In this animated project
championed and developed by Christopher Reeve in the years before his
death,
young Jake T. Austin provides the voice for Yankee Irving – a
die hard 10-year
old fan of the New York Yankees in 1932 (obviously, he’s
intelligent and full
of class, GO YANKEES!). His
father
(Mandy Patinkin) works at Yankee Stadium, but his job is in danger when
Chicago
Cubs pitcher Lefty Maginnis (William H. Macy) steals Babe
Ruth’s treasured and lucky
bat, Darlin’ (Whoopi Goldberg) to help his Cubs win the World
Series. Feeling
responsible, Yankee sets off with his
new baseball, Screwie (Rob Reiner), to find that missing baseball bat.
Can Yankee find the
bat? Get it back to
Babe Ruth (Brian
Dennehy) in time to win the World Series?
Save his father’s job?
Everyone’s
Hero is perfect
for what it is supposed to be – a nice little inspirational
tale with a good
message for young children, which, along with Reeve’s
involvement, undoubtedly
drew the large roster of amazingly talented actors, including Macy,
Forrest
Whitaker, Joe “The greatest Yankees manager ever”
Torre, Robin Williams (in an
uncredited role as the owner of the Chicago Cubs), Raven-Symone,
Dennehy,
Goldberg, Reiner and Dana Reeve (who voiced Yankee’s mother
before she tragically
passed away). Directors
Colin Brady and
Dan St. Pierre (who made the project based on storyboards and
development Reeve
completed) keep the tone rather light, so little ones don’t
get too scared at
any point, but do present enough tension to make the inevitable climax
a
rousing moment for children who won’t see it coming, even if
it is a bit silly
for the adults to stomach.
The rest of the movie is
full of slapstick moments, some potty humor, and a wisecracking
baseball that
just needs to shut up!
In an attempt to keep the
movie from getting too sappy, writers Robert Kurtz and Jeff Hand make
Screwie
into a one-liner spewing machine that constantly interjects some sassy
remarks,
even if you don’t want to hear them.
It
causes some of the more heartfelt moments and comedic moments to lose
some
power as we try to accept heartfelt words from a character who has
shown little
sweetness. Additionally,
you might miss
some of the funnier lines because, for your own ears’
protection, you have
stopped listening to Screwie’s rants and raves.
Everyone’s
Hero
will be a
winner with young kids and their parents desperately seeking G-rated
entertainment.
2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4)
