa). The film's plot involves an over-the-hill American major league player whose contract is bought by a Japanese team. This fish-out-of-cultural-water scenario is far better and more accurately described in Whiting's book. Some cultural nuances, however, are caught in the script including the politically-correct role of the Gaijin-player's interpreter (also described in Whiting's book). Film was not shot in a Japanese baseball park (and, aside from spectator and a few other pickup shots, does not appear to be filmed in Japan), and it sure looks it! Major film composer Jerry Goldsmith's score is surprising uneven and not that great (perhaps the orchestrations did him in?). Subtitles are missing about half the time. Slightly better than watching screen savers on Amazon Fire TV. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

ccthemovieman-1 I saw this 15 years ago in the theater and while I never had the desire to see it again, it always stuck with me. Maybe that's because (1) I love baseball; (2) hate to see arrogant ballplayers; and (3) cringe if I see someone not representing my country in a positive light. That's what you get in this film as Tom Selleck plays a crude, profane, "ugly American" ballplayer who's talents have been outlived in the Major Leagues and he's now relegated to play in Japan. (Ironically, Japan is just starting to make some inroads the other way around, especially with Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Red Sox.)Anyway, "Jack Elliott" (Selleck) pouts his way around Japan until he gets involved in a romance, which is portrayed somewhat stupidly and leads to a predictable ending. Other characters in here were interesting to watch, such as the stern manager, played by Ken Takakura. One of the other American players has turned out to be a star in his own right, acting-wise: Dennis Haybert of "24" and now "The Unit."There are a lot better baseball movies out there, but you could do worse, too. It was okay, but as an American, I get to see enough arrogant pro athletes play here every day. All I have to do is turn on the TV.

lastliberal A couple of baseball flicks on tonight. This was the first and, while it is no great picture, it was worth watching.Tom Selleck plays the predictable Ugly American that thinks he knows it all. He can't accept that, if he really knew it all, he wouldn't have been sent to Japan.Dennis Haybert from 24, The Unit, Jarhead, and Breach tries to help him realize that he needs to get with the program.But, it is the manager's daughter that turns him around and , guess what, he starts to be a team player.Yes, I know that that was so predictable, but is still worth your time. It's no "Natural," but it's OK.

gwilliams-10 This has always been a favorite movie of mine. I've owned a VHS copy, and a couple of months ago I found a DVD release which is also part of my video collection. I also happen to be a huge baseball fan, and as part of my off-season reading, I picked up a copy of Robert Whiting's excellent book "You Gotta Have WA", that profiles the ins and outs of Japanese baseball, and the challenges that foreign players have encountered playing in Japan. As I began to read yesterday, it made me think of this movie, because it appears the screenplay was based almost verbatim on this book. The parallels are uncanny. The Jack Elliot character closely resembles Bob Horner, an aging MLB slugger whose best days were behind him. Horner's teammate Leon Lee is also depicted in the character Max "Hammer" Dubois, a veteran in the Japanese league who has made his peace with the frustrations of the Japanese game, and helps keeps his teammate sane. The Elliot character goes through the same sequence of encounters as Horner, from big fanfare signing, early success that fuels an already ravenous sports media, and the ensuing slump that spurs frustration, alienation from teammates, fans and media, and the resulting disillusionment that prompts a desire to go back home to the US. The only difference is that the movie adds such Hollywood touches as a love interest and a happy ending. Speaking of love interests, I'm sure many viewers have come to this site (as I did) to look up the actress who played "Hiroko" (the beautiful Aya Takanashi), and what other work she has done. It only lists this movie. It turns out, based on an article I read, that the brief love scene she has with Tom Selleck (a foreigner) in this movie (mild by our standards - basically they kiss while he's in the bath and she's wearing a towel) caused such an outrage on the part of the Japanese public (males in particular) that she has never been offered another role of any kind, in Movies or television - essentially blackballed by the Japanese movie industry. It's a real shame, as she is(was) quite a talented actress in this movie. If you like this movie as much for the baseball elements and cultural differences as I did -- go find a copy of "You Gotta Have WA" by Robert Whiting. A good read and a great companion book to this movie.