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Strike two for Keanu

Review: Weakly tapped 'Hardball'




By Paul Clinton
CNN Reviewer

(CNN) -- So far this year, Keanu Reeves is two for two when it comes to bad film choices. The romantic comedy "Sweet November" crashed and burned in February, and now he's struck out again with "Hardball."

Based on the book "A Season In The Projects" by Daniel Coyle, "Hardball" -- scripted by John Gatins -- details Coyle's real-life experience of coaching a Little League baseball team of kids from Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing project.

Reeves plays Conor O'Neill, a gambling addict in hock to various bookies. Unless he comes up with thousands of dollars to pay off bad debts, his life expectancy is severely limited. In desperation, he turns to a childhood friend, Jimmy Fleming (Mike McGlone), for help.

But instead of bailing him out with a large check, Fleming makes O'Neill an offer he can't refuse. In return for $500 a week, he's offered the job of coaching Fleming's company-sponsored youth baseball team. Suddenly, O'Neill finds he's become a dubious role model for a group of inner-city kids.

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Predictably flawed

It's not a bad concept, but it's poorly executed. What could have been a poignant story ends up being sappier than a maple tree in March.

At first O'Neill is indifferent about his job and the kids he's supposed to be helping. But slowly he's drawn into their lives, and the life of their attractive schoolteacher, Elizabeth Wilkes (Diane Lane). It's obvious what he sees in her, but her interest in him is only one of many foul balls pitched in this corny, emotionally manipulative story.

With only a couple of exceptions, you can see every twist and turn of this plot by the time the opening credits end. O'Neill finds redemption by helping others in need, and the boys learn about team spirit, while finding an alternative to joining a local gang. Each kid turns into a walking, talking stereotype, and Reeves looks extremely earnest as he constantly flaps his arms up and down in a vain attempt to act.

'Wall' of acting

Reeves does look comfortable on the baseball field; apparently he was heavily involved in ice hockey in his high school days. He reportedly was such a good goalie he earned the nickname "The Wall," a handle that could also apply to his acting style.

But, in all fairness to Reeves, the role is deeply flawed, and even an actor with much better skills would have an uphill battle trying to convey this character's inner turmoil and his amazing transformation at the end of the film.

On the surface, some may think "Hardball" is an edgy version of "The Bad News Bears" (1976). However, these two films have only two things in common: baseball, and the word "bad."







RELATED SITE:
• 'Hardball' official site

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