Mr. Baseball (1992)

An egotistic major league baseball player is forced to continue his career in Japan, he contends with a culture that is alien to him, an apparently humorless manager, an attractive Japanese woman and his own professional and social insecurities. There is a certain subtle charm that flows through Tom Selleck's performances. There is humor, sometimes softly understated, as in this film, sometimes slapstick as in "Folks!", but always there seems to be some higher purpose involved. Throw in an individual full of self doubts who struggles to solve his personal difficulties while holding fast to "doing the right thing," and you end up with a film both funny as well as thought-provoking. The cast fits together like a championship team, and even if neither cast nor film win awards for their efforts, they will leave the viewers feeling good (and maybe that's the best results after all). You'll want to watch this film more than once, and each time, Mr. Baseball hits a home run.

Fmovies: Many believe this movie is a baseball movie. Such people are disappointed because it's about a baseball player, but the movie isn't about baseball.

Some think this movie is a romantic comedy and are disappointed because the relationship isn't really developed. This movie is not a romantic comedy.

This movie is about culture. An arrogant American Major Leaguer and a stern traditional Japanese baseball manager cannot succeed because they can't, indeed, won't understand one another. It's after they manage to break through the cultural barrier that they have success. The ballplayer becomes more Japanese in his team mentality and the manager more American in allowing individual achievement, and they meet in the middle.

Baseball and the romance is subordinate to this critique of the two cultures. Many who have no understanding of the Japanese mindset miss this and think it's a movie on baseball or romance and see the culture clash as mild comedy relief. It's not---the culture clash is the gravamen of the movie. Based on my own experience and understanding of the Japanese culture, I think this movie did quite well in that it didn't overly romanticize the Japanese culture nor overdo it in its portrayal.

Overall, I believe this is an enjoyable and relaxing movie if one understands what it is really about.

If you like baseball, you'll dig this movie. It's kinda cheesy and it's not exactly Oscar-worthy, but Tom Selleck is pretty convincing as a struggling major leaguer who is traded to a Japanese team. If you've seen all the new releases (except Thin Red Line, which you should avoid like the plague) and you're looking for something light-hearted and entertaining, this movie is a safe bet. Enjoy.. and GO DODGERS!!! (yes they're struggling now, but i can feel a comeback)

Mr. Baseball fmovies. Even if you are not a baseball fan, you will enjoy MR. BASEBALL. An aging Major League home run slugger Jack Elliot(Tom Selleck)is traded to the Dragons, a favorite ball team in Japan. American ballplayers are treated like rock 'n' roll stars in Japan and Jack is no exception. The American slugger has trouble fitting into the eastern society and thanks to his interpreter(Kosuke Toyohara)he doesn't completely alienate himself. Another American player "Hammer" Dubois(Dennis Haysbert)tries to help big Jack fit in, but of course the Dragon's new home run hitter is pretty hard headed.

Elliot finds himself in his coach's(Ken Takakura)doghouse more often than not. The team finds him easy to dislike. Unknowingly he finds romance with the coach's daughter(Aya Takanashi)and that is just part of the humor found in this likable and short of heartwarming movie. Most of the humor comes from Jack's interpreter. Selleck fits the role pretty well. Ted Danson would have been another good choice for the role, but Selleck provides enough arrogance to carry it off. Not a total waste of time, but there is doubts about a double header. Twice is enough for me.

I liked this movie, not because Tom Selleck was in it, but because it was a good story about baseball and it also had a semi-over dramatized view of some of the issues that a BASEBALL player coming to the end of their time in Major League sports must face. I also greatly enjoyed the cultural differences in American and Japanese baseball and the small facts on how the games are played differently.

Overall, it is a good movie to watch on Cable TV or rent on a cold winter's night and watch about the "Dog Day's" of summer and know that spring training is only a few months away. A good movie for a baseball fan as well as a good "DATE" movie Â… Trust me on that one! *Wink*

I agree with BigAlC - this movie actually prepared me for a lot of the cultural differences and practices before I went to live in Japan for a year in 1993. Tom Selleck does a fantastic job here, as always, and the movie is greatly humorous and educational. I'm a big fan of Tom Selleck's, and he blesses this part with his usual charm and charisma to this part, bringing the film to life in a way I can't imagine any other actor being able to pull off.

This film featured some first-rate Japanese actors, and it was highly entertaining to watch them as they interacted with Selleck - I can imagine the fun he had during the actual filming of the movie - Japan's an awesome place to go, whether you want to party, sight-see or just try to take everything in.