Home Run

“Home Run” is a powerful film about love, hope, redemption, healing and recovery. Scott Elrod stars as Cory Brand, an all star baseball player with a serious drinking problem. After getting suspended from the team for his behavior, he is forced back to his home town in Oklahoma to make amends, but, instead, encounters more dire circumstances. With his career and reputation on the line, his agent makes a deal for him to attend an eight week recovery program and fill in for his brother as coach of a little league team.

As Cory fights his demons from childhood, we see a man, hurt and broken, unable to help but turn into the same type of man his father was. While coaching, his love and talent for baseball wins over the hearts of the children and reintroduces him to an old love. This is Cory’s second chance to be the man God wants him to be, and turn to God for healing.

What I loved about this movie was seeing the depth in the person of Cory. When you see him react as he did in the film, you can shake your head, think that person is hopeless, angry and flying off the handle. As the viewer, you know where that behavior is coming from. He’s a broken man. He’s hurt and doesn’t know how to handle what life throws at him, because he didn’t have the love and acceptance of his father. You can truly feel for him, because, in a sense, he’s every man (or woman). He’s real. He isn’t a glossed over, perfect person. Does that excuse his drunkenness or his behavior when he is angry? No. But it gives insight into where it comes from, and that is one of the ways I think this movie is far more realistic than many others.

Yet, we can all take heart in the fact that God is there for all of us, and He can heal the brokenhearted and make us whole again. Psalm 34:18 says “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (ESV). Cory’s relationship with his father was not a good one, but he realizes that trying to fill the hole in his heart with alcohol and worldly behavior just left him empty. We can take comfort in the fact that God is “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation” (Psalm 68:5, ESV). God fills and heals our hearts with His love.

This movie has so many positive elements to it. There is nothing inappropriate, at all. I watched it with my young children, and it was so refreshing to not have to turn it off and wait until they weren’t around to watch it. It is one of the most family friendly movies I have seen in a long time, and the production itself was spot on! I’ve said it before, Christian movies can be subpar in terms of the production quality, but this film was wonderfully written, acted and filmed. Kudos to all involved, because I feel they did an exceptional job. I encourage you to see this movie.

One more detail I wish to point out is that this film does show recovery meetings, and, at the very first one, a man mentions his addiction to pornography. At another, a woman mentions being a victim of sexual abuse. There are no descriptions given, and each points to God's healing, however, I do want to make mention of it, since I did say this movie is family friendly. I still stand by that claim. My children watching with me are too young to even question what that is, and it could lead to a positive conversation in families with children old enough to understand it. In our society, where immoral behavior is condoned on TV and in film, this movie points out how damaging sexual sin is and points to God.

Violence: None / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None

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