Off the Black

High school baseball pitcher Dave Tibbel (Trevor Morgan) loses a big game when umpire Ray Cook (Nick Nolte) calls his all-important final throw a ball instead of a strike. When Tibbel is caught vandalizing Cook's house in retribution, the latter offers him a deal: Cook won't turn him in if he agrees to pose as the ump's son at an upcoming class reunion. While there's nothing strikingly original in writer-director James Ponsoldt's pairing of a wet-behind-the-ears adolescent with an aging world-weary adult (or in how their unlikely friendship aids both), the scenario works here, not only because Nolte and Morgan play off one another nicely, but also because their relationship doesn't come across as Hollywood-forced. One can criticize Off the Black for its leisurely approach and paradoxically abrupt ending, but by the time the credits roll, you definitely feel for the characters—a testimony both to the nuanced script and fine acting. A film that stays in the strike zone, even if it is a close call, this is recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary with writer-director James Ponsoldt, a 23-minute “making-of” featurette, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid film.] (F. Swietek)