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Cesar (Clifton Collins Jr.) coaches young Mexican ballplayers to a U.S. championship in the fact-based “The Perfect Game.” |
The title “The Perfect Game” kinda gives away the ending, don’t you think?
This independent drama, directed by William Dear, tells the true story of Mexican ballplayers who won 13 straight Little League games and went on to win the league’s 1957 American World Series, which, as the title suggests, was a perfect game.
This movie throws no curve balls. Everything from the direct, functional dialogue to the superficial, easy-to-grasp characters reeks of an across-the-plate, made-for-television after-school special for kids.
The screenplay, written by W. William Winokur from his own book, serves up its politics with earnest sincerity. Racism is bad. Being optimistic and a self-starter is good. Working together gets you farther than working alone. Belief in God is good, too.
“The Perfect Game” is clearly intended for young audiences, and keeping that in mind, it succeeds on most counts, especially during an awkward, tacked-on romantic subplot, treated with a pre-adolescent mix of embarrassment and bemused mystery. (Read more…)