The Phenom (2016) Reviews

• Scratched the Surface

  abadguy442016-07-13

  I went into this movie with the expectations of a more orthodox time line. About a young pitching prodigy from his early days in High School to his troubled journey in the Major Leagues. The story scratched the surface of his overbearing Father and his mental state as to why he was having trouble throwing strikes, But for me, the movie never tied it all together. All the characters in the movie were never fully developed enough to explain the reason for Hopper's problem. I was waiting for the progress made by Hopper in his sessions with Dr. Mobley playing out on the field or the root of the problem being revealed finally at the end. That never materialized. The ending left you wanting more meat on the bone. I was very disappointed with this movie because it had a good premise but was too superficially told to make any impact on the viewer.

• The people that would like this film probably would not watch it.

  somf2017-06-11

  This is a strong character study. I really enjoyed it, but it is not a sports movie, at least not what one thinks of a typical sports movie. Strong acting throughout elevate this from being a pretty run of the mill character study. I really enjoyed hating the Ethan Hawke character. At times I thought the character was slightly over the top, but I still liked it. Worth watching. Just a word of warning, if sports movies are your favorite genre, you may want to reset your expectations a bit before watching. You will probably enjoy it more.

• Doesn't really have an ending...

  treyosaddler2016-07-01

  It was an alright movie for the most part, but when it was over I sat up in bed and said "Is that it"? I guess this is one of those movies that you just have to decide what happens to the characters when it's all over. There are certain scenes that just felt very out of place and a few different parts of the story that didn't get fully fleshed out. Towards the end of the movie, I thought the movie was finally building up to a climax but it turned out to just be the end of the movie. One thing I did like about the movie though, was that there were some very beautiful scenes and shots. Good camera-work and use of color, but the writing couldn't keep up with the directing. If you're into baseball, are a huge sports enthusiast, or like movies without an ending, then this film may be for you. Otherwise, your time might be better spent elsewhere.

• The baseball version of "Good Will Hunting"

  goodman5282016-06-28

  It's a movie about a kid who loved playing baseball. He worked really hard everyday to get better and better at the game, then suddenly one day he discovers he is better than everybody else. So, what now? Everybody expects something of him. His team expects him to throw 100mph fastballs into the strike zone game after game. His coach expects him to stay out of trouble. His teacher expects him finish school. His dad expects him to not get lazy and waste his talent. His girlfriend expects him to be just a normal guy who she can talk to and relate to and be best friends with. And his shrink expects him to accept his talent. Would I recommend you to watch this movie? Yes. Although most of us can't throw 100mph fastballs, but if you can just suspend belief for a moment and put yourself into his shoes, you will find a very well written story about a working class kid working hard and making a success of himself. No. If you go into this thinking "he's making $$$ millions, what's he got to complain about?" or "he's naturally talented, why everybody want to drag him down?" Then you are better off watching something else.

• Giamatti is great as usual. Basically a baseball player version of Good Will Hunting. I really enjoyed this and recommend it.

  cosmo_tiger2016-08-03

  "It doesn't matter what I want cause I have a contract, and you know what, I'll tell you something. They picked the wrong guy because I'm just an ordinary kid." Hopper (Simmons) is a star baseball pitcher that has recently been demoted after a shaky outing. He is sent to psychologist Dr. Mobley (Giamatti) in hopes of him figuring out what is wrong. When Hopper begins to talk about his overbearing father (Hawke) Mobley begins to understand what Hopper's problem is. But it may be too late. I am a huge sucker for all sports movies and I love Paul Giamatti so I was really excited about watching this. I have to say though this is nothing like I expected. At the risk of over simplifying, the movie is basically a baseball player version of Good Will Hunting. Simmons actually plays the part perfect as a kid who isn't sure what he wants anymore and is essentially going though the motions while his dad tries to totally control him. I could keep going on about this but if you liked Good Will Hunting I would recommend this as well. Overall, not what I expected, it was better. I give this a B+.