Summer Catch

Starring: Freddie Prinze, Jr., Jessical Biel, Fred Ward, Bruce Davison, Jason Gedrick, Brittany Murphy, Matthew Lillard, Brian Dennehy
Directed by: Michael Tollin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sports, Romance
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: At a prestigious baseball camp, Ryan (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) struggles between his old friends and new friends, the fact that his father is a landscaper, and his growing feelings for a rich and beautiful local girl, Tenley (Jessica Biel). This is the story of Ryan's various struggles, including the largest: failure. Will Ryan be able to overcome his own fears to prove he can play ball, and in doing so, will he lose the girl he is falling in love with?

Review:

Tim: Summer Catch has to be one of the worst movies I have seen in recent months. My first complaint is that Freddie Prinze, Jr. drinks alcoholic beverages every second he is off the baseball diamond. I mean, maybe his early problems with his game is due to the fact that he is an alcoholic. I understand his need to be portrayed as "cool", but come on- the film is rated PG-13. Normal people do not drink as much as he did in the film. That was simply a poor judgement call. I have even more problems with Jessical Biel. In this, one of her first movies after her "7th Heaven" days, she is obviously trying to show off her physique. I guess in her attempts to get away from the "7th Heaven" "Mary" character, she needed to change some things in her life: too bad acting ability was one of them. I mean, did she forget how to act or what? She is horrible in the film and completely unbelievable throughout. There is absolutely no chemistry between her and Prinze, Jr.

If all this wasn't bad enough, the plot is shaky, there are dozens of smaller stories which do not need to be in the film at all, and lack of quality acting all around. While Matthew Lillard does have several funny moments, most of the time he is just annoying. Brian Dennehy brings little to the film, and really isn't even worth mentioning.
All in all, I must say: Never see this movie. It downright stinks. This is a major disappointment for me. Summer Catch has to be one of the least entertaining films I have seen. Furthermore, Freddie Prinze, Jr. continues his streak of starring in films in which I just don't like him. I believe he can act, I just wish he would prove it. Finally, I can't get past that this movie is an obvious vehicle for Jessica Biel to shed her good girl image. I'd really like to have never seen this film. Movie fans, pass this one by.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Wing Commander, Scream, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Varsity Blues