Mr. Baseball
A fading baseball player is traded to a Japanese team and has trouble fitting into the society.
- Director: Fred Schepisi
- Genre:Comedy / Romance / Sport
- Runtime:108 minutes
Cast
Tom Selleck : Jack Elliot
Ken Takakura : Uchiyama, Dragon’s Manager
Aya Takanashi : Hiroko Uchiyama
Dennis Haysbert : Max ‘Hammer’ Dubois
Toshi Shioya : Yoji Nishimura, Jack’s Interpreter / Guide
Jack Elliot is an aging American baseball player put on the trading block by the New York Yankees in favor of a younger player (played by former Chicago White Sox player Frank Thomas), and there’s only one taker: the Nagoya Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
Right away, the arrogant Elliot clashes with the Japanese culture and he soon alienates his new teammates. He believes the rules and management style of his new skipper, Uchiyama (Ken Takakura) are ludicrous and continues to do things his way, which leads his already dwindling performance to suffer more. His only ally on the team is another American ballplayer, Max “Hammer” Dubois (Dennis Haysbert), but even he’s fed up with Jack’s attitude and lack of respect for the game and his team.
At the same time, Elliot develops a relationship with the beautiful Hiroko (Aya Takanashi), whom he later finds out is Uchiyama’s daughter.
After one too many outbursts, including punching out his interpreter (during a brawl), Elliot is suspended. He later has to swallow his pride and admit his deficiencies. In a rare show of humility, he apologizes to the team, who rally around him and teach him the value of sportsmanship and respect for hard work. Uchiyama lifts his suspension and begins to work with Elliot on improving his play. The reinvigorated Elliot’s enthusiasm for team play is contagious and the mediocre Dragons become contenders for the Central League pennant. In the process, he also utilizes a Japanese tradition of being able to tell off Uchiyama while intoxicated to convince him to encourage his players to be more aggressive and “have a little fun”. Read more
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