People are voting emotionally.

Just perfect...

Don't Believe the Hype

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

If you looked up "family movie" in the dictionary, this film would be listed there. Nothing exceptional, but enough fun, laughs and story to go around. Great casting and some great moments...even if the script could have been slightly less cliche.

A struggling sports agent is at the end of his rope, which forces him to get creative and try a gamble no one has ever tried before. He figures that he needs a new and upcoming baseball star pronto, but where would one find one. Then he figures that India as a country is a huge untapped market and surely he can travel there, hold auctions and find someone who's able to pitch a mean ball.And from thereon out it's the tried, true and patented Disney sports film formula played to death in front of your eyes. You know exactly how the story is going to go from minute one. Sure, it's not a kid's film per se, so the main character is allowed to be a bit of a jerk and there can be scenes where people are not covered from head to toe in conservative clothing, but it's still squeaky clean and safe. And I have nothing against the Disney formula, but it still means that the film is very much paint by numbers.That being said, the film is based on true events, which gives it a bit more oomph. India as a country is given a fair treatment, the two Indian baseball players given a chance to break into the American leagues are a lot of fun, the main character is likable despite or perhaps because of his jerkiness.Would I recommend the movie to anyone? Perhaps if I knew they were a die-hard baseball fan... Other than that, probably not, I have to admit.

I lived in India for nearly 3 years and can really identify with this movie. A down on his luck sports agent, Jon Hamm, goes to India to try and recruit a baseball pitcher in a contest called Million Dollar Arm. His scout, played by the always wonderful Alan Arkin, is a welcome addition to the cast. They also recruit a young Indian, Amit, played by Pitobash who is excellent in the roll, as the interpreter. After traveling all over India they find a couple of young men who are very raw but have potential. Of course they've never played baseball before so it's not going well. Enter Coach house played by Bill Paxton. He has six months to turn them into baseball players so they can have a try out with a major league team. Lake Bell as the love interest and nurturing influence has good chemistry with all the guys. Based on a true story (with, I imagine, plenty of literary license) it makes for a good, old fashioned uplifting movie. I've seen this now several times and enjoy it as much now as I did the first time I saw it. I'm not a huge baseball fan but it wasn't so much about the baseball as it was about second chances. Probably not for everyone but a good vehicle for Jon Hamm as he moves off the small screen and into movies.

Based on a true story, Disney's "Million Dollar Arm" follows JB Bernstein, a once-successful sports agent who now finds himself edged out by bigger, slicker competitors. He and his partner Aash (Aasif Mandvi) will have to close their business down for good if JB doesn't come up with something fast. Late one night, while watching cricket being played in India on TV, JB comes up with an idea so radical it just might work. Why not go to there and find the next baseball pitching sensation? Setting off for Mumbai with nothing but a gifted but cantankerous scout (Alan Arkin) in tow, JB stages a televised, nationwide competition called "Million Dollar Arm" where 40,000 hopefuls compete before two 18-year-old finalists, Rinku and Dinesh (Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal), emerge as winners. JB brings them back to the United States to train with legendary pitching coach Tom House (Bill Paxton). The goal: get the boys signed to a major league team. Not only is the game itself difficult to master, but life in the U.S. with a committed bachelor makes things even more complicated-for all of them. While Rinku and Dinesh learn the finer points of baseball and American culture, they in turn teach JB the true meaning of teamwork and commitment. Ultimately, what began as a purely commercial venture becomes something more and leads JB to find the one thing he was never looking for at all-a family.