Hard Ball

HardBall takes the viewer into the lives of some extraordinary kids, who all have the hope of making something worthwhile and right in their life, and the one man to help them with this, is going to learn something pretty important along the way about him from these smart and willful kids.

HardBall tells the story of Conor O' Neill (Keanu Reeves) a lost soul who only seems to find him sinking faster into booze and more dangerously into his own foolish lifestyle as a gambler. With his slimy gambling buddy Ticky (John Hawkes), Conor is in some serious financial trouble. He owes lots of green to some unsympathetic and hungry loan sharks.

Each kid has something unique and special to offer the movie such as Jefferson Albert Tibbs, who suffers from asthma and being overweight, but tries so hard to keep it from bringing him down, G-Baby a determined tike with so much spunk and love of the game and Miles Pennfield, the pitcher who without his headphones and rap music can't tune out the background noises of the rivaling team's obnoxiousness.

What made this movie so special were the performances from the kids. They captured my heart and made this a true sentimental and heartfelt movie to be enjoyed and respected.

HardBall has a message, and sure there is language, violence, and a horribly painful scene, which nobody would want to happen to their child, especially nowadays with all the violence staring us in the face, but the point is this is how their lives are being lived, so it makes sense to show the real picture and not just candy coat it. At the same time, it shows that just because you live in a tough neighborhood doesn't mean you don't have feelings, compassion, or dreams you want to make become a reality.