Reel Critics

Larry Nolte

Just when I thought the worst of the summer movies were over, along

comes “Summer Catch.” Why is it that when you want someone to sit down

in front of you it never happens? How bad is this movie? As Ms. Browning

said “Let me count the ways . . .”

Freddie Prinze Jr. stars as Ryan Dunne, a pitcher and the only local

to ever make it to the Cape Cod minor league team . He’s worked in the

town for the last 14 years mowing the lawns of his father’s clients. Fred

Ward plays his father and Jason Gedrick plays his brother who blew his

chance of being in the major leagues and now works as a bartender.

Jessica Biel plays his girlfriend. She is of course, the daughter of Rand

Parrish, played by Bruce Davison, who is part of the local aristocracy.

He resents his daughter dating a nobody and urges her to to fly west and

become part of an investment firm. She wants to be an architect. She

urges Ryan to follow his dream but doesn’t seem to have the strength to

stand up to her dad. Brian Dennehy plays the baseball coach who is giving

Ryan a second chance. While the usually reliable Dennehy is always a

pleasure to watch, I don’t think he is going to be including this movie

on his resume.

While some of the acting and scenes of the minor characters are at

times enjoyable, the script really has no idea where it wants to go. Even

with a good script there is no way Prinze could rise to the occasion. His

range of emotions is one long blank stare. The movie reaches its

conclusion in the big game where Prinze gets another chance to show if he

really has it, unfortunately by that time I was too tired to care.* LARRY

NOLTE, 59, is a retired United Airlines employee.