HARDBALL

4/5
stars keanu reeves, diane lane

it pains me to know that this film barely made it to the cinema; such a refreshing movie with a couple of big-man actors could have been really huge if it was marketed right. man, i wish i could turn back time and not watch this movie for the first time on some shitty bootlegged vcd, but alas i can't.

anyway, to the actual film. it centres on conor o'neil (reeves), a guy with a messed up life and plenty of gambling debts. with guys out to bust his ass for payment, o'neil is desperate to make some quick cash. enter a group of kids from the chicago projects and their little league baseball team. in exchange for coaching these kids, o'neil gets paid under the table to clear the $12k gambling debt.

this film is awesome on so many levels; it puts keanu in a completely different role that many audiences are used to, but even so, he pulls it off superbly. it's hard to picture him as anything but neo or some wandering hot-shot, so this story really allows us to see another side to him. it also plays on what it is to be an adult and having assumptions about children yet really having no idea what's going on in their lives. there's a key scene which really hits the spot here, and when you see it, i'm sure you'll know exactly what i mean.

the kids also give excellent performances. all first-time actors, they give such authentic performances that its hard to distinguish the character from the actor. if you watch it on dvd, the commentary by the screenwriter and director tell us just how they got the kids to act as well as they did.

being set in the projects, chicago, the film also explores the life of kids in these areas, and what paths they could take if no one's there to steer them right. it's hard watching some of these kids go through what real chicago project kids go through all the time, and i think the uplifting vibe of the movie lets us know that beneath the turmoil, there are unique and talented kids.

the film follows o'neil's journey as he discovers who he really is, and through these kids he is given an opportunity to prove to the world that he's more than just some bum with debts hanging over his head.

and as director brian robbins ("varsity blues") says, what this film is really about is that by helping others, you can help yourself.

you have to see this movie. please, see this movie.