5/15/14

Million Dollar Arm

This one's a winner; AND it's based on true life! Here a less-than-successful sports agent realizes there is a vast talent pool for new Major League Baseball players in India...playing cricket. He creates a reality television show to find suitable players to bring back for the All-American Sport.

Obviously, we are talking major culture shock. Both for him when he goes to India on his scouting trip and then when his poor winners come back with him to the unnerving abundance of the United States. It's both funny and sad. So we learn that culture shock cuts both ways! And when someone is homesick, it doesn't matter where they are or how old.

We watch:
  • Jon Hamm ("Friends With Kids" and a LOT of television) is JB, jumping into the culture gap with both feet, but forgetting that his young charges are just that...YOUNG.
  • Pitobash ("3 Idiots" a Bollywood comedy which I enjoyed, by the way) is Amit, the live-wire interpreter, who has a "flexible" approach to English.
  • Suraj Sharma ("Life of Pi") is Rinku who hates cricket and has never played it in his life. He is a javelin thrower; you've gotta see his "Flamingo" stance.
  • Madhur Mittal ("Slumdog Millionaire") is Dinesh, who just wants to buy a new truck for his injured father back in India.
  • Alan Arkin ("Argo" he was robbed of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) Ray is skeptical, to put it mildly. And very, very bored.
  • Aasif Mandvi ("Premium Rush") is Aash, the American fellow who has taken a big risk to go into business with JB, so success is vitally important to him....and his twins!
  • Lake Bell ("In a World...") is Brenda, the wise young doctor who rents the bungalow on JB's property. Both washing machines break down so she dates the Maytag man for awhile.
This is a big, comfortable, satisfying film with no gunshots, no vehicular mayhem, no sweaty bodies, no profanity and no blowie uppie stuff, it's just pure PG-rated entertainment followed by photos and updates on all the real-life folks you just watched. Lovely touch!
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Even the trailer is fun:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1433249817/
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