"Nothing great happens when you hold back." Cory Brand (Elrod) is the best baseball player in the country. He has a huge following and is the heart and soul of his team. He also has a very quick and violent temper. After throwing a tantrum during a game he is suspended and sent back to his hometown for rehab. While there in order to keep his image clean he is also to coach the local little league team. Little by little the rehab, coaching and a higher power start to change his life. I am a huge fan of sports movies so this is one I sat down expecting to like. I did not realize going in that it was also a religious themed film. I do not automatically discount a movie because of that aspect because I have seen some that are very good, but this one like so many others like it are just too unbelievable. I have no problem with putting prayer in a movie or showing religious beliefs but when simply saying I now believe in God instantly makes life better and fixes everything it really takes away from the rest of the movie and makes it feel like a commercial for religion. It may be because I was raised Catholic and therefore cynical but to make a religious movie believable would mean that prayer helps but isn't an automatic fix all. Sorry for that tirade. Overall, a good movie that is worth watching but the religious aspect took me out of the movie. I give it a B-.

It's a great movie and it has something more than just stuff for sports fans. It touches a lot of serious issues like alcoholism, pornography, child molestation, fatherless children and more. Because of the seriousness of the issues addressed this movie it might not be suitable for younger viewers. Then again, with the things kids can see on regular TV these days the stuff in this movie is tame by comparison. And the serious issues in Home Run are mostly mentioned verbally with few graphic depictions of the issue. And the cast was well chosen for this film. Scott Elrod does a solid performance as the troubled star baseball player. Vivica A Fox lights up the screen as the player's manager. Dorian Brown is charming as the player's ex-girlfriend. And the entire cast work together with good chemistry to convey an important message of forgiveness and redemption. I was moved by the honesty of this film and the true solutions offered.

I was prepared for a fairly predictable story when during the opening scene, the alcoholic father of a young Cory Brand, holding a bottle of beer in one hand, threw nineteen straight strikes against his son while berating him for being unable to hit a pitch against a former Double A minor league hurler. The guy was a jerk, just like that Coach Pejersky (Drew Waters) managing the Little League team against the Omulkgee Bulldogs. The picture demonstrated what passes for often seen behavior at ball games that should be played for fun, but often turns into a spectacle because of the parents and not the players. It's rewarding at times to watch a picture in which no major celebrity appears so the focus can remain on the principals who try to overcome the obstacles in their life and become a better person. Some will find the overt mention of God and faith to be overbearing, though I'm fairly sure there are real life situations that rely on the kind of rehabilitation experienced by Cory (Scott Elrod) and other members of a spiritual group like Celebration Recovery. The film has it's share of baseball related scenes, and Cory's approach to coaching his team's youngsters can be well appreciated in direct counterpoint to his egotistical behavior as a major league ball player. I did find the opposing traits in his character to be somewhat unbelievable, but the spirit of the picture carries through for a final reconciliation and recovery of Cory's career. See the film more for it's message than for it's baseball theme, as the home run aspect of the title is ancillary.