Can you, for the sake of a warm-hearted
animated kids' movie, accept a talking baseball? Before you answer you
should know that, besides the audience, only the protagonist
(ten-year-old Yankee Irving) can hear the ball (or see the eyes and
mouth that suddenly appear on his … er, face). You should also know that
the ball's name is "Screwie," and that he's voiced with vaudevillian
gusto by Rob Reiner. I should probably also mention that the ball's eyes
roll as much as he does, and he frequently bickers with Darlin', a
talking baseball bat (naturally).
Superfan Yankee Irving (Jake T. Austin) and his new pals Darlin' (Whoopi Goldberg) and Screwie (Rob Reiner)
Sound a little corny? It is. But, judging from the
reactions of the children in the theater, Screwie is a homerun with the
under-ten set. If there are some kids in your life, Everyone's Hero may make tolerating a little cornball (sorry) humor worth your while.
The film is set in Depression-era New York. Times are
tough, but Babe Ruth and the Yankees give the locals something to cheer
about as they head into the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs.
No one loves the home team more than Yankee Irving (voiced by Jake T.
Austin, from TV's Go, Diego! Go!). Yankee's dad Stanley (Mandy
Pantinkin) is a custodian at Yankee Stadium; he shares his son's passion
for the sport and even lets the boy have a look at the Babe's famed
bat, Darlin'. Unfortunately, when the bat is stolen shortly thereafter,
Yankee is blamed and his dad is fired.
Yankee sets off on a quest to find the bat and take it
(by rail and bus) from New York to Chicago in time for the final game of
the World Series. For much of his long journey his only company is
Screwie (the aforementioned talking baseball), whom he's recently
discovered in the neighborhood sandlot. Eventually they're joined by the
Bambino's diva-esque bat, Darlin' (voiced with a southern accent as
thick as molasses by Whoopi Goldberg). Along the way the unlikely trio
gets some help from Marti Brewster (Raven-Symone), the spunky daughter
of Negro League star player Lonnie Brewster (Forest Whitaker). The
Brewsters both help Irving get closer to Chicago and, more importantly,
improve his batter's stance.
Screwie the talking baseball and his bubbly personality
Yankee's nemesis is Lefty Maginnis (voiced by the always
wonderful William H. Macy), a Cubs pitcher ordered by the club's
underhanded owner (an uncredited but unmistakably manic Robin Williams)
to steal Darlin' in a successful effort to squelch the Bambino's home
run streak. Lefty is as hapless as he is duplicitous, and his numerous
collisions with various trains and related objects constitute the sort
of comic violence I was never allowed to watch as a kid. (This is why I
know nothing about the Road Runner or Bugs Bunny. But I digress.)
Judging by the hysterical laughter at the screening I attended, such
slapstick animation is very, very funny. Especially if you're eight
years old.
Cartoon contusions aside, Everyone's Hero
is remarkably wholesome. Its original director and champion was
Christopher Reeve, who loved the story for its emphasis on perseverance
and family. After Reeve's death in 2004, his wife Dana stepped in as an
executive producer, and also voiced the character of Yankee's mother.
Even after Dana's death in 2005, the production team and cast remained
committed to the project, and reportedly worked hard to retain the
Reeves' original vision for the film. "No matter where life takes you,
always keep swinging" is the movie's tagline (taken from dialogue
between Yankee and his dad)—and a good summary of the commitment that
brought the movie to fruition.
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