caseynicholson I watched this movie with a church group recently, and I found it to be a really great family friendly movie.The film chronicles the story of a Little League team from Monterrey, Mexico in the 1950's that improbably makes it to the Little League World Series and plays against teams from the United States. It features a strong faith component, is rated PG, and is very family oriented and kid friendly. One of the especially good aspects of the film is its strong promotion of equal rights, as the film does a good job presenting topics of race and racism in a constructive way. This movie is a great film to introduce your children to this tough topic, especially if your family is white. The movie provides ample opportunity for discussion about topics such as the history of segregation and the treatment of immigrants and people of color, and introduces those topics in a way that is at one and the same time poignant and yet also kid friendly.I found the film to also be well made from the standpoint of filmmaking itself--the script, plot, acting, and cinematography are all very well done. All in all I find this movie to be top notch, and as such I've given it 8/10 stars--my go-to designation for a film that is well made and enjoyable, but just a shade below the near perfect scores of 9 or 10 that I tend to reserve for my all time favorites. Despite it not quite meeting that criteria, it's nevertheless a wonderful movie that the whole family is sure to enjoy. And if nothing else, it's funny to see Cheech Marin play the role of a Catholic priest for two hours!

Osiel Aguilar In this film, William Dear brings the miraculous heartwarming story of a team from Monterrey and their journey through the country as they take on the Little League in the U.S.The film begins when Cesar Faz (Clifton Collins Jr.) is fired from his job with the St. Louis Cardinals where he worked as a clubhouse attendant. He then moves to Monterrey and there he meets a young baseball-loving boy named Angel Macias (Jake T. Austin). He takes Angel under his wing more or less and Angel rounds up his friends to help make a baseball field in an empty lot. They are persistent with trying to join the Little League and with the blessing of Father Esteban (Cheech Marin) they start their own team with Cesar Faz as their coach. The team consisted of Angel Macias, Enrique Suarez (Jansen Panettiere), Mario Ontiveros (Moises Arias), Norberto Villarreal (Ryan Ochoa), Baltazar Charles (Carlos Padilla), Ricardo Trevino (Gabriel Morales), Jose 'Pepe' Maiz (Alfredo Rodriguez), Gerardo Gonzalez (Mario Quinonez Jr.), and Fidel Ruiz (Anthony Quinonez). They were given three-day visas to play in Texas; Cesar had planned on playing then sight seeing and going home, he did not expect them to win and continue to play games. While they are in the U.S. they find a lot of racism and are seen as the underdogs. The scrawny team from Monterrey shocks everyone by moving up each game and becoming unstoppable. Along their journey they become friends with a sports reporter Frankie (Emilie de Ravin) and groundskeeper, Cool Papa Bell (Louis Gossett, Jr.) who help them in any way they can. The team goes on to play in the World Series where Enrique Suarez hits a grand slam and Angel Macias pitches a perfect game, which still remains the only to be the only one pitched in a World Series Little League Championship game. The story of these boys made for a great film. I really liked this movie because it made sense to me even though I don't know much about baseball. It was a family movie and I could see myself watching it again with my girlfriend and my family because it's heartwarming. The team is Mexican and the director was able to capture that without making them too stereotypical. It was inspiring to watch those little boys go so far with their team and stay modest through it all. They all had strong faith and I liked that they needed a blessing before each game, it was something that I could relate too since I do the sign of the cross before I step in to play. I was surprised to have liked it as much as I did because baseball movies usually don't interest me, but this one really stands out to me. I'm not sure if it's because of the setting or the funny scenes where they overcome racism and language barriers but I really enjoyed this movie. It still amazes me how these kids had never seen a real baseball in the beginning of the movie and had only listened to games on the radio and they went on to accomplish so much. I would definitely recommend this movie to my family and some of my cousins because I know they'd like it too. It has a great story behind it and the team really is inspiring regardless if you like baseball or not.

Tony Heck "They weigh 35 pounds less and are about 6 inches shorter, but in every other way they are like the American kids." The unbelievable true story about a little league team from Mexico with dreams of playing in the little league world series. The movie starts with Cesar (Collins Jr.) being released from the St. Louis Cardinals and moving back to Mexico. A group of kids who love baseball recruit him to be their coach. When they are finally approved to get a official little league team their journey begins. This is a fantastic movie. While I'm sure liberties were taken, this is a movie so unbelievable that it if weren't true it would be way too cheesy to be good. As it is though, this movie is a little hokey in some parts, but the fact that it's true makes it OK. For those that know the story behind this it will be very enjoyable to you. For those that don't I won't give anything away but do yourself a favor and watch this movie. Overall, a very touching baseball movie that is good for the whole family. A real like "Sandlot". I really like it, but I also am a sucker for sports movies. I give it an A-.Would I watch again? - I think I would *Also try - Chasing 3000 & Field Of Dreams

intelearts This dramatization of the 1957 World Little League Champions is just a terrific watch - sure, it is a little clichéd in places - but what sports movie isn't, but it has the same vibe as The Mighty Ducks and The Bad News Bears except that is based on a true story.All in all, baseball films are nearly always good to watch, and this is no exception - the team is fun, the story is built well, the film is nicely edited, you get a ton of baseball, and the moral compass is firmly fixed to good throughout.One of the better sports films for kids - and adults - and one that deserves a wide audience.