“Million Dollar Arm” just released on Blu-ray after a less than stellar run in the box office. What was likely a play for foreign box office dollars only yielded this little baseball picture $1.8 million overseas and $36 million domestic. Disney is probably hoping to recoup its cost in the home video market.
Based on a true story, sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) finds that business has changed and things aren’t going well for his career. In a last-ditch effort to save his livelihood, he concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a Major League Baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show called “The Million Dollar Arm.”
The movie is entertaining but doesn’t break new ground and so go the bonus features. It took me about 20 minutes to watch all of them.
There are a couple minutes of rather lame outtakes and a few deleted scenes that add nothing. You can hear the composer give a short sales pitch for the album. The longest bonus feature was about six minutes on the workout and nutrition schedule of the two actors, Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal. Not the most riveting stuff. One of them hates Broccoli. So there’s that. Also, you’ll find no commentary track on the disc.
My “favorite” bonus feature is a 49-second alternate ending that feels like another outtake. Basically Jon Hamm jumps into the air into a cheesy freeze frame. I’m not joking. In the only legit feature on the disc, “Their Story,” you can see a very brief interview with the real JB Bernstein, Ranku, and Dinesh but this only lasts about two minutes.
“Million Dollar Arm” isn’t the kind of movie you put in to bask in the glory of Blu-ray but it does look good. And, despite all my negativity about the Blu-ray extras above, the movie itself is good too. If you enjoyed the film (like I did) and plan on watching it multiple times, it makes sense to pick up the Blu-ray – but know you’re essentially only getting the movie. And there is no combo pack available with DVD.
“Million Dollar Arm” is available now on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon and all major retailers.
