The Hill – Review
126 Minutes, Rated PG
Written by Angelo Pizzo, Scott Marshall Smith, and Aric Hornig
Directed by Jeff Celentano
**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
The remarkable true-life story of Rickey Hill’s improbable journey to play Major League Baseball.
We’ve made no secret of our inherent distrust of movies that are “based on” or “inspired by” true events. Often, they’re twisted out of recognition from their truth to be more cinematic.
We’ll get back to that in a minute, but first…
…a lot of people have trouble with so-called “faith-based” movies, and I can understand why; it’s all too easy for a screenwriter to lapse into full on proselytizing and a director to drive his cast into near sanctimony, driving that aspect of the story ahead of whatever other narrative elements might need more space to entertain the audience.
I get it.
But The Hill somehow manages to avoid that. Despite an active Pastor of a father in Dennis Quaid, despite a major dose of scripture quotes, The Hill isn’t a faith movie, it’s a father-son movie.
And a darned fine one, at that.
Technically Footloose could be considered a faith-based movie based on those criteria, by the way.
And The Hill is a baseball movie, to boot!
Normally they have a couple of key events around which the story revolves, then they fluff the rest of film with fabricated drama.
Here, the story is nothing but drama. Actual life and death is the epitome IS drama. Sports are inherently dramatic, and yes, Faith — what it is, what it means, and how it affects relationships — is dramatic.
And if you’ve ever had a parent, then you know how dramatic that can be. Whose dreams do you follow? Whose path is right and whose is wrong? Is there a right or wrong?
Dennis Quaid and Colin Ford as father and son play beautifully off one another, and the stoic nature of the rest of the family underscores the position and respect accorded to the father, both for his familial position and his calling as a Pastor.
Bonnie Bedelia as Gran is a fun outlet, speaking her mind — and ours, more often than not — as the voice of faith mixed with reason and love.
The evolution of Rickey’s baseball career is built on the backbone of his faith, and it’s well illustrated throughout the film.
Look, we all know that period pieces, as well as a lot of faith based scripts, can lend themselves to some dialogue that can charitably be called “clunky.” The Hill is no exception in that regard, with some exchanges feeling formalistic or wooden, but the heart of the words always comes through, and they’re powerful.
Could the film be cut down to under two hours? Sure, but the film certainly doesn’t feel overlong, by any stretch.
As for the “based on” issue, I would guess this hews pretty close to reality, as the various side characters who nonetheless impact Rickey’s life in substantial ways feel too… genuine… to be contrivances.
Don’t be put off by the faith aspect; The Hill is a family movie any family can see together and enjoy, and they probably should. We could all use a reminder to keep family close and lead with love.
The Hill hits theaters Friday, August 25 and stars Dennis Quaid, Joelle Carter, Scott Glenn, Bonnie Bedelia, Colin Ford, and Siena Bjronerud.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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