The critics that savaged this lightweight family comedy were thinking too hard. It had Jack and me laughing a lot along with the packed house--it doesn't hurt that we both love baseball and there are a couple of subplots around various diamonds. Billy Crystal (my favorites of his movie acting gigs: The Princess Bride (1987), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), When Harry Met Sally (1989), City Slickers (1991), and Analyze This (1999); and don't forget he directed Mr. Saturday Night (1992), Forget Paris (1995), and 61* (2001)) stars as Artie, the befuddled grandfather trying to follow his Type-A daughter's many parenting rules. Bette Midler (I've been a big fan of hers since seeing her live in Berkeley in the early 1970s; my fave movies are The Rose (1979), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Scenes from a Mall (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), Drowning Mona (2000), The Stepford Wives (2004), and Then She Found Me (2007)--I hated Beaches (1988), though mostly because of Barbara Hershey. And the script) gets off a few good lines as Artie's wife Diane but it's mostly Crystal's movie. It starts and ends with him. Really ends--there's a bonus after the credits. Midler does get to sing a song in the second act and not in a contrived way at all. Marisa Tomei's (last in these pages in The Ides of March) comic timing is pretty much missing but she's the straight man here, as the Type-A mother/daughter Alice. The kids, however, are terrific. I've been pleased every time I've seen young Bailee Madison (most recently as one of the only redeeming parts of Just Go With It) and here she is the eldest child Harper. The other two, Turner played by Joshua Rush and Barker played by Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, are quite good as well. Tom Everett Scott (the lead in That Thing You Do! (1996)) is Alice's husband with a little to do in the syrupy third act. Yes, of course, it's syrupy. Did you think someone would get "shunned" (you'll get that after you see it)?
Director Andy Fickman worked as Production Executive on two Midler pictures, Hocus Pocus and the TV-movie of Gypsy, so that's where he came from. Co-writers Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse are new to me.
As I said, critics hated it. 17% on rottentomatoes. We vote with the audiences at 68%. If you need a family-friendly activity, this will do fine. We heard quite a few youngsters giggling along with the adults today. But it would be okay to wait for video. The establishing shots of Fresno and Atlanta will work just fine on the small screen. And don't rush off before the bonus at the very end.
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