Strong and Moving!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Awesome Movie

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Hard Ball is a slice of life film about an aimless young man given the opportunity to make a difference in the life of ten young boys from the projects of Chicago. Conor O'Neill (Keanu Reeves) is an addict to gambling and this weakness lands him in a spot of trouble where he has to pay off two bookies and needs money fast. He reaches out to an old friend, who's in business, for cash and agrees to coach a little league team for the money. The film goes on to tell the story of O'Neill and the boys as they change each others perspectives and end up helping each other become better people. John Gatins (Coach Carter, Flight) begins his writing career with this as his second feature film. It is a straight forwards predictable story but it has a special quality about it. The film stays away from making things bigger than they are and opts for a realistic outlook on the lives of the characters involved. Keanu Reeves gives a performance that not many would attribute to his successful career, but is a performance that shouldn't be overlooked. Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, Fruitvale Station) is a one of the kids and gives a performance that foreshadows his career to come.Hard Ball, while not an Oscar worthy film, is one that will lift you up without asking for the suspension of belief. You don't need to put aside unrealistic happenings in the film because it doesn't try to be something its not. This film is there to give you insight into a story that you don't see everyday. It leans towards reality rather than entertainment and achieves both.

A fairly good ball movie, Brian Robbins' "Hardball" stars Keanu Reeves as a chronic gambler who agrees to coach a children's baseball team in the hopes of paying off outstanding debts. Along the way, kids and adults grow, change and learn valuable life lessons.Formulaic? Yes, but "Hardball" does some interesting things. Like "Bad News Bears" it mixes sentimentality with grit, and elsewhere paints a depressing portrait of urban life, specifically the hardships faced by those growing up in Chicago's ABLA housing projects. The film's cinematography is at times novel – lots of redbrick tower blocks, sunbaked pitches and dank bars – and the always ethereal Diane Lane melts the eyes. Based loosely on a true story.7.9/10 – See "Bull Durham" and "Up For Grabs".

Why is everyone so technical? Of course the movie isn't perfect, we don't need that regurgitated in every negative review. I'll read the goofs for that. As a whole, I thought the movie was pretty good. It's has some realistic aspects to it. Yeah, it was a lot of cursing from the kids, but society made that rule. Many ppl are fine with children using profanity. It's just simply words WE pronounced as "bad." SMH I'm sure half your children curse like sailors out of your presence. Lol I'm just saying, just with anything else, it's all about perspective. Morals will differ, so no need to bash it bc your morals differ from the director's. I'm not saying you don't have the right to dislike the movie, but damn. We don't need reviews about how badly it was filmed, if you have NO idea how to film it better. Good day. :)

This is the story about Connor O'Neal(Keanu Reeves), a guy with a big gambling debt. He makes his living by scalping tickets and then making bets. In order to pay off his debts, he goes to an old friend who works at a big broker firm. Instead of giving Connor money, he gives him a job coaching a bunch of troubled kids in a rundown Chicago neighborhood. He is very resentful and judgemental at first, but he becomes very attached to the kids. He becomes somewhat of a father figure for many of the kids since, as Kofi says, "Where I come from, don't nobody's father ever come back." Anyway, despite several tragic events, the boys go on to play in "the ship." I enjoy movies that invoke a certain emotional feeling inside one's heart. This movie definitely produces those feelings.