| Hardball | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Brian Robbins |
| Produced by | Brian Robbins Michael Tollin |
| Written by | Daniel Coyle (book) John Gatins |
| Starring | Keanu Reeves Diane Lane D. B. Sweeney |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | Tom Richmond |
| Editing by | Ned Bastille |
| Studio | Fireworks Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 14, 2001 |
| Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $21,000,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $44,102,389 |
Hardball is a 2001 American dramedy film directed by Brian Robbins. It stars Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane and D. B. Sweeney. The screenplay by John Gatlins is based on the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle. The original music score is composed by Mark Isham. The film is known in some parts of the U.S. as "Little Sluggers."
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Conor O'Neill (Keanu Reeves) is a gambler who bet on his dead father's account and is now severely in debt. In order to repay the debt, he must coach a baseball team of troubled kids in the ABLA housing projects of Chicago. He had decided that once he repaid his debts, he would leave the team, but soon Conor connects with the kids and finds it harder to leave than he thought.
The film garnered mixed reviews from critics and currently holds a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Keanu Reeves's performance in Hardball earned him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actor (also for Sweet November).
The film was based on a nonfiction novel that tracked the experience of Robert Muzikowski, a real-life youth baseball coach. Muzikowski sued Paramount Pictures for defamation, alleging that the film inaccurately portrayed him as a down-on-his-luck gambler with suspicious ties who took on youth baseball simply to repay a debt. Muzikowski did not win his lawsuit against Paramount Pictures (see Muzikowski v. Paramount Pictures Corp., 477 F.3d 899 (2007)).
A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on September 11, 2001 by Columbia Records. It peaked at #55 on the Billboard 200 and #34 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
| Preceded by The Musketeer |
Box office number-one films of 2001 (USA) September 16 - September 23 |
Succeeded by Don't Say a Word |
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