Million Dollar Arm

FLIX!

When considering what to see at the movies last night there were some interesting choices. We could opt for Spiderman 2 (in 3-D if we wanted), the new X-Men, among others. My wife let me choose and I chose "Million Dollar Arm."

Disney has a knack of doing the feel-good sports stories very well, ala "Tiger Town", "The Rookie", and "Miracle" and that's just the tip of the ice berg.

This movie centers around JB Bernstein played aptly by John Hamm of "Madmen" fame. Bernstein is a sports agent and he is falling on hard times. He needs a real good deal to keep he and his company (a partner Ash Vasudevan - played by Aasif Mandvi, and an assistant Theresa played by Allyn Rachel) afloat. His one great hope is waffling on him, and he is at his wits end. He is at home one night and he is watching TV switching between "Britain's Got Talent" and a cricket match on ESPN and inspiration hits. What if he sponsors a talent competition in India to find a Cricket pitcher, correction Bowler, that can throw fast enough for a major league baseball tryout? He could sign them, and maybe salvage his career.

They go to India and conditions are not much like America. I was reminded a lot of a trip I took to Haiti. But the tryouts are scheduled all over India, and Bernstein is hopeful, because if he discovers a major leaguer in India there are a billion built-in potential fans. Who wouldn't want to sell a billion caps or T-Shirts? He goes all around the country with his entourage and manages to come up with a nerdy little Indian who claims to know everything about baseball but knows nothing, Arnit Rohan (played by Pitobash) and wouldn't even be there as a translator except he agreed to work for free. Also with him is former sports scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin) who hates being there and sleeps through a lot of the tryouts, but he's "listening". And after all is said and done, in a talent contest show format, they actually managed to come up with two guys who can throw in the mid-80's range. Miles Per Hour for you non-baseball fans. But remember these guys have never picked up a baseball before.

Bernstein lives in a nice southern California residence that offers a little bungalow out back that he rents out to a medical student, Brenda, played by Lake Bell. When Bernstein's two prospects, with Arnit in tow, end up staying at his place, Brenda becomes a stabilizing influence that JB, under so much pressure, is unable to be able to do. Meanwhile, JB sends the two recruits to be coached by USC's pitching coach Tom House, played by Bill Paxton (who coincidently directed a Disney sports movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played").

This might be a good time to mention the actual recruits. They are/were Rinku Singh, played by Suraj Sharma, and Dinesh Patel, played by Madhur Mittai. Fine performances to be sure.

Without giving to much away, but let this be a spoiler alert, they don't do so well at one try-out, but after Brenda's insistence that JB just let it be fun they do much better at the second. At the end of the movie, they both get signed to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and JB is saved and all is well with the world, and my wife announced 'we will own this movie'. It was a great movie. Entertaining and uplifting with a lot of comedy mixed in.

It is worth the price of admission, and these days, that says a lot. I will recommend it. I don't think anyone could go wrong putting down hard earned bucks to see this. Go for it. Be uplifted. And enjoy the wonderful real life photos shown at the end of the real life guys, one of whom gets to meet President Obama, and photos of the real life JB and how he eventually married Brenda and they have a family. But please if you love all this just read my grade and click out.

Grade: B.

Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel were indeed both signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The combined total signing bonus amounted to about $8000. They both ended up in the Pirates farm system. Dinesh pitched about 7 innings, and although 1-0 for the 2009 season, was released and he returned to India where he remains involved in baseball. Rinku is still in baseball bouncing between the Pirates farm system and leagues in Australia and the Dominican Republic...here there and everywhere. But neither ever made it to the Bigs. 

I hope that JB was able to remain viable, but I doubt if it was off signing these two guys. And so there's that.