PG, 2014, Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring: Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Alan Arkin
Starring: Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Alan Arkin
Jon Hamm continues an incredibly lingering transition
to the big screen with Disney’s American hit MILLION DOLLAR ARM, part sports drama, part romance, part
fish-out-of-water comedy which combines to make up what is essentially a
biographical rags-to-riches tale.
Tracking the story of sports agent JB Bernstein (Hamm) and an
innovative idea which takes him to India (via a path of self-enlightenment and
Britain’s Got Talent), we are introduced to his tough-to-like cynic who, whilst
residing in a pristine apartment decorated with a flash car on the drive,
spends his days dating models, soullessly shunning hellos from Lake Bell’s
kooky tenant, Brenda.
With this being Disney, there is a humanity hiding
away under that surface. Hamm conveys it neatly, striding through the
124-minute running time with the sophisticated allure of an actor direct from
Hollywood’s Golden Age; a real movie star. Akin to his Mad Men counterpart
Don Draper, Bernstein is best utilised communicating for professional gain.
Willing to go to uncharted lengths to revive his flagging career, and
rather oddly inspired by a convenient bout of channel-hopping (Amanda
Holden making her Disney debut…), he travels to India to find the ‘million dollar arm’ – a baseball pitcher to rival the best of
them. Step forward two equally as impressive finds with varying techniques;
Rinku and Dinesh (Life of Pi’s Suraj Sharma and Slumdog Millionaire’s Madhur
Mittal, both holding their own).
A film of two parts, the film’s India-set scenes are a real
delight with Hamm’s fish-out-of-water arc making him all raised eyes and
exasperated glances – aided by Pitobash Tripathy’s true comedic knack as
baseball fanatic Amit Rohan. Your laughter may just catch you off
guard. Alan Arkin’s arrival as sports scout Ray Poitevint, a dynamite
performance which completely steals the film from all, is balanced shrewdly,
failing to throw the film wide and reintroducing him when repetition
spills through the cracks.
Bernstein struggles to add ‘mentor’ to his capabilities once
back in the States, and this paves the way for Lake Bell’s Brenda to complete
his transition. Her character is adorable as hell and simply adds
to the mixture pot of never-overwhelming sweetness. The friendship she
develops with the two strangers in a strange land rings true, with Brenda
becoming the mouthpiece for Rinku and Dinesh’s confidence issues. As the story
propels forward, the main cast all click nicely into place offering the film
its share of memorable moments (just try not to grin when Rinku and Dinesh
catch Bernstein sneaking out of Brenda’s room the morning after the night
before, each actor nailing what director Craig Gillespie asks of them).
Despite no uncertainty of the ultimate destination, MILLION DOLLAR ARM somehow
keeps your attention held, providing a well-structured if overlong journey that
has no right to be this charming. While not the home run Disney may have been
aiming for, Gillespie’s film will fix a smile onto your face – and it will be
worth a million dollars.
4/5
4/5
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