“Million Dollar Arm” is not the most original film, but thanks to some great performances and a compelling story, the film rises above the standard sport film formula resulting in a sappy but well done movie.

“Million Dollar Arm” centers around sports agent J.B. Bernstein, played by Jon Hamm, a down-on-his-luck sports agent looking to revive his career after the loss of a major contract. After coming to the conclusion that India has not been heavily been scouted by other agents like the rest of the world, Bernstein decides to host a reality show in India called “Million Dollar Arm” in the hopes of finding India’s first Major League Baseball star.

“Million Dollar Arm” was based on a true story, and it seems like the film stayed faithful to the reality of Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh’s experiences coming to America. Although the film is a sports movie, it take the time to explore how big of a cultural change it was for Patel and Singh while also showing the arc of manager Bernstein as he becomes more of a mentor to the two players. The film does a great job at showing how much the two bear the weight of leaving everything they know to make their families proud, and actors Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal were a big part of that.

Hamm has plenty of opportunities to be his usual charming self on screen, but his best moments were when the film dug deeper into the emotional side of his and the players’ journey. He and Lake Bell, who plays his neighbor Brenda, have excellent chemistry throughout the film, and a lot of the lower key scenes between them gave Hamm the opportunity to bring some character depth to Bernstein, and in this capacity he succeeds. Alan Arkin was also fantastic as retired baseball scout Ray, and many of the film’s funniest moments were thanks to his surly performance.

The film had some especially well-done cinematography, especially for the part of the films set in India. The film captures the excitement of the pitching competition well, and overall the film is visually interesting to watch throughout. For a sports film, much of it take place off the field, but even the more kinetic scenes were well-shot and well-executed.

I enjoyed “Million Dollar Arm,” even if it was predictable. Jon Hamm proves he can do just as well in film as on television, and the story is interesting enough that I was compelled to look up the real story. It may not be perfect, but “Million Dollar Arm” is worth the price of admission.

4 out of 5 Stars