Like the millions of fans who endured the St. Louis Cardinals' disappointing 1998 baseball season to watch the heroics of Mark McGwire, so will Albert Brooks devotees thrill to their comedy god stepping up to the plate in a rare starring role in a film he did not direct and knocking it, if not quite out of the park, then certainly to deep center field.
Brooks, sporting a paunch and a beat-up straw hat, stars as Al Percolo, a disheveled, down-but-not-out New York Yankees scout. His latest sensation, a high school phenom, blows his Yankee stadium debut after he unceremoniously throws up on the mound. Al is not fired, but instead banished to the backwaters of Mexico, where he discovers his own Babe Ruth and ticket back to the majors: local sensation Steve Nebraska, who has a 100 m.p.h. fastball and a titanic swing. As winningly played by Brendan Fraser, he is also an incredible screwball, part Encino Man and part George of the Jungle
The Yankees are willing to pay the outrageous salary of $55 million (those were the days!) for him. But first he must get a clean bill of mental health. That won't be easy for a guy prone to throw dinnerware at the press. In a scene that recalls Brooks's increasingly desperate lobbying to get casino owner Garry Marshall to return the nest egg his wife squandered in Lost in America, Brooks strikes out in his attempts to get Steve's psychiatrist, Dr. H. Aaron (Dianne Wiest), to rubber-stamp the case. As Al becomes a surrogate father to the troubled youth, Dr. Aaron uncovers dark secrets from his past.
While perhaps not in the same league as Bull Durham, The Scout will be a hit with everyone who loves baseball and Brooks (not to mention Brendan). --Donald Liebenson
2.
Director Michael Ritchie, famous for his contribution to the sports comedy genre with THE BAD NEWS BEARS, turns his attention to the world of professional baseball with this lighthearted romp. While in Mexico, Al Percolo (Albert Brooks), a down-on-his-luck talent scout, discovers Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser), a dream-come-true baseball pitcher. Percolo quickly signs Nebraska to a multimillion-dollar deal with the New York Yankees, but the truth about Nebraska quickly comes to light. As talented a pitcher as Nebraska may be, with his 109 MPH fastball and ambidextrous skills, his childlike temper and suspicious past keep him from reaching his true potential. They also prevent him from passing the psychological evaluation, to the dismay of Percolo. Striking a deal with a grudging doctor, Nebraska is eventually cleared to play, but his fear of failure and inability to perform under pressure threaten to ruin his chances at a professional career.
As the aging scout, Brooks delivers another memorable performance. He is matched by Fraser, whose immature Nebraska forms a deeply emotional attachment to his discoverer in a sensitive, yet humorous, way. With THE SCOUT, Ritchie proves once again that he is one of Hollywood’s most multidimensional directors.
3.
Al Percolo is the scout who'd do anything to sign a prospect. Unfortunately, things weren't going his way, and Al found his career heading south -- until he discovered Steve Nebraska, the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. Now, Al thinks he's back on top, and Steve believes he's found a new friend. And they're both about to discover how much they need each other.
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