'The Final Season' gets an 'A'
Posted: Thursday, October 18, 2007
From what I've read recently, "The Final Season" is nothing more than a "B'' movie, evidently dull and dreary.
Just in case you've been living in a vaccum, "The Final Season" is the film adaptation of Norway High School's dramatic run to Iowa's Class 1A state baseball championship in the summer of 1991.
It's a feel-good story because Norway High School, just west of Cedar Rapids, consolidated with neighboring Benton Community after the 1990-91 school year, thus ending one of the most decorated and honored prep progams in state history.
Norway's state title in '91 was the school's 20th, two in the old spring tournament, 10 in the old fall tournament and eight in the Class 1A division of the summer tournament.
The one provincial drawback to the heart-warming ending to that final Norway game was that they beat Siouxland school Gillett Grove South Clay (The movie takes some liberties here).
Among those starring in the movie are Tom Arnold (you know, Roseanne's ex), Sean Astin (you know, Rudy) and Powers Boothe (you know, Philip Marlowe, Jim Jones).
I'm prejudiced, of course, but I've awarded this "B'' flick an A-plus. The movie gets 10 stars on my personal grading scale of 0-to-10.
One reason is that Boothe's role in the movie is that of legendary Norway Coach Jim Van Scoyoc, a fraternity brother of mine at William Penn University in Oskaloosa. Big Jim even wears a William Penn College T-shirt at various times in the movie.
Astin plays the role of Kent Stock, who coached the final Norway season after Van Scoyoc, who had picked up his 13th state title at the school the previous summer, stepped down to realize a lifetime dream, coaching for a major league franchise.
Stock had been his assistant the previous summer.
The movie is also emblematic of a kind of culture that seems to be evaporating in a lot of ways in life in America. You'll also find more than one example of why baseball is so important to Americans -- no matter what the level or degree.
It's also a story about home, family, church spires, apple pie, maybe even the Chevrolets that appear in the show.
Another reason is that the cinematography is stunning, real Iowa. What you'll see when you rush out to watch the show are true life trains, farmsteads, fire engines and main streets.
Big city reviewers are immune to as much, but the film may even evoke a tear or two.
One film critic in Arizona, a banjo hitter name of Phil Villareal, was brutal in his review, calling the flick dreary, dull as a rain delay and based on a true story more worthy of a five-minute blurb on local news than a two-hour movie.
Mr. Villareal obviously doesn't know the Hawkeye State very well and has no clue as to what stirs the emotions and pride of Iowa small towns like Norway (popluation 600 or fewer) and Gillett Grove.
Phil, next time you're remotely close to Iowa, please fly over because the welcome mat won't await you.
And now that you've dissed a wonderful movie that every Iowan would be remiss in not seeing, spend some time researching the lives of Hal Trosky Sr., Mike Boddicker, Bruce Kimm and Dick McVay.
Trosky, as a Cleveland rookie in 1934, hit 35 home runs and collected 142 RBIs; Boddicker won 134 games in 14 big league seasons, most with Baltimore; Kimm was the designated catcher for quirky Detroit pitcher Mark "The Bird'' Fydrich; and McVay was the 79th pick in the 1968 baseball draft by St. Louis.
Four very compelling and engaging other reasons why the movie is better, even, than Kevin Costner's Iowa-based multi-million dollar fantasy film "Field of Dreams.'' None of those guys who appeared out of the corn were from Dyersville.
The four mentioned above, you see, all grew up Norway -- the dull one in Iowa.
Journal sports writer Steven Allspach may be reached at 712-293-4207 or e-mail steven.allspach@lee.net
Just in case you've been living in a vaccum, "The Final Season" is the film adaptation of Norway High School's dramatic run to Iowa's Class 1A state baseball championship in the summer of 1991.
It's a feel-good story because Norway High School, just west of Cedar Rapids, consolidated with neighboring Benton Community after the 1990-91 school year, thus ending one of the most decorated and honored prep progams in state history.
Norway's state title in '91 was the school's 20th, two in the old spring tournament, 10 in the old fall tournament and eight in the Class 1A division of the summer tournament.
The one provincial drawback to the heart-warming ending to that final Norway game was that they beat Siouxland school Gillett Grove South Clay (The movie takes some liberties here).
Among those starring in the movie are Tom Arnold (you know, Roseanne's ex), Sean Astin (you know, Rudy) and Powers Boothe (you know, Philip Marlowe, Jim Jones).
I'm prejudiced, of course, but I've awarded this "B'' flick an A-plus. The movie gets 10 stars on my personal grading scale of 0-to-10.
One reason is that Boothe's role in the movie is that of legendary Norway Coach Jim Van Scoyoc, a fraternity brother of mine at William Penn University in Oskaloosa. Big Jim even wears a William Penn College T-shirt at various times in the movie.
Astin plays the role of Kent Stock, who coached the final Norway season after Van Scoyoc, who had picked up his 13th state title at the school the previous summer, stepped down to realize a lifetime dream, coaching for a major league franchise.
Stock had been his assistant the previous summer.
The movie is also emblematic of a kind of culture that seems to be evaporating in a lot of ways in life in America. You'll also find more than one example of why baseball is so important to Americans -- no matter what the level or degree.
It's also a story about home, family, church spires, apple pie, maybe even the Chevrolets that appear in the show.
Another reason is that the cinematography is stunning, real Iowa. What you'll see when you rush out to watch the show are true life trains, farmsteads, fire engines and main streets.
Big city reviewers are immune to as much, but the film may even evoke a tear or two.
One film critic in Arizona, a banjo hitter name of Phil Villareal, was brutal in his review, calling the flick dreary, dull as a rain delay and based on a true story more worthy of a five-minute blurb on local news than a two-hour movie.
Mr. Villareal obviously doesn't know the Hawkeye State very well and has no clue as to what stirs the emotions and pride of Iowa small towns like Norway (popluation 600 or fewer) and Gillett Grove.
Phil, next time you're remotely close to Iowa, please fly over because the welcome mat won't await you.
And now that you've dissed a wonderful movie that every Iowan would be remiss in not seeing, spend some time researching the lives of Hal Trosky Sr., Mike Boddicker, Bruce Kimm and Dick McVay.
Trosky, as a Cleveland rookie in 1934, hit 35 home runs and collected 142 RBIs; Boddicker won 134 games in 14 big league seasons, most with Baltimore; Kimm was the designated catcher for quirky Detroit pitcher Mark "The Bird'' Fydrich; and McVay was the 79th pick in the 1968 baseball draft by St. Louis.
Four very compelling and engaging other reasons why the movie is better, even, than Kevin Costner's Iowa-based multi-million dollar fantasy film "Field of Dreams.'' None of those guys who appeared out of the corn were from Dyersville.
The four mentioned above, you see, all grew up Norway -- the dull one in Iowa.
Journal sports writer Steven Allspach may be reached at 712-293-4207 or e-mail steven.allspach@lee.net
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Ann Kimm Valdez wrote on Oct 19, 2007 4:19 PM: