Nick Nolte does his best Nick Nolte impression in this tear jerking love story between two men. Nolte is down and out again as Ray the fiftysomething year-old high school baseball umpire, who crushes cars on his day job and crushes beer cans on his head during his free time. Ray is a haggard mess, a walking, talking skid mark. And who better to play such a role than Nick Nolte? In fact, the first half hour of this film plays like “Nick Nolte’s Funniest Home Videos” as Ray continues to make a drunken mess of himself. Nolte fanatics won’t want to miss this performance. It’s a real kick in the shorts.
But on with the story…
Not a very popular man amongst the townsfolk due to his controversial umping calls and general hard on the eyes appearance, Ray finds his home the target of vandalism one fateful evening. Capturing one of the vandals, he soon discovers that it’s high school baseball pitcher, David. Ray orders David to clean up the mess he and his friends made in order to avoid criminal prosecution. David abides by his wishes, at first put off by the creepy old man, but conversations between the two begin and David finds comfort in the attention he’s receiving from this father figure that he doesn’t receive from his own father. In turn, Ray finds in David a relationship he wishes he had with his own son. As their friendship builds, Ray asks David for one more favor –- to attend his fortieth high school reunion with him as his son…
It’s a touching story of father and son type male bonding…male bonding with Nick Nolte no less…that’s bound to find some audience members blubbering by film’s end.
