Hard Ball

Directed by Brian Robbins, Hard Ball follows Keanu Reeves’ Conor O’Neill as he reluctantly agrees to coach an inner-city baseball team to pay off his ballooning gambling debts. It’s a familiar yet workable premise that is, by and large, employed to watchable effect by Robbins, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by John Gatins, delivers a formulaic story that’s elevated by its irresistible setup and raft of compelling performances – with, in terms of the latter, Reeves’ dynamic (and occasionally larger-than-life) turn elevating the proceedings on a regular basis. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that Robbins has elicited compelling work from periphery players such as Diane Lane, Mark Margolis, and John Hawkes.) And while the picture’s wild tonal shifts are, to put it mildly, jarring, Hard Ball, which admittedly does contain a small handful of surprising moments and twists, builds towards an affecting final third that, while perhaps a bit more downbeat than one might’ve anticipated, ensures the whole thing concludes on a positive note – thus confirming the movie’s place as a decent star vehicle for the affable, engaging Reeves.

*** out of ****