Disney’s Million Dollar Arm in theaters today! (5/16)

You all know what I have a soft place for Disney movies. However, I get to see all any of them that I get an e-mail for, my family doesn’t. It might be the fact that I don’t get enough tickets, or that I don’t think my children should see it… either way, if the kids can’t go, either my husband or I have to stay home. When I told my husband about Million Dollar Arm, he was excited to see it (and see Jon Hamm in something other than Mad Men) so I sent him to watch the movie himself and give me his thoughts. Here is what my husband Paul had to say about Million Dollar Arm.

Disney’s new film, Million Dollar Arm, is based on the true story of sports agent J.B. Bernstein. After failing to land a star football player at his agency, Bernstein finds his career on the line and his partner ready to quit on him. He is in desperate need a of plan and he finds inspiration in an unlikely place; a cricket match. He realized that, despite popularity of cricket in India and the similarities to baseball, there are no Indian baseball players in America. To save his business, J.B. sets off to travel across India holding tryouts for a made-for-TV contest to find the fastest pitcher in the country. He brings the winner runner-up back to America and trains them to be baseball players in less than a year with the hope they get signed to a big-league deal. Along the way, Bernstein is forced to abandon his old bachelor lifestyle and learn some hard life lessons. The film has an engaging plot that will entertain sport’s fans and non-sport’s fans alike

In addition to great storytelling, this film has an amazing soundtrack. Much of the music is a fusion of traditional Indian music with modern pop music. But where this film grabbed my attention was the stunning visuals of a bustling Mumbai and the Indian countryside. The sights, sounds and smell of the various locations leap off the screen I felt immersed in another world. One scene in particular shows Bernstein standing, seemingly, in the middle of a wide open field. But, as the camera pans around, we see an amazing image of the Taj Mahal directly behind him.

MIllion Dollar Arm is a sport’s movie, but it’s not exclusively for sport’s fans. It’s simultaneously a story about coming-of-age, perseverance and love. It will make you laugh, think, and maybe even cry. Most of all, though, it’s a story about discovering what is truly important in life.