This review was written by my partner, Christopher Armstead, and has been posted with his permission.

You cats are sooooo lucky I took my ten year old son to the screening of ‘Everybody’s Hero’. So lucky. Otherwise, I would be railing on this here little flick, the next in long, long line of CGI animated features, but certainly not the last. This is one of the poorer offerings on the never ending CGI list, made even more difficult to trash because it’s last project of the late Christopher Reeve, who directed and his also departed wife Dana, who produced. But what saves you, Everyone’s Hero, is that my son loved you. Of course, he also likes the Cheetah Girls and will pick his nose until it bleeds, but based on his recommendation alone, I am forced to approve this film for all kids and brain damaged adults.

10 year old Yankee Irving (voiced by Jake T. Austin) is a huge New York Yankee fan, and since this takes place during the depression era 1920’s, he’s a fan before the designated hitter when American League baseball didn’t suck so bad. Alas, Yankee is also a really poor baseball player who is always picked last at the sandlot. After striking out yet again, the dejected Yankee finds a grimy baseball under broke down car and takes it home. Lo and behold this thing talks. Not recognizing it to be a tool of Satan as I would have, Yankee now has a new foul mouthed angst ridden talking baseball friend named Screwy (Rob Reiner). Get it? Screwy? Like a screwball? Anyways….

On the other side of town the Yankees are in the World Series against the Cubs and the owner of the Cubs, Mr. Robinson (Robert Wagner) wants a win so badly he decides to have the scurrilous Lefty McGinnins (William T. Macy) steal Babe Ruth’s lucky bat ‘Darlin’. Trouble is, the bat gets stolen during Yankee’s dad’s shift at the ball park and he loses his job. Now Yankee must retrieve the saucy talking bat, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, and take it to the babe in Chicago before the Yankees lose the series and also to get his father’s job back.

As a movie, this thing fails on a number of levels. The animation is stiff and fairly uninspired with a bit of a 1995 Toy Story feel to it. Toy Story was fantastic ten years ago, but with today’s fare getting more elaborate and spectacular, you expect a little more. But my son didn’t seem to care about that. Note however that great story telling, pacing, acting and directing can save even the worst animated film, whereas great animation such as that in Ice Age 2 can’t save a poorly executed story. Though my son didn’t care about this either, ‘Everyone’s Hero’ falls short in the story category as well. There is a wildly inconsistent tone to the throughout the film as it takes place in during the depression era, but it’s not true to the time as the language, some of the sets and the music were decidedly new millennium. Totally lost on my boy. The talking bat and ball were cute for a little while, but they started to grate on a nerve and quick, but seemed to keep my son in stitches from start to finish. There was also a nice little homage paid to Negro League teams of the era, but, without forcing some heavy handed social issue on us, perhaps a minute could have been set aside to tell the kiddies why there were black guys on one team and white guys on another. But then, maybe the Reeves decided to let the parents handle that issue should it come up.

Then somewhere down the line, the film turned from a semi normal movie, despite the talking bat and ball, to a completely over the top farce replete with and ending straight out of left field. Get it? Left Field? Anyways, it appears that midway through the filmmakers gave up any notion of making an animated film for anyone to enjoy and decided to center on it’s target demographic, and guess what? From my vantage point it hit a bull’s-eye with that demographic. In a theater full of children, most of then far younger than my own progeny, it was surprising to see that for the most part they were quiet and captivated by the images on the screen. And after it was over, they cheered. That’s good enough for me people, since this is who the movie is meant for anyway. So pack it up one Saturday morning and take the kids to see ‘Everybody’s Hero’. I can almost guarantee that they will love it, even though you probably won’t. Unless you’re some kind of warped Yankee fan.

Sounds like I will be waiting to pick this movie up at McDonalds for free or a $1. This way if I am not a brain dead adult...I can go check out AFC and my family can finish watching the movie.

This is my "second opinion". Written by me as a commentary to Chris' review, and to the movie itself:


I honestly don't think this movie was as bad as Chris says it is. In fact, I thought it was kinda cute (and no, I'm not a "warped Yankee fan"). Yes, the ending was mindless or even crazy, I will give you that. But the movie did have a small amount of charm to it, as you could feel yourself rooting for Yankee, and rooting against the Cubs-criminals. Oh, and Chris rails on the animation, but I actually liked some of the backgrounds and some of the landscapes, and it sort of gave the movie the feel of a storybook coming to life.

Sure, the story was disjointed, and it seemed that scenes were included just to fill up time. And sure the pacing was odd. But this is a kids' movie, and as long as the kid isn't bored then he/she doesn't really care about such things.

The movie had quite a lot for the family: the animated bat and ball (for the younger set), the likable boy hero (for the older kids), and 90 minutes of blissful peace for the parents, made all the better if you are a baseball fan.

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If you've seen this movie, please post what you thought of it.

I took the kids to early showing of this Sunday. (both boys) They really liked it. They were quiet during the whole movie and it really kept their attention.

I agree that the animation was a little stiff but the whole movie had a quality about it that is really lacking in the bigger blockbuster animation films. Although entertaining--the bigger movies can be overblown with farts, burps, and subtle (or not so subtle) adult humor. For me it gets tiring----seeing the same formula applied movie after movie. This movie felt more like reading a good childrens book (agree with GBM) than the usual recent kid fare but still a good movie experience.

GBM---what is out next? Open Season?

Actually, I'm out-of-my-mind excited about seeing "Feast" tonight. (If you don't recognize the name, it is the movie from last year's "Project Greenlight" on Bravo.) Not quite the kids movie, however.

Tuesday is "All the King's Men", Wednesday is "Flyboys", and Thursday is "Jackass 2". Somebody swiped "Fearless", so I get Jackass 2.

I don't have a single kids movie on the schedule for the next three weeks, believe it or not. It looks like somebody grabbed "Open Season" as well ... either that, or else there are no critics screenings ... not sure.

"All the King's Men" had better live up to the book.
The casting has great potential and the book on my top ten list. I just hate it when they over do the southern accent thing. Am reallly looking forward to this movie.

While it would help me significantly with this thread, this is more a general request...could people post their kids' ages when we're talking about a kid's movie? I'm pretty sure GBM has a 3 and a 5, both boys, because of a recent post elsewhere...don't know how old your kids are SG...

Mine are 6 and 8. (both boys) (first and third grade)

The six year old enjoys everything unless it is scary.

The eight year old liked it too...we got to have a discussion about the different leagues at that time period in baseball....

We go to the movies a lot.....it has just become a favorite thing that mommy does with them.....although I AM pretty strict about what they watch.

thanks!

I tried to explain that this movie had something for kids of most ages. Younger kids would enjoy the silliness of the talking baseball and bat (they did lots of crazy things that would amuse the little ones). And grade-school age kids would probably like the baseball themes of the movie, and would get a kick out of Yankee (the lead character), who is a 10-yo boy. Much older than that (middle school and high school) probably will be bored, unless they are a serious baseball fan ... besides, doesn't Lindsay Lohan have a movie coming out for them anyhow?

Yes, I have two boys, ages 3 and 5. Neither of them go to the movies, as neither can handle the multi-sensory experience of the movie theater. I'm hoping that will change, sooner than later.

The reviews that I write are from my own standpoint, so it's more of an adult's perspective (we can argue about the veracity of that claim later). When I review a kid's movie, I am not writing to tell you whether or not your child will enjoy it; rather, I am writing to tell you whether or not it is something you the parent will be able to sit through while your kids watch it. Here's a case and point: Ice Age 2. I think this is one of the worst animated movies of the past several years, and yet kids absolutely loved it and it did hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Does that mean my review has been proven wrong? Maybe, but not necessarily. I just came at it from the adult's perspective, as in how watchable is this movie while you're taking your kids to see it.

GBM---your 5 yo would probably be fine.....just be ready for a bathroom trip at a key point in the movie.

I think when my youngest was 4 approaching 5 ...we started going regularly....They now watch the commercials and previews with a calender in hand (J/K)....I know when they are really interested in some thing because I get a count down to opening day. Seriously----In church sometime in May my oldest leaned over and said "June 4" ---(I don't remember the exact date) , What?, "Cars Opens." A divine word ---I guess.