The Final Season is directed by David Mickey Evans, and stars Sean Astin, Powers Booth, Tom Arnold, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Michael Angarano. The musical score is composed by Nathan Lane, and the film is based on a true story. ***

The Final Season is the true story of a man who takes the place of a recently-departed coach in a small town high school. This is a team who has had enormous success in the past, winning numerous titles over the years. It's up to him to win over the team he now commands. And things are only made worse by the fact that, due to a forthcoming merger, this will be the team's final season. ***

The Final Season isn't quite worthy of a spot in the sports movies hall of fame, but it's definitely good enough to recommend. The crew here is very strong, featuring director David Mickey Evans doing what he does best, and a cast that includes names like Sean Astin and Tom Arnold. The movie has its shortcomings, but is worthy of a moderate recommendation. ***

The direction of the film tends to be a mixed bag. Before I get down to business, it's worth mentioning that director David Mickey Evans also directed The Sandlot, one of the greatest baseball movies ever made, not to mention one of my personal favorite movies of all time. This guy, clearly, has the talent to make a good baseball movie, since it's what he knows best. The problem here, though, is that the baseball tends to get emphasized more than the drama. This isn't helped by the fact that the film runs nearly two hours. This certainly isn't a weak film, but this reviewer expected a little more from the man who brought us The Sandlot. ***

Although the movie is a bit of a mixed bag, one of thing I won't argue with is the performance of its leading man, Sean Astin. Astin always gives a good performance, regardless of what the role calls for. Here the man who starred in Rudy a decade and a half ago (another great sports movie) gives a brilliant, convincing attempt at bringing this story to life. Though his talents are a bit overshadowed by the film's often hit-and-miss direction, he truly is the best thing about the movie. ***

Ultimately, The Final Season isn't quite the home run this reviewer was hoping for. But it's a solid second-base hit, and if nothing else, will make for a worthwhile rental. Fans of sports movies will want to check this one out. ---

Image And Sound:

The DVD transfer for The Final Season is an excellent one. The entire film looks great from start to finish, with no major defects to speak of. Colors are bright and the image is always clear. ***

The sound holds up just as well. This DVD presentation of the film sounds amazing, and like the image quality, there are no negative issues to report.

There aren't a whole lot of features in the set, unfortunately. First up is the obligatory “making of” featurette you've come to expect on just about every DVD released these days. Sadly, this featurette isn't too terribly enlightening; it more-or-less just gives details of what goes on in the movie (and if you watched the movie, you obviously know this stuff already.) There's also the “Real Season” featurette, but this is more or less just a shorter featurette with the same lack of anything that will be of real interest to viewers. Last but not least come two commentary tracks. The crew/cast tracks is by far the more interesting of the two, with Astin and Evans constantly reflecting on their experiences making the film. If you were a fan of the movie, or are just a fan of these individuals and their work, watch this track. The other track assembles the real men on whom the film itself was based. But it's a bland track with highlights that are few and far between, and only the most die-hard of baseball fans need apply. You'll wish there were more features - at least more with substance.

Final Words: