Summer Catch (2001)

Released in 2001, "Summer Catch" stars Freddie Prince Jr. and Jessica Biel, the former a Cape Cod baseball prospect with hopes for the Major League who lands a gig playing for the Chatham Athletics, the latter a rich girl pressured by her pompous axx father (Bruce Davison) to move to San Francisco and work for a firm. Brian Dennehy plays the no-nonsense coach while Matthew Lillard, Brittany Murphy, Corey Pearson and Wilmer Valderrama play various youths. Fred Ward and Jason Gedrick are on hand as the baseball hopeful's father and brother.This is essentially a baseball version of 1999's excellent "Varsity Blues" and 1993's solid "The Program." It's not as good as the former, but it's at least as good as the latter. Everything clicks for a quality 'coming-of-age' flick – the cast, story, acting, locations, cinematography, music and editing. The babe factor is strong with Biel leading the way with her stunning bod (actually, blowing all others out of the water); and Beverly D'Angelo still sizzles at 49 years-old in a small role. I'm at a loss as to why "Summer Catch" rates only 4.9/10 on IMDb when it's at least a 7/10 film.The film runs 108 minutes and was shot in Cape Cod, Cincinnati and Southport, North Carolina.GRADE: Borderline B/B+

How could a movie with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel be so bad. The script was pointless and apart from the very occasional chuckle there wasn't too much going for it. It was bittersweet seeing Brittany Murphy though as she was her true bubbly vivacious self in the movie. A factor that increased it's star value for me.Maybe a better soundtrack could have helped heaps. It is amazing that a catchy song can make you think you are enjoying a movie more than you really are. Then again perhaps it really was just a poor script and nothing could have saved it. Such a shame it wasn't better because I really wanted to like it even after seeing the low ratings.

What have they done for this movie. This is a very corny film with no laughs at all. I think that Matthew Lillard should just quit acting. He's not good and he's a complete pervert. This is also a bad romantic movie that doesn't follow the movie very well. It's just like all those other romantic movies when someone meets a person, then has a deep relationship with them. Also Brian Dennehey is a good actor but shouldn't of done this movie. But why i did like about this movie were the baseball games. They were pretty cool, but this won't change my idea of the movie. I think the director needs to think a little bit better on movies like this.4/10

Badness, badness, badness.I can't stop laughing from all the hilarious comments from people thrashing this disposable excuse for teen entertainment. From the guy who shut it off three minutes before the end to the transcription of the final scene, these reviews are just killing me.Was Freddie Prinze hypnotized to play baseball for this movie? I've never seen anyone with such a vacant a stare. Every one of his closeups he looks like he's dreaming about cashing Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy residual checks. Doesn't it bother anyone that Freddie's problem is supposed to be that he got kicked off his college team cause he has a "temper" but he doesn't get in a single fight with anyone or anything? And what's with Freddie calling his dad and brother failures? It's not like his dad or brother wanted to be baseball players and flunked out, right? They never say that his dad and brother aren't happy doing their jobs? It's honest work, right? What the hell's wrong with running a landscaping business or managing a bar? It's shocking how lazily this was thrown together.I feel bad for the people who like this movie, because whether you realize it or not, you deserve better. Believe it or not, it is possible to make formula teen movies with Tiger Beat coverboys and TV actresses that aren't this lame.