Hardball

A surefire heart-tugger made with skill and judgment, affords Keanu Reeves a career high point.Read Full Review »

Toward the end of Hardball, the story takes a jolting turn from heartwarming to tear-jerking that people might find cruelly manipulative. Perhaps under normal circumstances, I would too. But these are not normal circumstances, and instead of put off, I was completely undone.Read Full Review »

Its uplifting message about teamwork and caring wouldn't hurt a fly. You might even say, the movie is good for you.Read Full Review »

It may follow a formula, but sometimes formula equals comforting routine. And there are times, in the movies and elsewhere, when routine is exactly what you need.Read Full Review »

Surprisingly brusque yet likable film.Read Full Review »

It drifts above the surface of its natural subjects, content to be a genre picture. We're always aware of the formula--and in a picture based on real life, we shouldn't be.Read Full Review »

Those who were upset by the tragic ending of last year's "Pay It Forward" should be warned away.Read Full Review »

It is only when Reeves meets up with his incredibly cute baseball team that this movie comes to life.Read Full Review »

Ultimately, the kids carry this manipulative tear-jerker. They're warm, lively charmers.Read Full Review »

The movie is so littered with clichés of genre, as well as clichés of artifice in Reeves' pained performance, that any semblance of social reality goes foul.Read Full Review »