All boys need a dream, and in a hot, dusty Mexican town where a future in the metal factory seems as secure as the steel manufactured there, a motley gang of boys look to baseball as their escape. Forming a Little League team with nothing but enthusiasm, a home−hewn bat and a ball held together with string, the boys of "The Perfect Game" nurture World Series ambitions. Although the story is sweet, a generous helping of cheese comes with the peanuts and Cracker Jacks at this ball game.
Directed by baseball film veteran William Dear ("Angels in the Outfield," 1994), "The Perfect Game" is based on the genuinely remarkable story of the 1957 journey of a ragtag group of underprivileged boys from Monterrey, Mexico who are coached all the way to Little League World Series glory by their tender−hearted Coach Cesar (Clifton Collins Jr.).
Fed up with enduring racial slurs and biding his time as a towel boy for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cesar returns to his parents' roots in Monterrey to work at the steel mill and reevaluate his life. He is derided as a "gringo" by the other workers and seems lost in this new life. But things change when the cheerful little Angel Macias (Jake T. Austin) rekindles Cesar's love for baseball and charms him into agreeing to coach a Little League team.
The film is like a Mexican version of "The Sandlot" (1993) with a deeply religious undertone and wholesome messages of racial acceptance. Every Caucasian male in the film is an infuriating, racist bigot, but the children manage to play through this adversity and triumph. The Little Leaguers bridge racial gaps and reaffirm their faith in God along the way with the help of the kindly, bumbling Padre Estaban (Cheech Marin) and Frankie (Emilie de Ravin), a female reporter with something to prove.
A bit of sentimentality is to be expected from any film with the label "based on a true story," and with a title like "The Perfect Game," this film is no exception. Be prepared to suspend disbelief as the young heroes speak English among themselves in Mexico and to take in stride unintentionally hilarious lines like, "Hey, you ruined my siesta."
The little boys are genuinely adorable, and there are enough cutesy, chuckle−worthy moments to keep audiences entertained. But the actual facts of the story — the triumph of a Little League team of underdogs from Mexico dominating its comparatively enormous, far more experienced American competitors — are miraculous enough without the embellishment and extreme sentimentality that "The Perfect Game" indulges in.
Over−the−top subplots include the father−son relationship between Angel and his father after the passing of the latter's favorite son, Pedro. At one point, Papa melodramatically declares within earshot of the poor boy, "Angel will never be the son that Pedro was," motivating Angel to succeed in the manly sport of baseball in order to win his father's approval.
The children get their first real taste of racism when a desperate boy is denied access to a public restroom, unable to cross the "Whites only beyond this point" threshold. In one of the many sweet moments throughout the film, the boys later show remarkable racial acceptance and cultural sensitivity by sitting with an African−American boy who is segregated and alone at a diner table.
Though they do not share the same language or cultural background, the boys are united by their youth and love of baseball. Their racial sensitivity also helps them win the aid of a baseball savvy, African−American groundskeeper who whispers hints to them that their white counterparts are too closed−minded to heed.
While racism does play a factor, the film is largely a two−hour run of uninterrupted, conflict−free laughs, smiles, baseball and prayer. The baseball scenes provide some heart−pumping entertainment, though knowing that "The Perfect Game" must occur sooner or later squashes any real suspense.
The film functions as a pleasant escape into a world where everything ends happily and where the little conflict that exists is swiftly resolved. However, the movie sacrifices its chances of creating a greater emotional and lasting impact by relying on painfully saccharine clichés.
Moviegoers who enjoyed "The Blind Side" (2009) will probably like "The Perfect Game." Though cloying, it's a cute, feel−good family film that clearly conveys a message of racial acceptance.
