THE COMEBACK KID
US, 1980, 97 minutes, Colour.
John Ritter, Susan Dey, Doug Mc Keon, James Gregory, Patrick Swayze.
Directed by Peter Levin.
The Comeback Kid is a pleasant movie about children - somewhat in the vein of The Bad News Bears and the television series that followed the movie. John Ritter is a star baseball player who is dropped from his team. He encounters a very earnest social worker, player by Susan Dey, who has a group of kids from broken families. She wants a track team. He agrees to coach - however, spending their money on a hitting machine to keep him in shape for his return to baseball. Needless to say after many difficulties with the kids, his wins them over and becomes their fulltime coach, giving up baseball. While the material is familiar, it is done with great deal of American sentiment and warmth. (In one of the scenes where the baseball players go out to dinner and behave raucously the baseball player who looks like a young Patrick Swayze is Patrick Swayze.)
1. Entertaining telemovie? Children? Sport? Self worth?
2. The American town, baseball and its followers, parks and kids, homes? Audience identifying with the characters and the situations? Musical Score?
3. The title, the focus on Baba, his baseball career, being dropped, wanting to come back - and his true comeback?
4. John Ritter's portrait of Baba Newman: genial young man, flirting, raucous with the players, clashing with the coach, performing during games? His reaction to being dropped? The encounter with Megan, sympathetic, flirting? His arguing with her for the job? Meeting the kids and their reaction? The classes, the coaching? Paying them to run? Gradually getting their confidence? The clashes with Megan? Spending the money on the hitting machine and deceiving her, playing with Paul? The interaction with the kids, especially with Michael and his hostility? The taking of Megan to dinner, the pranks and the practical jokes at the meal, her walking out, realizing he was behaving childishly? With the kids, getting them active, their achievements? Going camping, telling stories around the campfire, winning them over, winning Megan over? The offer to go back to play baseball, his giving up, the kid's reactions, Megan's anger? the raucous talking with the team, playing the game, seeing the fights? His decision to leave - and the fellow players not understanding? Wanting his Job back, the hostile reaction? Paul's accident, hurrying to help? Gathering the children together with Megan to mourn Paul, to get them talking, his speech about sadness, suffering and weeping, strength? Their support of him, going to the games, participating? The confrontation with Michael, Michael's background, the talk at the camp, Michael's point being proven true? Michael's grief, relenting and running in the relay race? Baba making a comeback?
5. Megan, earnest, social worker, too serious? With the kids, with officials? Wanting the track team? The grant for gear? Resisting Baba, not going to meals with him? Her decision to hire him, try him out? The meal, her reaction to the team and their pranks? Wanting to go to the museum, going camping, enjoying the outing, the stories, swimming? Relenting? Her disappointment at Baba's leaving, the truth about the money and the machine? Her interviewing the next man, Baba's return? His promise to pay everything back? The accident, the grief, sharing in it? The achievement?
6. The kids, their backgrounds, wanting to be tough, sullen? The mixed racial background: home life? Hanging around, seeing Baba drunk, wanting to be stoned? Using adult language
without understanding? Their reaction to Megan, to Baba as coach? Watching, being paid, gradually getting involved? The change in their lives without realising it? Michael and his summing up the situation, his resistance? His love for his little brother? Their background and hardship? The change of heart the camping and their enjoying it? Baba leaving and their reactions? Michael and his certainty? The accident, the shared grief, the young Hispanic weeping, the black girl wanting to go home but persuaded to stay? Paul as loved by them all? The achievement, the homemade uniforms? Participating in the sports?
7. The background of the players, camaraderie at the game, in the locker-room, the coach, the trainers? The spoof on the childishness of the players as seen through Baba's eyes?
8. Comedy, sentiment, humanity - an enjoyable blend for this kind of telemovie and the affirmation of relationship between adults and children, self worth, influence (even if only for a time)?
