Movie Review The Perfect Game

The Perfect Game*****

Filmmaker William Dear’s feature narrative The Perfect Game is inspired by W. William Winokur’s book The Perfect Game and is based on a true story of the courage a group of impoverished kids from Mexico demonstrate to see their dreams materialize. Their story is a thrilling reality tale never to be forgotten.

In a poor section of Monterrey, Mexico, a group of neighborhood kids try to play the game of baseball in their own fashionable way. Their economic status does not allow them to have the right equipment to seriously play the game but they enjoy being together and making light of their pastime just the same. One day a down-and-out baseball coach, Cesar (Clifton Collins Jr.) from the St. Louis Cardinals baseball franchise observes their efforts. He sees potential in the home grown boys, especially Angel Macias (Jake T. Austin) as a pitcher. He observes the boys passion to learn the game and a desire to play it well. This inspires the coach which in turn inspires an idea to build a Mexican Little League team. He talks with the nine boys about the dream and one by one each of them blindly sign-on including the town Padre Estaban (Cheech Marin). None of them have any idea what their destiny holds: but, as they learn to engage in the sport with passion, they grow together as a team and their talent continually moves them toward a higher level of play. Although they are tagged as underdogs they qualify to enter the 1957 American Little League Champion World Series. The faith to believe in themselves and each other carries them through several adverse situations to make it to the championship-- including a twelve mile trek, on foot, across the Mexican Rio Grande to enter America. Their courage and zeal for life gives inspiration and hope when all odds are against them to succeed.

Review by Karen Pecota

24/7 MOMS official film journalist

Release in local theaters: April 16, 2010

Movie rating: PG