Million Dollar Arm is a winner

It all started in 2007 when sports agent JB Bernstein staged a reality show in India to find promising baseball talents amongst the cricket-loving population.

Mystifying vagaries of American life

Bernstein says, "The hope was to find the next Yao Ming, except for baseball. Statistically speaking, in a country of 1.2 billion people, the odds are good that you will find an undiscovered raw talent. The hope was to capture all those cricket fans and turn them towards baseball."

Ultimately, Bernstein found his ball players in Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, and brought them home ... literally. The boys became his de facto sons, living in his house as he taught them the intricacies of baseball, as well as the even more mystifying vagaries of American life.

For Rinku and Dinesh, coming to the States was tantamount to visiting another planet. Even elevators and drinking fountains were magical and mysterious. JB eventually found that his new, ad hoc family gave him not just pleasure but purpose in life.

Australian-born director Craig Gillespie, who is recognised for his sharp, offbeat comedy, intuitive eye for casting and uncanny ability to inspire reality-based performances, and who received critical acclaim for Lars and the Real Girl, spins his magic in Million Dollar Arm.

Gillespie found that he could easily relate to their story: "I related to JB and Rinku and Dinesh. There's JB trying to balance his career with having an emotionally rich life, which he comes to terms with throughout the film and I've always tried to have that balance between career and family. And on the other side, with the boys, I came to the States when I was 19, not knowing anybody and I felt like such a fish out of water. It's not nearly the same scale as them, but I can understand that idea of being the outsider. So I could see both sides of the story."

Fall in love

It is not difficult to fall hopelessly in love with the film, for the casting of Jon Hamm (from the award-winning drama series Mad Men) as Bernstein, and Madhur Mittal (from Slumdog Millionaire) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from Life of Pi), equally works its magic and makes us believe in the characters and the incredible story.

"I am a big sports fan and I was intrigued by this story which had gone under my radar," Jon Hamm says. "I read the script, looked up the real story online, and the more I found out, the more fascinated I was. So on a fundamental level, I was intrigued. It's more a story about people and how they relate to each other. As the story unfolds, we realise that JB is learning as much about himself as the boys are about their new life. So it all just coalesced. The more I learned about it, the more attractive it became."

Hamm adds that the movie's bigger, more traditional themes also appealed to him. "It's a compelling, old-fashioned story about hard work and coming up with the big idea and seeing it through. The fact that it worked out so brilliantly for these two kids and for JB is a testament to their commitment and work ethic. They were willing to apply and devote themselves 150 percent and to maximise this opportunity that was by no means a guaranteed success," Hamm notes.

For producers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, who have produced several inspirational true stories including Miracle, Invincible and Secretariat, the idea, less about baseball and more about the special bond between JB and Rinku and Dinesh, appealed to them.

"The idea that this guy goes to India with the sole intention to find an athlete to bring back and get signed to Major League Baseball, and at first they're just an investment but it turns into a real family relationship - that's the emotional core and through-line that appealed to us."

A World dream

The story equally resonated with producer Joe Roth: "I like to tell optimistic stories, I like to tell stories where people are sitting in the audience and they think, 'Well, if these guys can do that, I can do anything.' And the whole notion of two kids coming from villages in India, who had never seen a baseball game, never worn a baseball glove and the idea that they can come to America and succeed was fascinating. At the same time, I was equally interested in JB Bernstein's story, the agent, because here's a man whose life is going down a certain path and he changes. It's one of my favourite themes when people can change at any time. Anything is possible. It's not an American dream; it's kind of a world dream."

Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Tom McCarthy (Up, The Visitor, The Station Agent) also responded to the real-life story, which was a thrill for the filmmaking team.

"We are huge fans of Tom's," producer Gray says. "We had always loved 'Win Win,' 'The Station Agent' and 'The Visitor' is one of my favourite movies. Going out to Tom was like reaching for the stars. So when we heard he was interested, it was great news."

"He had the perfect take on the tone. The comedy is organic and that's what Tom excels at," Ciardi explains. "He's great at situational comedy and this is not just about a joke and a punchline; the comedy is character-driven."

So that McCarthy would truly understand Bernstein's incredible journey, he not only met with him, but also followed in his footsteps to India. "We sent him there for two weeks and he came back with a treasure trove of information," Ciardi says. "He really connected with JB's experience - in a way, he became JB."

Capturing the essence

Tom took all the quirks and characteristics of the real people and worked them into the screenplay," says director Gillespie. "You want to pack in as much of the real story as possible but you don't want to be slave to it. We hope we've captured the essence of JB's adventure. You have to entertain an audience, that's the first order of business."

Gillespie adds that while McCarthy took some dramatic license with the story, by and large he stayed true to the real people and events. And from that sprang a story and characters that were authentic, funny and sympathetic.

"There was concern about not making fun of our Indian stars and their culture, especially when they came to the United States but I was never too worried," the director says. "First of all, Tom's humour comes from a place that is very real and organic and as long as I was being genuine to what these boys were experiencing, it would work. Like when Rinku and Dinesh can't figure out the elevator - it seems crazy but there is a video of them seeing and being deeply mystified by an elevator for the first time. My hope was to approach it in a way that favours their wonder and emotion but the humour is inherent in the moment - and that's what makes it funny and relatable."

If you are looking for wholesome entertainment that you can enjoy with friends and family, you can bet time-well-spent on Million Dollar Arm.

We need films like this to show how important it is for people to break down the barriers that separate and value true friendship. It also shows how important it is to not take life too seriously, but enjoy the fun moments we can share with others and set ourselves free from every day pressure.

Read more about Million Dollar Arm and other new films opening this week: www.writingstudio.co.za