THE HILL (2023) – Review

Two true-life sports movies opening on the same weekend! Oh yeah, it was bound to happen but we’re taking a big detour (hmm), maybe even a U-turn (okay, enough already) from the video game F1 flick. For one thing. this one is set squarely in the past, before Pong was a staple, way back in the splashy 1970s, after a brief stop in the sensational ’60s. Oh, and this concerns the American pastime (as in hot dogs and apple pie), in the tradition of THE NATURAL and THE ROOKIE (with which it shares a star). Now the title doesn’t refer to the pitcher’s mound, but rather to the obstacles its focus must face (perhaps closer to a steep mountain). And since it’s also the last name of the family in this faith-based drama it’s simply THE HILL.

After the briefest of prologues in which a seemingly angry teen jumps in his beat-up 70s auto and cranks up a power ballad, we’re whisked away about ten years ago as he spends a lazy day outside his father’s country church. Little Rickey Hill (Jesse Beery) smacks pebbles over the treetops using a stick as a makeshift bat. That’s because his pop, Pastor James Hill (Dennis Quaid) doesn’t believe in encouraging this “sport” by buying proper equipment. And he can’t afford it, as the family barely scrapes by (Sunday dinner is a pan of cornbread). Oh, plus Rickey can’t run the bases with any speed as he’s still wearing a pair of leg braces due to a degenerative spinal condition. Things get worse when the preacher is booted out by his surly congregation (he called them out for “chewin'” and smoking during his sermons). So, he’s got to pack up his three kids, his wife, and her mother-in-law, the no-nonsense Gram (Bonnie Bedelia), and hit the road. Through a bit of chance, they learn of a nearby Texas town in need of a pastor. But there, Rickey’s love of baseball is stoked by the grade school team, Thus begins a new battle of wills between father and son, until Rickey learns he can shed the braces. Flash forward several years as teen Rickey (Colin Ford) is a homer-smackin’ high school phenom. But an injury benches Rickey and gives more fuel to his father’s hopes that he’ll follow him to the pulpit. Somehow the town rallies to fund the needed surgery. But can Rickey heal in time to impress a major league scout, Red Murff (Scott Glenn) at an upcoming audition? And will Papa Hill ever embrace his son’s athletic aspirations?

Though he’s not “on the field”, the film’s “heavy hitter” is Quaid (a “rookie” no more) who easily dominates every scene as the stern, but often sympathetic man of God. He’s able to channel a bit of that old “Jerry Lee” charisma (can that FIRE flick really be 34 years old) when Pastor Hill is delivering “the word” and can be quite intimidating as the strict head of the household. But Quaid shows us that hint of uncertainty as his faith is tested time and again. And he’s got a very strong spiritual sparring partner in Bedelia as the feisty, sassy Gram who won’t be “bulldozed” by his ways. Ford is a likable and sweet-natured sports hero as the slugger aware of his gifts but thwarted by his physical “restraints”. Ditto for Berry as the pre-teen version, as he aches for a chance to take on a bully who taunts him with the moniker “Robo-boy”. Glenn is stern and savvy as the baseball “wizard” who needs to test Rickey’s stamina and skills.

Director Jeff Celentano strives to bring a new spin on the familiar story of the athlete hero fighting a debilitating illness (BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY amongst many others), while addressing conflicting religious beliefs (Papa Hill believes baseball cards encourage the worship of false idols). The father is the main obstacle (after Rickey’s health) and he often seems a tad obstinate but he’s never cruel and is capable of change. And though I must praise the producers for giving the press access (most faith-based films aren’t screened for us), I had problems with the odd script choices. I attended services through the 70s and never encountered the chain-smoking congregations shown here (even at Hill’s new church), so it feels contrived. More than that, the huge leap in time, probably a decade) as Rickey goes from grade-schooler to high school senior seems like two separate stories barely stitched together. What changed in those “shadow years”? Plus the “rekindled romance” feels a tad “tossed in”, more to give Rickey a “sounding board”. And the mix of movie pros with more inexperienced actors can be distracting. These quibbles just can’t push my interest in this “true tale” over THE HILL. Maybe a solid double or so…

1.5 Out of 4

THE HILL is now playing in theatres everywhere