thasaint-1 I have seen Hardball probably 15 times. Every single Go**** time I weep my eyes of every single tear I have in my ducts. From the uplifting circumstances and situations these young men encounter every day in inner city Chicago(which sadly probably isn't far from the truth of real life) I can't help but feel so sad for them and how they are brought up. When Keanu gives the speech at the end and they go back to the last game with G baby, damn such a powerful scene and moment. Shows how much Sports can bring us all together despite color, age, financial status,etc. I don't know what else more to say but just watch this movie, one of my all time favs.

Uriah43 "Conor O'Neill" (Keanu Reeves) is a gambling addict who is suddenly finding himself in real financial trouble. It gets so bad that he is forced to go to a friend who works in the Chicago stock exchange and begs for $1200 in order to pay off some people it's best not to mess with. Quite unexpectedly, his friend makes him an unusual offer in which he will pay $500 a week if Conor agrees to help him coach a minor league team of black kids living in the projects. It's then that his friend decides to skip out and essentially leaves him all by himself. Although he is promised his money he realizes that in order to field a team he needs two more kids and they are being held back by a mean teacher at the school who refuses to let them play. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that it attempted to combine several different cinematic elements into a fairly cohesive plot and succeeded to a certain extent. For example, it had elements of comedy, drama and romance but none of them seemed to overwhelm the other—at least for the most part. It also starred Diane Lane (as "Elisabeth Wilkes") who is always a welcome addition to any film. On the flip side, however, there were a couple of occasions when the acting just wasn't sufficient for the situation at hand which made the movie seem a bit uneven. Even so, I enjoyed the movie and as a result I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

darosslfc 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.

danieljbarton This film moved me the first time I watched it years ago and after watching again the same aspects got me, specifically the scene with Jefferson making the trip home alone. You can critique the message, realism and accuracy with this film all you want but it takes a cold hearted person to not get emotional watching that boy scared, struggling for breath! The timing was perfect, acting from the kids was gritty and thankfully avoided coming across as 'too scripted' with great support from Keanu, I say support as for me the kids stole the show.This film scores higher than similar titles such as 'Coach Carter' as the young actors do a great job of sucking the viewer in while you believe the down on his luck, addictive portrayal from Keanu.If you're taking the time to read this review typed up at 2.16am then you might want to check out 'Radio' and 'Remember the Titans' for similar films.