The Rookie
Sometimes dreams come back to life.
2002 • 127 min • Drama · Family
Synopsis
Jim Morris never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career twelve years ago. Now a married-with-children high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas, Jim's team makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major-league organization. The bet proves incentive enough for the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school. Jim, forced to live up to his end of the deal, is nearly laughed off the try-out field--until he gets onto the mound, where he confounds the scouts (and himself) by clocking successive 98 mph fastballs, good enough for a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jim's still got a lot of pitches to throw before he makes it to The Show, but with his big-league dreams revived, there's no telling where he could go.
Our family guide
Best from age 7- 100 Reviewers · 1 · 51%
- 68 Audience · 497 · 49%
Jim Morris, a high school teacher and baseball coach, gets a second chance at his dream of playing professional baseball after a bet with his team. Despite his age and past injury, his incredible fastball earns him a spot in the minor leagues, leading to an inspiring journey to the majors.
- Violence & peril
- 1/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 1/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 0/10
- Scary moments
- 1/10
Heads up
- Some intense moments during baseball games
- Characters deal with past regrets and frustrations
- Brief depiction of a character smoking
What it models well
- Perseverance and chasing dreams
- Family support
- Teamwork and dedication
- Believing in yourself
Talk about it after
- What does it mean to have a "second chance"?
- How do you balance personal dreams with family responsibilities?
- The importance of supporting others to achieve their goals.
- What does true success look like?
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for The Rookie. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
Stream
- Disney Plus
- Wonder Project Amazon Channel
Disney Plus
Wonder Project Amazon ChannelRent
- Amazon Video
- Apple TV Store
- Google Play Movies
- YouTube
- Fandango At Home
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At HomeBuy
- Amazon Video
- Apple TV Store
- Google Play Movies
- YouTube
- Fandango At Home
Links go straight to each service. Some are affiliate links that support Movie Knight at no cost to you. Availability data by JustWatch via TMDB.
Top billed cast
Director: John Lee Hancock • Crew: Mike Rich
Reviewer notes
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersA cracking sports drama about the career of Jim Morris. Absolutely loved this, the 127 minute run time flew by real quick; thoroughly enjoyable. It portrays, with extra drama I'm sure, the events of Morris' real life baseball career in a fantastic way. There's great character development right from the get-go, by the conclusion I was utterly invested in Morris. He is played by Dennis Quaid, who is superb in the...
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Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 6.8/10 (497)
- Age rating
- G
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $20,000,000
- Box office
- $75,597,042
- IMDb
- tt0265662
