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The film Rookie is a factual drama that is based on the life of Jimmy Morris, an ex-major league baseball player. The subject matter of the movie was to never quit; try, try again or at least until you reach your goal. This film inspires the person to fulfill their dreams no matter how impossible they may seem. There were not many major characters in this movie, but all played an important roll to the subject matter. Jimmy Morris was the main character, a young man, about 30 years old with a wife, three children, and a career as a chemistry high school teacher and baseball coach. His high school baseball team was the inspiration to him helping to achieve his goal of wanting to be a major league baseball player.
Lori Morris, Jimmy's wife, Hunter was his only young son who adored his father, and two young daughters Jessica, and Jamie. Jimmy's father who was a military man played a minor part in the movie but, was the reason for a major controversy in the main character's life. The audience had a big part in the participative experience area. Since Jimmy plays a high school teacher, father, son, husband, and coach, the character is able to relate to all kind of people. Jimmy is just like everyone else in everyday life; struggling to make ends meet, loves baseball like any red blooded American, and loves his family. He relates to everyone because, everyone has either had or has been a teacher, father, son, wife, daughters, or a coach, do this makes it easier for the audience to feel like it is in the character's shoes.
In this movie the audience can escape and be at one with the character Jimmy Morris. The overall structure of the film was in chronological order. The film began with a legend of some nuns in 1923 who began the interest in baseball in a small town, Big Lake, Texas (this was to be the home of the main character later on in his life). Then the film switched to Jimmy Morris' life by showing excerpts from his childhood. Then it jumped to the lead character's life as an adult man (age 30 or so) dealing with everyday life in Big Lake, Texas. Finally the movie worked its way up to how Jimmy Morris got into the major leagues.
The film image started out with just a dirt field with dust blowing all over and two nuns were scattering yellow rose petals into the wind, this gave the image of fertilizing a desolate land. The music in the background were many country songs sung by artists such as, Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley. These country songs were used to portray the rough Texas way of life. Later on in the movie there were faster paced country songs to imply that his life was picking up and he was starting to fulfill his dreams of being a baseball player. The setting of this film was in Big Lake, Texas. This setting was used from the time period of the 1950 's all the way up to the 1990 's.
The story was about a young man named Jimmy Morris who grew up in a military home and was really never able to settle down and play baseball. His father was a man who was hard in the heart, stubborn and he did not appreciate having a son. This lack of emotion toward his son caused controversy between Jimmy and him, they weren't able to talk other than the occasional hello. When Jimmy was young his family made their last and final move to the present setting of Big Lake, Texas. Big Lake was a place of nothing, it was a small town that had one road, oil rigs, no baseball (until later), and was crazy about football. Jimmy had to overcome the fact that there was no baseball in the town.
So he practiced his baseball at an old empty field (later realizing this was the field that was seen at the very beginning of the picture, film image) and this is where he learned how to be such a great baseball player. The film only alluded to the part of Jimmy going to college and then getting into the draft, and hurting his arm very badly. The injury made it impossible for him to ever go back to the game as a player. This was an unseen controversy that affected Jimmy because it kept him from playing the sport. Even though he was unable to get on a major league baseball team, he still practiced playing on the same dirt field that he perfected his skill on.
Jimmy became a high school chemistry teacher and the high school baseball coach. Through his coaching role the audience is fully able to understood how much baseball is unappreciated in Big Lake. There was a shot of the football field; it looked like paradise with luscious grass and sprinklers. Then there was a camera shot of the baseball field, a field of dry dirt, falling down dug outs, and fences with huge gaps where it had fallen down from old age. Jimmy's team seem to have the same aura as the field, they did not care if they won or lost.
So the team knowing Jimmy had a talent for the sport made a deal, if they won district then Jimmy had to try out for professional ball. This is where the team became Jimmy's inspiration, they won and they pushed him on to try out for the pros. In keeping with his deal Jimmy tried out and made it on a minor league (AA Southern League), this was a small climax of the movie, and it was great joy to see that he could succeed after being away from the sport so long. The film showed Jimmy moving up from a small professional team to bigger and better teams.
He just kept improving and getting recognized by the right people. Eventually he got a call from the major league baseball team, StingRays, and was being drafted to the big leagues. He went to his first game at The Ball Park in Arlington. At Arlington is where the climax of the movie took place, it happened when he took his first step onto the mound to relieve the pitcher.
Jimmy came in and saved the game by making three perfect pitches. This was the climax because he had finally reached his goal, a major league baseball player. The movie ended by a little written excerpt saying that he pitched two full seasons in the Major League's, and now resides in Texas. This movie was inspiring and encouraging to anyone who is struggling with something. Overcoming his controversies in life became the main point of the movie. Knowing that this movie was based upon a true story inspires the people even more.
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Research essay sample on Major League Baseball Baseball Player
