Tomorrow’s Game – Film Review

Baseball was the only sport that was ever broadcast on my home television when I was a child. Not because I was a huge fan or anything, but more so because my father was. He still follows every game and is an avid sports fan. To please my father, I joined a little league team in middle school, but because I much prefer basketball, I never really understood what was so unique about it.

I was hoping to watch Tomorrow’s Game, the latest film from Jonathan Coria and Trevor Wilson, and finally grasp why so many people adore baseball. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, I had to sit through a sluggishly paced film with mediocre acting and a remarkably unimaginative plot.

This isn’t even the first movie this year in which a character travels across time as part of a quest for self-discovery. The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti, is undoubtedly the best example of this so far this year, but perhaps these types of tales ought to slow down.

Alejandro De Anda‘s underwhelming performance as the movie’s protagonist Daniel places him in a time-traveling adventure on the day of his Uncle’s Hall of Fame induction. Unfortunately, this plot development, which should have given the narrative of the film a strong basis, ends up being the first of many letdowns. The film wastes its potential by turning to formulaic and superficial storytelling rather than digging into the subtleties of familial lineage or the situation’s emotional depth.

The film’s obvious reliance on cliches is made clear when Daniel unintentionally discovers something that gives him the ability to travel across time. The time-travel method is used as a handy plot technique to advance the plot without much justification or internal logic. The directors want to leave things unclear rather than defining clear guidelines and repercussions for time travel, which leads to a disorganized and perplexing chain of events that fails to engage the spectator.

The film’s pace becomes its own worst enemy as the plot develops. The directors appear more interested in demonstrating dazzling special effects and flimsy baseball scenes than they are in creating suspense and worry. The story drags on, eroding the audience’s interest as the plot thickens and gets more fragmented.

Furthermore, Tomorrow’s Game struggles with an ambiguous sense of genre. Does it include sports? A fantasy science-fiction journey? Or perhaps a coming-of-age story that focuses on a family? The movie doesn’t fully commit to any of these genres, which leads to a tone-collision that eventually detracts from the experience of seeing it as a whole. The attempt to combine baseball nostalgia with historical events falls flat as well, coming across as contrived and uninteresting.

That does not mean, however, that the entire film is a failure from start to finish. The lighting and cinematography are first-rate, and something about them undoubtedly feels antique, giving the movie a far more elegant appearance and feel.

Additionally, there are rare situations where the humor may really shine. There are a few jokes scattered throughout the film that managed to make me chuckle, and despite my certainty that I would roll my eyes at each one, I didn’t. Given that this is a baseball movie, I was also concerned that many of the jokes would fly straight over my head, but happily, they didn’t.

In addition, the production design of the movie is pretty unique. The level of detail used to recreate several baseball eras is nothing short of amazing. Every set feels real, taking spectators fluidly through time, from the traditional wooden stadiums of the early 20th century to the cutting-edge, futuristic ballparks. The audience is in awe of the hypnotic visual effects because of the craftsmanship behind the time-travel sequences, which is absolutely spectacular.

All things considered, Tomorrow’s Game is a tremendous letdown. This narrative ought to have had a strong emotional impact and should have served to remind baseball fans of the virtues of their favorite sport. This is by no means a home run, though. Tomorrow’s Game is a total snooze with a mediocre storyline, depressingly uninteresting acting, and a plot that seems terribly worn out.