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"EVERYONE'S HERO" (2006) (voices of Jake T. Austin, Rob Reiner) (G) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons *None Minor Heavy *Mild None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor Heavy None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Minor None Mild Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Animated Comedy: A ten-year-old, Depression era boy must overcome his self-doubts as he sets out to save his dad's job by finding and returning Babe Ruth's stolen baseball bat. PLOT: It's 1932 and 10-year-old Yankee Irving's (voice of JAKE T. AUSTIN) favorite team -- the New York Yankees -- is playing in the World Series against the Chicago Cubs. He dreams of one day batting like his idol, Babe Ruth (voice of BRIAN DENNEHY), but his failed efforts in sandlot games only lead to laughter from the other kids. Following such a debacle, he finds an unlikely friend in Screwie (voice of ROB REINER), an acerbic, talking baseball that only Yankee can hear. But things take a turn for the worse when the boy's mom, Emily (voice of DANA REEVE), allows him to take dinner to his father, Stanley (voice of MANDY PATINKIN), who works at Yankee Stadium. When Stanley allows his boy into the locker room to see Babe's legendary bat, Darlin, little does he realize that Cubs owner Napoleon Cross (voice of ROBIN WILLIAMS) has sent his washed up pitcher, Lefty (voice of WILLIAM H. MACY), to steal the bat to insure their victory in the Series. When it's discovered it's missing, Stanley is fired and can't help but think Yankee had something to do with it. When no one will believe his story about Lefty posing as a security guard who chased him out, Yankee decides he must do something. With the aid of Screwie and a young girl, Marti (voice of RAVEN SYMONE), whose dad, Lonnie Brewster (voice of FORREST WHITAKER) is a star in the Negro League, Yankee retrieves Darlin (voice of WHOOPI GOLDBERG) -- who can only be heard by the boy and his talking baseball -- and then tries to avoid Lefty as they make a cross-country trek to return the bat to the team so that his dad can get his job back. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? It's a good bet younger boys (and some girls) will, particularly if they're into baseball. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G Presumably for not containing material that would warrant a higher rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: It's debatable whether kids view animated characters (particularly non-human ones) as role models, but here's a quick look at the main characters' major characteristics. YANKEE IRVING is a 10-year-old boy whose poor baseball skills leave him the laughing stock of the neighborhood. When Darlin is stolen and Yankee's father loses his job as a result, the boy sets out to find and retrieve the bat, all while overcoming various obstacles and self-doubts along the way. SCREWIE is the acerbic-tongued, talking baseball who befriends Yankee despite being bitter about the sport (having fouled out long ago in a game). DARLIN is Babe Ruth's somewhat uppity and pampered baseball bat who clashes with Screwie, but eventually comes around to appreciating Yankee's efforts to return her. LEFTY is the washed up pitcher who agrees to steal Darlin in exchange for being allowed to play in the World Series. After the theft, he must contend with Yankee's efforts to thwart him, and will do anything to get the bat back from him. MARTI plays a young girl who assists Yankee in his quest, including besting Lefty as well as some young thugs (via pelting them with apples). BABE RUTH is the legendary, larger than life baseball star who convinces others to allow Yankee to show what he's got. STANLEY is Yankee's mild-mannered father, a worker at Yankee Stadium who loses his job when Darlin turns up missing. He then worries about his boy when he disappears. EMILY is his wife who worries about that as well as their future after her husband is fired. NAPOLEON CROSS is the uptight and envious owner of the Chicago Cubs who resorts to having Lefty steal Darlin to ensure his team's victory in the World Series. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this G-rated, computer-animated comedy. No profanity is present, but various colorful phrases are as is some potentially imitative behavior. An anthropomorphized baseball looks up at a woman from beneath her seat (we don't see what he sees as he enthusiastically says hello), while separate cleavage is briefly seen. All sorts of slapstick material is present (people whacking into things, falling, etc.), as are a few scenes of kids pelting each other with apples, some tripping and a brief kick to the face to escape the villain. Some of the film's chase scenes and moments of peril (including on a train, featuring some dangling, etc.) may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some younger kids. Various characters have bad attitudes, some crude humor is present, and the main character worries about his dad losing his job because of him, and then his parents worry about their boy when he disappears (to retrieve the missing bat - but without telling them). Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None, however some bums/hobos have bottles by them, but we don't know if they're full, empty or even alcohol related. BLOOD/GORE Crude humor includes the following: Lefty tells Cross he has a new pitch called the "booger ball" and he starts to hock up something in his throat and nose, but is interrupted before completing that. Screwie states that food can't talk, except for beans. Yankee puts Screwie in his underwear drawer, telling him not to worry, as they're clean, prompting Screwie to state (from the closed drawer), "Not anymore." As Yankee sleeps, some drool from his mouth drips down and lands on Screwie. Yankee farts in his sleep (his blanket briefly rises as a result) and Screwie sarcastically asks how long he's been taking trombone lessons. Screwie adversely reacts to Lefty's smelly sock feet when he comes across them on a train. Lefty has a swollen black eye after he accidentally caused Darlin to hit him in the face. While pitching in the game, Lefty says it's time for the "booger ball," hocks up a loogie and then blows his nose onto Screwie (we see him covered in green mucous). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Some kids voice their unhappiness about having Yankee on their sandlot baseball team, and one kid even tries to trip him coming out of the "dugout." They and others then laugh at him when he comes up to bat. Cross is so determined to win the World Series that he sends Lefty to steal Babe Ruth's prized bat. Lefty poses as a security guard and tells Yankee (who's alone in the locker room) to "scram" (so that he can steal the bat). Lefty is happy when he hears that the blame for the missing bat has been placed on Stanley who's lost his job as a result. Hoping he can find the missing bat and thus get his father's job back, Yankee sneaks out of the house without telling his parents that he's leaving. Yankee sneaks onto a train (to try to find Darlin). Screwie and Darlin clash and trade various insults, but eventually become friends as the story progresses. Some bullies grab Screwie and then play keep away from Yankee with him. One then pushes Yankee to the ground, and they then pelt him with apples when Marti comes to his rescue. Frustrated about not having the bat in his possession, Lefty repeatedly bashes a public phone until it comes off its post and he receives a shock (played for laughs). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers but probably to no one else. Hoping he can find the missing bat and thus get his father's job back, Yankee sneaks out of the house without telling his parents that he's leaving. As he tries to move across one of those movable clotheslines (often seen in days of old on city buildings), he slips on the cable and barely grabs hold of the fire escape. He then ends up falling down that, landing on the retractable vertical ladder that careens down toward the sidewalk, stopping just inches above it (with Yankee holding on, going headfirst). Lefty comes after Yankee, with the latter ending up at the end of the train with nowhere else to go. Accordingly he leaps from one train to another (on a different track), and briefly dangles from the edge, as does Screwie from his shoelace near the ground as it speeds by. Lefty also jumps, but smacks into a window on the other train. He then manages to crawl up to the top and must avoid a wide variety of train signs and such that pass by, above or below him (causing him to duck, jump and otherwise contort his body to avoid being hit -- all played for laughs). One such sign/signaling device finally does hit him (but he's otherwise okay) and he then ends up dangling between two cars. Yankee then jumps back to the first train, with Lefty reaching out and grabbing him, prompting Yankee to kick Lefty, leaving him doing the splits between the trains, and he then smacks into a sign between them (we don't see the impact). Darlin screams (loudly and a lot) when Yankee first opens her carrying case. We see that Lefty has returned to a small train station, and Yankee, Screwie, and Darlin don't realize he's there. When Screwie finally does, he wakes up the other two and they manage to sneak out. Lefty races down the train track on one of those seesaw-pump cars after Yankee who's on foot, but the latter jumps out of the way just in time as a big train approaches from the opposite direction. Lefty then goes back the other way as fast as possible, but his banged up track car indicates the big train hit him (all played for laughs). Walking on the tracks, Yankee hears what sounds like a wolf howling, and a regular dog suddenly leaps at the boy, but it's just a dog who's grabbed Screwie and run off (he's okay). Lefty shows up at Marti's house saying he's Yankee's dad and then pushes Marti out of the way as he tries to chase him, but Marti trips him on his way up the stairs. Yankee ends up accidentally swinging across the stadium stands like Tarzan when a banner he grabs pulls away from the wall (he's okay). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Loser," "Wiff" (for someone who strikes out), "You stink," "The sultan of swing," "The booger ball," "Don't make me go all crazy eight-ball on you," "This kid is nuts," "Hey genius," "Sayonara," "Scram," "You're turning me into a spitball," "How long have you been taking trombone lessons?" (said after an audible fart), "It stinks and so do you," "A bunch of malarkey," "Holy mackerel," "You're gonna get such a time out," "The fun's over, you little punk," "You're a hunk of wood, not the Hope Diamond," "You bats are prima donnas," "Hey table leg," "Quiet, tent-pole," "Holy cow," "For crying out loud," "Dang," "Idiot," "You rotten two-by-four," "Leather face," "Fat bat," "Blah, blah, blah," "Hey look, a missing link," "Don't you make me bring out my whooping stick," "I think I'm gonna pitch my lunch" (vomit, said sarcastically), "In your big fat bat head," "Will you two just knock it off?" "Oh, pul-eaze," "Oh brother, you could pour this stuff on pancakes," "Nuts," "What a jerk," "How can something so round be so square?" "I'm a screwball," "Snotty-nosed," "The dumber they are, the harder they fall," "He's just an angry little troll" (said about Cross), "Let's smash some glass," an incomplete "What the..?" "It's not the bat, it's the batter," "A little grunt" and "Keep on swinging." While bouncing down some steps (as a baseball), Screwie keeps repeating (with each impact), "My head, my butt, my head, my butt." Marti's dad and other players play some shadow ball on a bus (where they play with an invisible baseball). Then they do some Harlem Globetrotter type moves and such using Screwie as their ball. Needing to get out of a locked skybox at the stadium, Yankee throws Screwie through a large plate glass window (the first such throw results in Screwie bouncing off it), causing it to shatter. While pitching in the game, Lefty spits. Some of Cross' antics (dancing about, pitching a fit, etc.) might be enticing for some kids to imitate. While pitching in the game, Lefty says it's time for the "booger ball," hocks up a loogie and then blows his nose onto Screwie (we see him covered in green mucous). JUMP SCENES Walking on the tracks, Yankee hears what sounds like a wolf howling, and a regular dog suddenly leaps at the boy, but it's just a dog who's grabbed Screwie and run off (he's okay). MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of dramatic, action-based, and some suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY While rolling under some train seats looking for Darlin, Screwie stops under a woman's seat, looks up, and enthusiastically says hello (we don't see anything other than her lower legs and don't know what he sees, if anything inappropriate). A miscellaneous woman shows some cleavage in a dress. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Emily worries that they'll be out on the street after the general manager fires Stanley over the missing baseball bat. Stanley is mad at Yankee over the missing bat (thinking he's somehow responsible since he was the last one with it) and sends the boy to his room (but that sternness is as mean as he gets). Yankee's parents are worried about him after his disappearance, and search everywhere for him, and he later says he misses them. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Not being good at sports and having other kids make fun of you. The fact that only Yankee can hear Screwie and Darlin. Screwie telling Yankee that baseball is a field of broken dreams. Marti's dad plays for the Negro League. The comment that it's not the bat but the batter (that makes the difference in a game as well as life). The notion of not giving up on what needs to be done ("keep on swinging"). VIOLENCE Slapstick style material includes the following: Yankee ends up hitting himself on the head with the bat and then falls to the plate while trying to bat during a game. A small sports figurine ends up hitting Lefty in the throat, causing him to choke and stumble about the office (played for laughs). While upset at his baseball skills, Yankee rips and tears down many posters off his bedroom wall. At various times, Screwie bounces against walls and others things, and makes slightly pained impact sounds ("ouch"), but he's otherwise okay. Yankee falls over a wall and down onto the baseball field (a short distance and played as slapstick) but is okay. While bouncing down some steps (as a baseball), Screwie keeps repeating (with each impact), "My head, my butt, my head, my butt." Lefty jumps from one moving train to another, but smacks into a window on the other train. He then manages to crawl up to the top and must avoid a wide variety of train signs and such that pass by, above or below him (causing him to duck, jump and otherwise contort his body to avoid being hit -- all played for laughs). One such sign/signaling device finally does hit him (but he's otherwise okay) and he then ends up dangling between two cars. Yankee then jumps back to the first train, with Lefty reaching out and grabbing him, prompting Yankee to kick Lefty, leaving him doing the splits between the trains, and he then smacks into a sign between them (we don't see the impact). Lefty falls outside a train station (we don't see the impact but hear a cat screech) and then later falls over the bottom half of a two-way opening door (where the top is open, but the bottom is still closed) -- all played as slapstick. Yankee falls down a pile of some sort in a warehouse, but is okay. Yankee falls from a tree (slapstick style). Some bullies grab Screwie and then play keep away from Yankee with him. One then pushes Yankee to the ground, but is then hit by an apple thrown by Marti. She then throws more at the two boys who throw some back, hitting Yankee several times until Marti teaches him how to duck. He and Marti then pelt the bullies with apples. Lefty shows up at Marti's house saying he's Yankee's dad and then pushes Marti out of the way as he tries to chase him, but Marti trips him on his way up the stairs. Lefty then falls from a clothesline after crawling down onto it out of the house, and Marti then uses a garden hose to trip him again. He and Yankee then struggle over Darlin, with Yankee letting go, causing the bat to whack Lefty on the head, followed by Marti pelting him with an apple and Screwie then falling onto his face. Frustrated about not having the bat in his possession, Lefty repeatedly bashes a public phone until it comes off its post and he receives a shock (played for laughs). After Lefty steals Darlin, Screwie gets under his feet and causes him to fall. Yankee briefly struggles with Cross over Darlin through a car window, with the latter pulling the former into the car with him. Needing to get out of a locked skybox at the stadium, Yankee throws Screwie through a large plate glass window (the first such throw results in Screwie bouncing off it), causing it to shatter, and Screwie then lands on and bounces off a few fans' heads down below (but no one is hurt). Cross grabs a baseball umpire by his chest pad. While trying to field a ball during a game, some outfielders collide, and Yankee ends up stepping on the catcher's head as he tries to make it to home plate. Reviewed September 9, 2006 / Posted September 15, 2006

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