The Final Season Inc. with Fobia and Yari Films present a PG rated sports drama with a running time of almost two hours directed by David M. Evans and starring Sean Astin (Kent Stock), Powers Boothe (Jim Van Scoyoc), Rachel Leigh Cook (Polly Hudson), Michael Angarano (Mitch Akers), Tom Arnold (Burt Akers), Mackenzie Astin (Chip Dolan), Marshall Bell (Harvey Makepeace) with Holly Bonelli (Jen Maples), Brett Claywell (Patrick Iverson), Michael Cornelison (Father Schultz), Kames Gammon (Jake Akers), Lucinda Jenney (Sheryl Van Scoyoc), Nick Livingston (Kevin Stewart), Dayton Callie (Mr. Stewart), Roscoe Myrick (Sammy), Angela Paton (Ann Akers), Danielle Savre (Cindy Iverson), Larry Miller (Roger Dempsey) and James Serpento (Sam Rydell).
On the 8th day God created baseball! In the year 1990, the dream team, Norway Tigers, had fallen to earth. You see, in Norway Iowa they grow ball players like they grow corn, a winning crop each year for the past nineteen years. But a winning ball team does not help the bottom line financially for the state school board. Rumors flare up that Norway Community school would be merged with Madison, a much bigger and so called advanced district. After nineteen consecutive championship wins the state board has decided to close Norway school.
The cinematography in this film was gorgeous leaving you envious of the countryside streamed with livestock, horses and corn fields but questioning what the community does for fun. According to this film farming and baseball, since the writing lacked anything beyond home plate. Burt, a realtor in Chicago is faced with the recent death of his wife and dealing with his rebel without a cause son, Mitch. What better to do in this case than to ship Mitch off to the grandparents in Iowa in hopes of giving the boy direction and focus on life. Of course he doesn't immediately fit in but in time finds that his purpose is to play ball. Like I said, farming and baseball, ever hear of crop circles! I shouldn't talk in my hometown in Pennsylvania we had baseball, bowling and of course, movies! Most of our farming took place at the local grocery store.
The school board decided that education comes first and athletics second even though the Tigers have been champs in this local community for nineteen years straight. Thanks in part to family man, Jim Van Scoyoc their coach, loved by all and a supporter of the small town. Harvey Makepeace and the school board not only decide to close the Norway school but also release Jim of his coaching duties since they feel that this smaller school is a financial burden to the state. Only one more year that the school will remain open and the Tigers no longer have a coach. That is until last years assistant coach, Kent, leaves his job in St. Louis and takes on the task to help the team achieve their final and twentieth victory for the Norway Tigers.
The film lacks most of the characters developments but does add the typical boy meets girl factor. Kent meets Polly, a member of the state school board and Mitch meets Cindy, a cute local blonde and sister to his immediate rival, the heart throb Patrick, who happens to play on the Tigers team. Luckily there are a few humorous lines written into the script albeit mainly surrounding Roger Dempsey who writes sports for the Des Moines Registry. Overall, the direction which contained some live local Iowa footage was sufficient for a low budget localized motion picture, the writing lacked substance at times and the acting faltered mainly due to these aspects. Astin was sufficient, Angarano worthy of the role, Cook fitting to the character, Boothe, superb and Arnold a bit over the top. Although the film, be it predictable for a story based on truth was a bit better than I thought it would be. Overall, I can't imagine it will live a lengthy life on the big screen but it does do the definition of "family film" proud.
The tigers make it to the 1991 Iowa state championships against South Clay in hopes of bringing home the trophy for yet another straight year. In the end of course for anyone in life whether you win or lose it all comes down to how you want to be remembered. Whether a great defense or a mediocre offense everything leads to team spirit and the climb to reach your potential and goals. Like father, like son, sometimes you are given that one chance to become a hero, changing the way you'll forever get remembered, footsteps followed by Mitch and the Tigers. One thing to remember, if you break the spirit, you break the soul, close a small school for financial gain and in the end it will deteriorate the small economy which surrounds it leaving no one to become a winner again.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.