I have two pieces of advice for the makers of “Fielder’s Choice.” First, when making a movie that draws so heavily upon the themes of Field of Dreams, you might want to consider a title that doesn’t immediately make the viewer think of that particular film. Second, listening to grown men bitch about how daddy wasn’t around when they were kids is excruciating and went out the door along with Iron John and the men’s movement.
“Fielder’s Choice” opens with our protagonist Seth sitting uncomfortably alone on a couch. He appears to be at some sort of party, but he leaves too quickly for us to really tell. Once outside, he finds an old baseball glove. This elicits a flashback to him making a catch in a big Little League game. Dad wasn’t there, because he was working two jobs to keep a roof over young Seth’s ungrateful head. Angst ensues.
We return to the present, and Seth’s dad comes out of the party to apologize, while the two play catch and reminisce. Of course, Seth has to confront Dad about his absence, especially when he divulges that his wife is pregnant. There is a twist here, but one that shouldn’t be too hard to see coming. Even with it, the film has trouble making us care too much about the characters. Seth got one thing right, at least: the Astros will never win the World Series.
