Bottom of the 9th

While it wavers with heavy-handed dialogue, underwritten supporting characters, and a storyline that veers away from its original grittiness, Manganiello keeps it grounded with a performance of sincerity and heart.

Odd camera angles and movement make the movie feel like it was directed by a less-seasoned filmmaker, and the script from Robert Bruzio has more fat than would be allowed in a pro athlete's diet.

Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara are among the most valuable players in Raymond De Felitta's affecting and effective drama about an ex-con who returns to his field of dreams.

With the stakes set appropriately low, the result is pleasing - a stadium snow cone, palatable despite being sweetened with corn syrup.

The director's sense of place counts for a lot here, and a sympathetic lead performance will have most who catch the film rooting for this underdog.

Raymond De Felitta's film offers a sampler course of formulas, which creates a strangely unfulfilling tension.

It shows an affinity for baseball and a love for New York's cultural melting pot, but this heartfelt working-class redemption drama mostly swings and misses.

A rare, affecting baseball film, it's also an unapologetic, unhip redemption tale.

This film is riddled with clichés and predictability, but still garners an applause for its heartfelt intent and depiction of real life relationships in times of uncertainty.

Bottom of the 9th probably might not become a baseball movie classic but there's a story of redemption that might appeal to non-sports fans.