Rookie of the Year

Director: Daniel Stern

Overview

Rookie of the Year is a light-hearted comedy about a 12-year-old baseball fan who, despite his love for the sport, can't play the game at all. During one Little League contest, he breaks his arm. After it heals, it miraculously becomes a super-human arm that can out-pitch any player in the major leagues. The boy joins the Chicago Cubs and helps lead them to the World Series. Though the plot is silly and contrived, it's a pleasant film that is ideal for young sports fans.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/13/2012
UPC:	0024543029212
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	PG
Source:	20TH CENTURY FOX
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	16,925

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Thomas Ian Nicholas	Henry Rowengartner
Gary Busey	Chet Steadman
Albert Hall	Sal Martinella
Amy Morton	Mary Rowengartner
Dan Hedaya	Larry `Fish' Fisher
Bruce Altman	Jack Bradfield
Eddie Bracken	Bob Carson
Robert Gorman	Clark,Actor
Patrick LaBrecque	George
Daniel Stern	Phil Brickman
John Candy	Jeff Murdoch
Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine	Becky
Rom Milanovich	Heddo
Kristie Davis	Tiffany
Tyler Ann Carroll	Edith
Tom Milanovich	Heddo
Ross Lehman	Dr Kersten
John Gegenhuber	Derkin
James 'Ike' Eichling	Little League Coach
Josh Wagner	Little League Fielder
Erik Vandersteuyf	Windemere
Dan Conway	Press Conference Reporter
James Andelin	Wizard of Wrigley
Andrew Mark Berman	Ernie
Christopher Howe	Airport Reporter
Mark Doran	Richards Cubs Catcher
Tom Brennan	Umpire
Neil Flynn	Okie Cubs 1st Base
E. Milton Wheeler	Suarez Cubs 2nd Base
Sam Sanders	Fern Cubs Short Stop
Neil Fiala	Mullens Cubs 3rd Baseman
W. Earl Brown	Frick Bullpen Cathcher
Frank L. Wiltse	Peyton Cubs Pitcher
Barry L. Bonds	One Big Whiffer
Bobby Bonilla	One Big Whiffer
Pedro Guerrero	One Big Whiffer
Jerry Saslow	Bleacher Bum
Mike Bacarella	Bleacher Bum
Don Forston	Big Bum
Ken Earl	Pepsi Executive
Anthony Diaz-Perez	Rude Hot Dog Vendor
Mike Houlihan	Carson's Hot Dog Vendor
Tim Stoddard	Dodger Pitcher
B.J. Sanabria	Chicken Runner
Cristian Mendez	Other Mets Runner
Mike Daughtry	Mets 3rd Base Coach
Toney Howell	Surprised Expos Runner
Ian Gomez	Actor
Robert Harper	Confused Teacher
Henry B. Walthall	Actor

Technical Credits

Jack Brodsky	Executive Producer
Robert Harper	Producer
Rick LeFevour	Stunts
Linda Lowy	Casting
Irby Smith	Executive Producer
Dieter Sturm	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Along with Little Big League and Angels in the Outfield, Rookie of the Year was one of a trio of sports fairytales that came out in 1993 and 1994 about the unlikely contributions of a 12-year-old boy in major league baseball. In this one, the kid is an actual player, able to throw devastating fastballs after a medical anomaly in which his broken arm heals as a kind of mousetrap missile launcher. When his arm cocks and snaps into motion, real superstars such as Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla are left helplessly whiffing at each pitch. Although this is sort of fun to see, the idea involves such a huge suspension of disbelief that viewers may only grudgingly give it. Still, actor Daniel Stern's directorial debut works a winning formula for young sports fans, especially those who practice striking out the league's top hitter to win the World Series against the picket fence in their backyard. Stern's major mistake in an otherwise even-keeled film is his own portrayal of the Cubs' klutzy and exhaustingly eccentric pitching coach. Stern is so bug-eyed and loose-limbed that his scenes are downright painful to watch. The other actors acquit themselves more tolerably, notably Gary Busey (also hamming it up, but not as much) as a grizzled, junkball-throwing veteran.