Everyone's Hero

Movie Review for Parents

Kid Friendly Rating: A
MPAA Rating: G
Genre: Adventure/Animation/Comedy
Studio: Fox (20th Century Fox)
Director: Christopher Reeve, Daniel St. Pierre, Colin Brady
Starring: William H. Macy, Rob Reiner, Brian Dennehy, Raven-Symoné, Robert Wagner, Richard Kind, Dana Reeve, Jake T. Austin, Joe Torre, Mandy Patinkin, Forest Whitaker, Whoopi Goldberg
Release Date: September 15, 2006

Yankee Irving (voiced by Jake T. Austin) loves baseball. Like most Americans, Yankee's family is struggling to survive during the Great Depression, and like most Americans, they also share an adoration for the one bright spot in these difficult times - baseball and Babe Ruth. The only problem is, baseball doesn't seem to love 10-year-old Yankee back.

After one particularly rough day on the sandlot, Yankee finds a baseball under an old truck. Not just any ordinary baseball, though, this baseball can talk. Yankee decides to call the grumpy ball "Screwie" (voiced by Rob Reiner), and even though no one else can hear the ball, Yankee can't wait to tell his dad about it. Seeing her son's need to be with his father, Yankee's mother (voiced by Dana Reeve) allows him to take his dad's dinner to Yankee stadium, where Mr. Irving (voice of Mandy Patinkin) works as a janitor.

At the stadium, Yankee's father let's him into the locker room, where he gets to see Babe Ruth's lucky bat "Darlin'." Yankee's dream come true in interrupted by a security guard who shoos Yankee out of the locker room. The next day Darlin' turns up missing. Suspicion falls on Mr. Irving, and he is fired.

Yankee is determined to set things right. Realizing that the fake security guard was really Lefty (voiced by William H. Macy), washed up pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Yankee sets out to get Darlin' back.

With the help of Screwie and a few friends he meets along the way, Yankee finds Darlin'. She can talk too, but with Lefty on his tail, even a talking ball and bat might not be enough to get all the way to Babe before the World Series is over.

Everyone's Hero reminds us that even during the worst of times, something as simple as a baseball game can lift people's spirits. Yankee's innocent love for the game, and his desire to "keep swingin'" no matter how hard things get, portray the innocence of childhood and a never give up mentality that adults sometimes lose during the game of life.

Everyone's Hero is rated G, and actually stays well away from the foul lines. The word "butt" is used in one scene, but only for comedy when Screwy is falling down some stairs and yelling, "Ow, my head, my butt!" several times as he hits each stair. Also, some moments of peril when Lefty is chasing Yankee may be suspenseful for small children. That's a pretty short list of possibley offensive content, so most parents will probably consider this baseball movie "Safe!"