Baseball is more than a game, and the best sports movies lean into that hard truth.
“Eight men out.” “Beat the drum slowly.” “Field of dreams.” Everyone had more to say than who struck out with the bases loaded.
“You Gotta Believe” reminds us of what matters beyond balls and strikes. The fact-based drama strikes a chord, largely due to the collective talent on screen.
The generous film struggles to find a rhythm. It's a watered-down version of “Bad News Bears” one minute, and a sobering look at life in every moment the next.
Luke Wilson plays Bobby, a minor league coach who lives and breathes baseball. So do his kids, although young Bobby (Michael Cash) can't hit a single ball. Neither can most of his teammates.
Their Fort Worth, Texas, team gets a second chance when a businessman (The Sandlot alum Patrick Renna, nice touch) gives the team a lifeline of sorts.
They can compete in the Little League World Series, although they will probably be defeated.
Coach Bobby suffers a medical episode before the team can even be in playoff position. A few scenes later we learn that he has terminal cancer. He hands the team over to fellow coach and best friend Jon (Greg Kinnear), who dedicates his Little League involvement to him.
Can this ragtag group honor their dying coach? and Prove your skeptics wrong? Well, it's based on an extraordinary true story, so do some math.
“You Gotta Believe” understands that baseball is a tough sell to Gen Z. The game’s glacial pace is no match for TikTok’s attention span, and some scenes take liberties to make the sport more appealing.
Bad play. It clashes with the rest of the movie and does a disservice to the small pleasures of the game. Baseball has plenty of spectacle: the knee-buckling curveballs and diving plays that make the sport memorable.
Take it or leave it.
Director Ty Roberts uses quick edits and playful graphics to liven up certain sequences.
But not all of them.
Kinnear's trainer can't relax, but when his friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he reevaluates his lifestyle. That's a good thing, just like Kinnear does every time he's in front of the camera.
Robert Ratliff's late father inspired his Little League team to accomplish an incredible feat: reaching the Little League World Series in 2002. This remarkable story has now been transformed into the captivating film, “You Gotta Believe.”https://t.co/gQDv5yAvEV
— Fort Worth Magazine (@FWTXmag) August 14, 2024
The young cast is a collective asset, seeming age-appropriate in their reactions and refreshingly combative.
The respective spouses (Sarah Gadon, Molly Parker) do some of the heavy lifting, including a complicated scene that begins with an act of compassion but ends badly.
Superior baseball movies, including the original “Bad News Bears,” loom over the sports sequences in “You Gotta Believe.” And some moments ring false, from the curious reactions to the coach’s illness to a collective shrug at the violence on the field.
Those narrative hiccups dissipate when Wilson is at the center of the film. His performance is sincere and authentic, like that of a father trying to cram in as many life lessons as possible. The film doesn’t lean into his fragile state, but Wilson makes it clear that his character is fighting for his last breath.
Parents often teach by doing. That’s the most moving part of “You’ve Got to Believe” – watching a parent realize that they can’t waste a single second with their children.
Hit or miss: “You Gotta Believe” has its heart in the right place, and the film’s talented leads help paper over some unfortunate flaws.