Sports enthusiasts will love
this inspirational film based on a true story about a down-and-out sports agent
who goes on an unusual search for fresh major league baseball talent.
Jon Hamm stars as JB Bernstein
who has just lost “the big client” that would have launched his sports
management firm into the stratosphere. With no other prospects and his Chinese
investor itching to pull the plug, he and his business partner get a
hair-brained idea to scour India for a cricket bowler who could possibly become
a major league baseball pitcher. The
Chinese investor signs on to their idea and agrees to launch a reality show in
India titled “Million Dollar Arm,” where young cricket players compete for two
coveted spots to travel to America. There, they will endure intensive training
in hopes to be drafted onto major league teams.
The fun starts when Hamm
travels to India to set up the reality show. Like most Type A Americans, he
hopes to get things rolling quickly and efficiently in just a matter of weeks.
But obstacles await him at every turn as he tries in vain to get production off
the ground. India moves at a slower pace, and bureaucracy and strange business
dealings tend to create bottlenecks which create long delays. As a result, Hamm
is forced to be patient and methodical when his natural instinct is to be rash
and impulsive—a great lesson that plays out nicely in his character arc.
With the help of an adorable
and over-eager assistant, Amit (Pitobash), the kinks get worked out and the
competition begins. Expecting to discover true cricket players who actually
know how to throw a ball, Hamm and his recruiting team are stunned to find very
little talent among the enormous turn-out of contenders. His professional
scout, Ray (played by Alan Arkin – one of my favorite actors), sets up a
folding chair and dozes through the entire try-out, offering a few witty quips
here and there. The talent truly is atrocious, almost like round one of
American Idol, which offers some expected, hearty laughs. Eventually, after
much deliberation, two players emerge as possibilities: Dinesh (Madhur Mittal)
and Rinku (Suraj Sharma). The two Indian
boys kiss their families good-bye and accompany Hamm back to the US.
As one would expect, an
aggressive, success-driven sports agent and two uncultured foreigners living in
a pristine bachelor pad causes a host of problems. First, the boys know very
little English, they wake at the early hours to pray and burn incense, they
experiment with beer, over-indulge on pizza and junk food, and generally wreak
havoc in Hamm’s life. Being a confirmed bachelor with a structured schedule, he
doesn’t take too kindly to his life being interrupted and digs being destroyed,
and it isn’t long before his anger toward them takes its toll. As it turns out,
they aren’t developing in their pitching skills as well as was hoped, and so
Hamm starts to look for other options.
The boys quickly catch on that
they have fallen out of favor with Hamm and make plans to return home. But
before final decisions are made, they receive encouragement from Brenda (Lake
Bell), an attractive doctor who rents Hamm’s pool house. Brenda is friendly and
kind and convinces the boys to stick with it and not give up too quickly. At
the same time, she and Hamm form an attraction which blossoms from romance into
a deeper friendship. She confronts him with his selfishness and helps him
realize how unfair he has been to these two young Indians. Convicted, Hamm decides
to turn over a new leaf and nurture them – not as clients – but as sons, and
the results are palpable. He gets personally involved in their training, and
the boys start to improve. History is made and the two became the first Indians
to secure major league contracts.
There are some good
performances by Bill Paxton, the boys’ trainer, and of course, Alan Arkin, as
mentioned earlier, who always makes me laugh. Jon Hamm is wonderful and reminded
me of a young Harrison Ford and Aaron Eckhart all rolled into one. Since I’m
not a Mad Men fan, I wasn’t familiar
with Hamm’s work, but this performance convinced me he is a solid, Hollywood
leading man. We will definitely be seeing more of him on the big screen.
Go see this film and be
inspired. Stories about big, impossible dreams becoming a reality and faith
against the odds are tales that live with many of us for years to come. I also
like seeing the selfish, materialistic capitalist go from being greedy and
self-centered to being loving, nurturing and sacrificial. That is always a nice
touch. And of course, being based on a true story always makes a movie that
much better!
