Truth is a matter of perspective. We know this, but we tend to forget it during the daily moments of our lives. What we see, what we hear, and how we react is all sifted through our experience, so, often, we’re not getting a full view of something. This is important to realize, whether it’s related to the real world or a story you’re ingesting, as perspective drives everything. In the case of an adaptation, such as is the case with the Stephen J. Cutler and Jodi Michelle Cutler’s 2020 book Rally Caps, writer/director Lee Cipolla (The Shift) filters the story the audience sees through his own lens, determining what’s important and what’s not while crafting his cinematic version. Considering how much of Cipolla’s film is about people metaphorically not listening to each other, the concept of perspective filtering courses through the film, making a typical adolescent sports film just a little richer in the process.
Carson Minniear as Jordy in RALLY CAPS. Photo courtesy of Rally Caps Movie LLC.
On his first day of Little League tryouts, before Jordy (Carson Minniear) can demonstrate his skills as a pitcher, he’s severely injured in an accident and has to miss out on the season as a result. Demoralized and unable to be pulled out of it by his mother Nora (Amy Smart) or grandfather (Judd Hirsch), Jordy is sent to attend Camp Belgrade the following summer where his older brother Rob (Ben Morang) is taking over their recently-deceased father’s role as a coach for one of the camp’s baseball sections. At first, Jordy is determined to just attend camp and not play, but with encouragement from cabinmate Lucas (Colten Pride), Jordy dares to get back out on the mound. But will he have it in him to get past his trauma and stay on the mound?
Camp Belgrade’s Grey Wolves come up against Cabin #5 in RALLY CAPS. Photo courtesy of Rally Caps Movie LLC.
The best way to describe Rally Caps is a wholesome Meatballs (1979): it’s got a plucky lead, an off-kilter camp leader (James Lowe’s Coach Ballgame), summer camp shenanigans, and a whole lot of heart. It’s far less salacious than Meatballs, but that doesn’t mean that it somehow forgets that these are kids in adolescence, so there are varying levels of interest on the attraction spectrum. The fascinating thing is that the film as a whole is not entirely interested in this element or the comradery itself as the film has so many maudlin elements to navigate while trying to tell this summer camp/personal victory story. Amid Jordy’s tale of overcoming trauma, there’s the weight of his deceased father (mostly from Nora’s and Rob’s respective storylines), online and in-person bullying as a result of his injury, and a general vibe from most people (sans Coach Baseball) that Jordy’s experiencing the yips and not a profound sense of fear. As a result, the energy of the film jumps from light silly camp antics (food fights, cabin bonding, kissing is gross-type stuff) to moments of deep trauma that’s mostly treated as Jordy being an inconvenience until folks get their head out of their butts and listen to him. (This is a family film, so, don’t worry, they do and, when everyone comes together, it does feel incredibly satisfying.)
L-R: Carson Minniear as Jordy and Ben Morang as Rob in RALLY CAPS. Photo courtesy of Rally Caps Movie LLC.
A really big strength in the storytelling comes in the structure and execution of Jordy’s perspective, whether it be his waking life or dreaming one. In sequences where his imagination goes wild, cinematographer Beth Napoli ([subtext]) matches the intention and emotion of it. It could be Jordy taking the mound at *the* Field of Dreams or imagining what the creature who lives in the camp lake looks like, Napoli shifts from a visual language for standard family sports drama that’s fairly warm and sunny into something that matches the magic and awe someone who grew up on the Phil Alden Robinson 1989 baseball classic film (Field of Dreams) or the quiet horror reminiscent of one Crystal Lake (Friday the 13th (1980)). The impressive thing, because these moments are strictly through Jordy’s POV, there’s freedom to adjust, tweak, or change the visual language of the sequence without breaking the overall tone and language of the film proper, and Napoli not only nails it, these sequences become highlight moments. They do this because they help convey everything that Jordy’s reluctant to share, whether in the form of real or imagined anxiety. These sequences and the way they’re shot inform the audience a great deal on where Jordy is internally, sometimes offering much-needed affirmation or simply inserting a little bit of wackiness into the everyday elements of Rally Caps.
L-R: Judd Hirsch as Herb/Pop and Amy Smart as Nora in RALLY CAPS. Photo courtesy of Rally Caps Movie LLC.
When observing the film, do try to keep in mind that this film is an adaptation as that may help address concerns of narrative focus. There’re a lot of characters to explore and with cast members like Amy Smart (Varsity Blues; Justified) and Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans; Independence Day) in the mix, sequences in the film start to feel like they are designed to serve the actors more than the film. Sometimes this takes the shape of an oddly-composed storyline for Rob where he’s supposed to be the coach for Jordy’s Cabin #5, but it’s Coach Baseball who does most of the leading, therefore leaving Rob with moments meant to mean something that fall flat because his journey’s mostly on his unresolved issues and not his own journey as a coach. Sometimes it’s a shift from the source material described in the book summary as a critical element of the novel — a friendship with hearing-impaired Luca (now Lucas) wherein their shared sense of disability pulls them together and gives the central character Jorden (Jordy in the film) the motivation he needs to get back on the mound — is short-handed somewhat to make room for plotlines for family turmoil in the wake of the father’s death between Rob and Nora, as well as screentime for the actors. Credit to Cipolla from not utilizing Lucas in a manner that could be viewed as Lucas being a prop for Jordy’s self-actualization, a significant problem in narratives in general as it relates to including members of the disabled community and their presentation in film. Instead, through the narrative and newcomer Pride’s performance, Lucas is just a kid who *happens* to use hearing aids of varying types in the same way that Jordy is a kid coming off a severe facial injury and recovery. Clearly, Cipolla’s perspective drove the adaptation process, guiding what to include and how, with some elements working more strongly than others in delivering the intended emotional satisfaction.
James Lowe as Coach Ballgame in RALLY CAPS. Photo courtesy of Rally Caps Movie LLC.
In baseball, patience is the name of the game as the longer the game goes, the more the anticipation and tension build with who’s going to score and who’s going to manage their defense. The same can be said for Rally Caps as whether or not the total story grabs you. There’re individual pieces (performances, scenes, cinematography) that keep you focused on Jordy and the story at the heart of the film: perseverance in the face of fear. With that in mind, Rally Caps brings a most satisfying ending that captures the energy of the game so many love, delivering all the passion, excitement, and honest delight that the game can bring. Even if the rest of the world doesn’t care who wins, on this field, in the championship game at Camp Belgrade, we do, hats turned inside out and yelling for Cabin #5 and Jordy on the mound. Every ball, every foul, every moment in the batter’s box, every player in the field — Cipolla gets us on the edge of our seats ready to root for this underdog team.
World Premiere at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Iowa on August 31st, 2024.
Available on DVD, VOD, and digital September 10th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Rally Caps website.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Video, In Theaters, Reviews, streaming
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