In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I didn't watch this with any great expectations. A relatively unknown cast and what appears to be a pretty small budget (given that they didn't pay MLB to use real baseball team names.But, The production values were all pretty solid. Camera work was definitely top notch.The lead actor was great. I think this guy will be a rising star, hopefully in action movies. Handsome, talented actors with athletic builds are a rare commodity. The supporting cast wasn't great, but didn't stand out as terrible. Even the kids were solid enough.The characters felt real, and there were some feel-good, touching moments and surprises.My only complaints were: The decisions made by the MLB teams/league around the player seemed incredibly unrealistic. It's a little preachy near the end, and the ending gets a bit predictable.

Anybody that dares criticize David Boyd's Home Run for being heavy-handed, preachy, or incessantly moralistic hasn't seen even a fourth of the films that belong to the recent influx of independent Christian cinema. In comparison, and just analyzing the film on the basis of it being a religious drama, the film is not at all heavy-handed, as it finally does what I've been saying films of the genre should've been doing all along; emphasizing their characters and their characters' flaws as human beings over tiresome religious themes and constant reminders that the characters are god-fearing, much like the writers, producers, and director behind the film.The film stars Scott Elrod as Cory Brand, a professional baseball player who is forced into a twelve step, rehabilitation program in his homestate of Oklahoma after numerous alcohol-related incidents have worked to damper his otherwise shining record as a ballplayer. After an impulsive comment by Cory's long-suffering agent, Cory is stuck coaching a Little League team, which just so happens to include his son as a player. Cory winds up reconnecting with his high school girlfriend, who is just disgusted at him as a person for many understandable reasons, works to start a relationship with his son after a long absence, and tries to come to terms with his father's neglectful ways.For starters, I'm almost positive Home Run doesn't even mention the word "God" or "Jesus" until about a third of the way through the film, which is an immense step in terms of subtle filmmaking for this particular genre. In addition, the film manages to understand that you can make a faith-based film without reminding the audience that you're making a faith-based film with every line of dialog. I speak not as somebody who is opposed to the utilization of such religious words, but somebody who is opposed to constant, cloying reminders of a film's faith when there are complex characters at hand.Thankfully, Boyd and the film's quartet of writers - Brian Brightly, Candace Lee, Eric Newman, and Melanie Wistar - understand this, and carefully construct one-hundred and forty-six minutes around the central character of Cory in an immensely personal light. The film shows Cory's tough battle with alcohol and how the substances command his body in such uncontrollable ways, however, makes clear that this prolific consumption isn't done to provide a buzz or a desired drunk feeling, but to heal the wounds of Cory's father, who browbeat him constantly and left him scarred and unfulfilled emotionally.Elrod does fine work as such a trouble character in the film, and with him being in frame with almost every shot in the film, he is left to do a great deal of work here, most of which he handles with a convincing persona. To further acknowledge the film's crew, however, the writers do a magnificent job at making sure the film doesn't veer off into sappy monologues or ridiculous, religious sloganeering that manifests as crucial and breakthrough insight. Instead, they're much more preoccupied with illustrating Cory's progress as a human being and a person, rather than cheapening it to fit some sort of ill-conceived faith formula.Even with these great traits that shouldn't go unnoticed, Home Run still has a few issues, which come in the form of incredulous scenarios such as Cory's interactions with his son, where one simple sentence of advice results in a game-changing hit, and discussions with Cory's high school sweetheart seem to exist just to provide annoying drama. Yet, these are easily-forgivable instances when one considers the lack of convention in terms of structure and narrative approach Home Run bears. The film has enough confidence in its story, characters, and ideas that it doesn't resort to tirelessly reminding us that this will all circumvent in a way that will allow Cory to find God, nor does it have to remind us again and again that Jesus is our lord and savior whom we must follow if we want a fulfilled life.Home Run goes off on its own tangents, illustrates its own rules, and, in turn, produces a winning display of a faith-based character study and the idea that people can indeed change. On top of that, there are just enough religious elements incorporated to assure a satisfied community church crowd, but also enough drama and character investment to appeal to a broader, far-reaching public, making Home Run the perfect family film even in a secular household. This is the kind of rare film that starts out so deep in one small subgenre that it branches out and effectively transcends boundaries to become a small film that will be appreciated by many.Starring: Scott Elrod, Dorian Brown, and Charles Henry Wyson. Directed by: David Boyd.

It's a great movie and it has something more than just stuff for sports fans. It touches a lot of serious issues like alcoholism, pornography, child molestation, fatherless children and more. Because of the seriousness of the issues addressed this movie it might not be suitable for younger viewers. Then again, with the things kids can see on regular TV these days the stuff in this movie is tame by comparison. And the serious issues in Home Run are mostly mentioned verbally with few graphic depictions of the issue. And the cast was well chosen for this film. Scott Elrod does a solid performance as the troubled star baseball player. Vivica A Fox lights up the screen as the player's manager. Dorian Brown is charming as the player's ex-girlfriend. And the entire cast work together with good chemistry to convey an important message of forgiveness and redemption. I was moved by the honesty of this film and the true solutions offered.

My husband and I first saw this movie at a one day seminar for Celebrate Recovery and to watch a Christ centered movie in a room full of people who love the Lord was AMAZING! SPOILER ALERT: When Cory was struggling with his drinking and finally had a break through that was both funny and uplifting the room was all in applause!! We saw the Movie again on opening weekend to support Christian films we brought our entire Celebrate Recovery group and it was amazing to see it a second time. The big shockers that tore my heart previously; I already knew were going to happen so I got to see the underline story, the subtle struggles and stories that are in between the lines.People who could relate to this movie:*People who dealt with high standards ether in sports or academically could really relate with the pressure he felt. *People with alcoholic or drug addict parents could relate with being scared all the time, the need to protect your siblings... not want to grow up like your parents, but when you do its just so hard to change that legacy. *People that ran from a relationship and possibly a child due to their fear; that fear that you were not good enough because that is what your parents said or how they made you feel. *People who may be in an addiction that wants to change, but with God it is just too hard. It's work! *A Widow dealing with that loss. *A mother keeping a secret from her child who their father is. *A family member watching their family member struggling and feeling helpless.This movie could be for any age I believe. My kids are 6 and 10 and I wouldn't mind them seeing it. Yes there is drinking, but they do not glorify it. And they are able to see the outcome. That when you are struggling, you never have to do it alone. There are groups; especially Celebrate Recovery; and people that are there for you to set you on the right path. The path to God.