So here’s the deal. Confession time. When I first was invited to the LA Premiere of Million Dollar Arm, I will admit that while I was very excited, I wasn’t jump and down over the moon excited like I was on previous Disney trips because I really hadn’t heard very much about Million Dollar Arm.
I mean a sports movie? Right? Well I can now say I was absolutely, completely, totally, utterly mistaken. This movie is more than just a good watch. It is about change. It is about setting your mind to something and MAKING it happen. It is about having the courage to step out of your self-imposed boundaries.
JB Bernstein was a sports agent who stepped out of a large Sports Agency to start his own. After some time of not really “making it” on his own, he was struggling financially. How was he going to continue paying the rent for his office? His staff? This is something many of us probably relate to. Although he still lived a “lavish” life style you could see REAL struggle.
You get to watch as he comes up with Million Dollar Arm, see the inspiration and then travel with him to India where he unfortunately doesn’t find much at first. A country that just didn’t play baseball is being scoured for a “Million Dollar Arm”. The boys that he finds haven’t played a day of baseball in their life, they don’t know the rules, they have NO concept of even how to properly pitch the ball.
Jon Hamm, the actor that plays JB Bernstein in the movie, summed the movie up best with this statement:
It’s a family movie but it’s set against the backdrop of sports. In particular, baseball. But it’s, it would be a disservice to it, I think, to just say it’s a baseball movie because, for me at least it means much more than that.
It just felt richer than just a game where I hope they win the big game, you know, at the end. So that was what I hope we brought through the making of it.
And they really did bring that through in this film. Not only do you get to see Rinku and Dinesh (the boys from India) change and learn the game, but you get to see JB Bernstein grow as a person. He goes from being a rich playboy to a family man. You can see that moment in the movie when he realizes, it isn’t all about money. He has a family by the end of the movie with these boys.
It is definitely a MUST SEE — take the kids! They will enjoy it too, it is funny, heart warming and very inspirational. Plus you have some fabulous Actors in it too!
Million Dollar Arm is in theaters TODAY, 5/16!
*I was provided an all expense paid trip by Disney to cover the premiere of Million Dollar Arm. All opinions are 100% my own.
Photo credit to Disney.
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