The Scout

views updated

The Scout ★★ 1994 (PG-13)

Brooks is an abouttobecanned scout for the New York Yankees who discovers a weird, though genuine, phenom pitcher (Fraser) on a trip to Mexico. He convinces the Yankees to take the phenom on, though he's not sure whether Fraser isn't a few innings shy of a complete game. But with a 100 mph fast ball and a bat that would have made Babe Ruth envious, who cares? Film straddles sports comedy and melodrama territories, satisfying in neither. Fraser plays variation on Encino Man. Brooks rewrote part of the script, adding much needed biting humor, but not enough. Bombastic reallife team owner Steinbrenner plays himself. 101m/C VHS, DVD . Albert Brooks, Brendan Fraser, Dianne Wiest, Lane Smith, Michael Rapaport, Steve Garvey, Bob Costas, Roy Firestone, Anne Twomey, Tony Bennett; D: Michael Ritchie; W: Albert Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Monica Johnson; C: Laszlo Kovacs; M: Bill Conti.