Ty Roberts’ sports drama, You Gotta Believe, tells an inspiring story but often sticks too closely to old formulas. The movie is based on a true story and will surely bring tears to viewers’ eyes. However, Lane Garrison’s screenplay sometimes feels overly simplistic and cheesy.
The film focuses on Fort Worth’s Westside All-Stars, who surprised everyone in 2002 by dedicating their amazing season to Robert Ratliff’s father, Bobby, who is terminally ill. It highlights themes of tragedy, hope, and the idealized rescue that sports can provide.
Still, You Gotta Believe struggles to move beyond a surface-level emotional experience. Roberts’ direction, especially during baseball scenes, jumps between distracting camera techniques, which only emphasizes the players’ struggles on the field.
What Is You Gotta Believe About?
Luke Wilson plays Bobby Ratliff, a caring father who learns he has an advanced brain tumor just after his son’s Little League team finishes in last place.
At the same time, Bobby’s assistant coach and close friend, Jon Kelly (played by Greg Kinnear), gets the chance to have their struggling team represent Fort Worth in the Little League World Series.
Bobby loves watching his son Robert (Michael Cash) play baseball, so Jon accepts the challenge and starts training his misfit players for a shot at Williamsport. The odds are stacked against them, but if Bobby fights for his life, his team is determined to fight for victory.
Real-life sports moments, like the Miracle on Ice and Yordan Alvarez’s home run in the 2022 ALDS, show that true sports stories can be just as dramatic as scripted ones. You Gotta Believe provides a powerful example of this truth.
Bobby Ratliff’s story of support from the stands, even while battling melanoma, adds to the film’s emotional weight. Roberts and Garrison capture this remarkable spirit in dramatic scenes, honoring the Ratliff family and Fort Worth’s older players.
However, the film often feels like just another emotional Hallmark movie, following predictable patterns in pacing, tone, and themes, making it seem almost formulaic in its attempts to evoke tears.
Despite its shortcomings, You Gotta Believe does show moments of genuine family drama, presenting a softer, comforting view of death. Cash and his young co-stars bring a playful energy, joking about crushes and playing cards.
Roberts’ vision is very clean and sweet, especially in scenes where Jon’s wife, Kathy (Molly Parker), cheers him up by pushing him into their pool, or when Bobby’s wife, Patti (Sarah Gadon), stands strong for their family.
You Gotta Believe Is Too Cheesy For Its Own Good
Unfortunately, You Gotta Believe struggles to balance its themes of championship dreams with serious trauma. The film quickly dives into Bobby’s diagnosis and cancer battle, which can feel exploitative. The baseball scenes feel awkward, with actors swinging at unrealistic pitches and displaying poor batting form.
The film uses distracting camera techniques that take away from what should be crucial moments. For example, a musical montage where characters sing the Rawhide theme song (rollin’, rollin’, rollin’) loses its charm once you realize the movie rushed through important games.
The film often speeds through the team’s successes only to hit the audience with another heavy reminder of cancer, revealing a flaw in its structure.
Wilson’s portrayal of Bobby evokes sympathy and shows his courageous spirit, but the material itself often overdoes it. Much of You Gotta Believe falls into this trap. While Wilson, Kinnear, Parker, and Gadon deliver natural performances, the film includes absurd moments meant to amplify emotions that feel forced.
Roberts struggles with overly sweet storytelling that can feel overwhelming, leading to predictable emotional scenes. Other films in this genre, like Hardball or Remember the Titans, manage to create genuine feelings of sadness and determination.
In contrast, You Gotta Believe feels more like a reenactment than a heartfelt retelling. It’s as if the characters watch a film within the film, shedding tears into their tissues.
You Gotta Believe received funding for good reasons, and the Ratliffs now have a cinematic tribute to cherish. Stories like this are essential and deserve to be shared, but they are not immune to criticism.
Roberts and Garrison’s execution leaves much to be desired, making viewers wish for a well-crafted ESPN 30/30 documentary on Bobby’s legacy.
It is one of those films that tries hard to make viewers cry, but it takes a special approach to truly connect with the audience while they wipe their tears.
You Gotta Believe tells a legendary sports story but does so in a way that feels stiff and unfocused, preventing it from moving beyond the minor leagues.
Still from You Gotta Believe (Credit: Well Go USA)
You Gotta Believe is an inspirational sports drama directed by Ty Roberts, based on the true story of Bobby Ratliff and his son’s Little League team.
After Bobby (Luke Wilson) is diagnosed with a brain tumor, his friend and assistant coach, Jon Kelly (Greg Kinnear), trains the struggling team to compete in the Little League World Series.
The film shows themes of hope, family, and perseverance, showcasing the team’s dedication to Bobby during his illness.
Despite its heartfelt intentions, the film often falls into clichéd storytelling and lacks the authenticity that would resonate more deeply with viewers.
You Gotta Believe is now available for rent or purchase on VOD.
Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) faces serious problems right from the first episode of The Penguin, titled “After Hours.” He kills Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), deals with the suspicious Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), and faces pressure from the troubled Falcone Family.
Despite these issues, Oz finds a way out. He shifts the blame for Alberto’s death to Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) and avoids severe punishment with the help of Victor (Rhenzy Feliz). Now, Oz has a bold plan he took from Alberto.
This plan involves a new drug that he hopes will help him take control of the criminal world. The Batman showed that the main drug on the streets of Gotham is called “drops.”
These drops are actually eyedrops that get users high. The effects are similar to MDMA, but they are very addictive. Oz tells Alberto, “good on you” for “staying off the drops,” knowing that people will still use them even after they have been removed from the water.
The drugs reveal a lot about Oz’s approach to being a leader in crime. With drops acting as a form of currency, they become a key part of Oz’s plan to gain power in Gotham by turning other crime families against each other.
Drops Are the Key Currency in ‘The Penguin’
Gotham has become chaotic after the events of The Batman, with many crime groups competing for power. The death of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro/Mark Strong) has left a big gap in the criminal world.
The “Odesa Mob” and “Burnley Town” are fighting for Oz’s drop supply, while other families want to shut down Oz’s drug business to protect their interests.
Drops become the main currency that crime families will fight over. Oz’s plan to create “a new high” puts him in a strong position to control this currency.
However, he only retrieves 30% of his drop supply, after claiming he has 70%.
This increases the pressure on Oz right from the start of The Penguin, showing that his position is fragile and held together by tricks. Yet, the drops are only part of a bigger plan Oz has in mind.
Drops Are Just a Small Part of Oz Cobb’s Strategy in ‘The Penguin’
Oz seems to want to create more violence in Gotham. He tells Sal Maroni in prison, “Whoever controls drops controls the streets,” using the ring he took from Alberto to lure Maroni.
If Oz can set the Maronis, Falcones, and other gangs against each other over the control of drops and Alberto’s murder, he could take over all of Gotham once the fighting stops.
Oz knows he cannot fight everyone alone. He is like a clever puppet master, but this also makes him vulnerable. Every scene with Oz and other criminals is tense.
By working quietly in the background and encouraging others to make noise, it might explain why Batman is not targeting Oz specifically. Matt Reeves has confirmed that Robert Pattinson’s Batman will not appear in the series.
Whatever this “new high” is, Oz Cobb’s wish to claim this drug for himself shows his complex morals and the hypocrisy of being a gangster. Earlier in the episode, he talks to Alberto about the old gangsters like Rex Calabrese, who everyone admired.
Still from The Penguin (Credit: HBO)
Oz’s reliance on the drug trade shows how his dreams clash with his harsh reality. He is someone people laugh at, but he is also someone who will bring drugs into the communities he wants to love him.
This season, Oz’s biggest challenge may be choosing between wanting to be loved or feared while trying to achieve both.
Colin Farrell’s performance as Oz Cobb has been excellent in the pilot of The Penguin. His power is set up to change by the end of the show.
Even though drops will be a main focus in a flooded Gotham, they may only distract from Cobb’s larger plans to rise to power.
This sets him up to be a truly menacing villain by the show’s end, someone that even Pattinson’s Batman may not see coming in The Batman: Part II.
The Penguin is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
