HARDBALL

Year: 2001
USA: Paramount Pictures
UK: UIP
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane, John Hawkes, Trevor Morgan, D B Sweeney, Bryan Hearne, Julian Griffith, Michael B Jordan, Graham Beckel, Alan Ellis Jr, Kristopher Lofton, Michael Perkins, Brian Reed, DeWayne Warren, Mike McGlone
Director: Brian Robbins
Country: USA
UK: 106 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements, language and some violence
UK Certificate: 12 contains infrequent strong language and moderate violence
USA Release Date: 14 September 2001
UK Release Date: 21 June 2002

Synopsis

A man merely drifting through his life is about to find inner strength he never knew he had. In HARDBALL, Keanu Reeves portrays Conor O'Neill, an underachiever who is both inspired and redeemed by the unlikeliest group of people he could ever have imagined.

Conor likes to bet on sports games, which makes him a dubious choice for a role model. However, his buddy won't help him pay off his debts unless he coaches for a corporately sponsored youth baseball team. All of a sudden, Conor O'Neill is thrust into moulding underprivileged kids into a cohesive unit in one of the toughest parts of Chicago.

What could hardly be a worse punishment to Conor will slowly become a learning experience. For the first time in his life, this man is responsible for someone other than himself. Surprising even himself, Conor begins to form deep attachments to the street-smart youngsters and to their dedicated young teacher Elizabeth Wilkes (Diane Lane). These impoverished boys are able to show the aimless O'Neill a thing or two about trust and heart. The boys begin to realize they can triumph over their often oppressive environment and Conor their coach learns even more.

Keanu Reeves stars in HARDBALL a Paramount Pictures presentation directed by Brian Robbins. Diane Lane co-stars and also appearing in the film are John Hawkes, Mike McGlone and D B Sweeney. The screenplay is by John Gatins, inspired by the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle.