grade Movie Reviews

• Reviewed by SnoopyStyle grade 4 / 10

  Sleazy Brooks and crazy Fraser

  Al Percolo (Albert Brooks) is a scout for the Yankees. He bends the rules and lies to get the latest phenomena Tommy Lacy (Michael Rapaport). However Lacy turns out to be a complete flop and runs away. Al is punished to scout deep in Mexico. He stumbles across Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser). Yankee boss Ron Wilson (Lane Smith) fires him. He decides to bring Steve back to the States himself. The Yankees bids $55M for him to pitch but they need a psychiatrist's letter. Al picks Dr. Aaron (Dianne Wiest) out of the phone book.Albert Brooks is annoyingly sleazy. He's really off-putting and has none of the likability of 'Broadcast News'. The movie doesn't actually need to show all the ugliness. It needs to get to Brendan Fraser much earlier. The first part is not as funny as the filmmaker thinks it is. Director Michael Ritchie made one of my favorite comedy 'The Bad News Bears', but his resume is inconsistent. If this has any hope for this movie, it's the chemistry between Brooks and Fraser but it's not funny enough. The baseball stuff is ridiculous. Brooks is like fingernails on the chalkboard. It's simply not good no matter how crazy Fraser acts.

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• Reviewed by Tony Adam grade 4 / 10

  Two films for the price of one

  After seeing THE SCOUT again on TV, I've come to accept that the main problem with the film is that it's actually two completely different films smashed together. On the one hand you've got the comedy surrounding Albert Brooks and his hunt for that one baseball player who will save his scouting career. As one of our great comic screen writers, Brooks delivers some witty lines now and then, particularly in the first part of the film. However, the second film is a half-written drama dealing with the emotional/mental problems of Steve Nebraska, Brendan Frasier's character. There's next to know explanation and/or resolution to his emotional storyline, and although the wonderful Diane Wiest as his psychiatrist is on the team, she barely makes it to the warm-up spot and pretty much fades out without much ado. Screenwriter Brooks keeps tossing tantalizing hints into Frasier's emotional mix - the laundry concerns, for example -- but then does nothing with them. By the last inning, THE SCOUT can't decide whether it's FEAR STRIKES OUT or MAJOR LEAGUE.

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• Reviewed by evannaturally grade 8 / 10

  Albert Brooks at his best

  This is really an underrated gem in its own way. It's important to mention that this movie was released during the infamous baseball strike and unfortunately not many people wanted to go see a movie about baseball because they were so upset with the way things were being handled. It's really too bad because this is a very good movie.The best thing about this movie is the way director/star Albert Brooks blends his own unique style of humor with a deep underlying current of the father/son relationship and how psychological problems can effect and athlete's performance. There are some very big laughs as well as many scenes that are funny in an Albert Brooks sort of way; scenes that make you smile and chuckle rather than belly laugh. The best crafted scenes in the film however come from the way Steve Nebraska (Fraser) looks up to Al (Brooks) as the father figure he never had. Some of these scenes are very emotional and deeply touching as well.The only thing I didn't love about the movie is the ending. It's a little too neat and tidy for my taste, but let's face it Brooks is trying to make a funny and touching movie that makes you happy and uplifted when its over, and for that I say a good well done.

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