The Yankles

Genial and good-natured but also cliché-ridden and flabbily directed, this formulaic underdog sports movie is distinctly kosher, as the Yankles are a baseball team of orthodox rabbinical students fielded by their yeshiva. Although one of the players, Elliot Dubs (Michael Buster), had a brief career in the minor leagues, the club is in desperate need of coaching, so alcoholic ex-major leaguer Charlie Jones (Brian Wimmer)—just released from prison—is persuaded to take the job as part of his community service. To the surprise of nobody but the characters, the team becomes a championship contender despite obstacles put in their way by an anti-Semitic official. Not only that, but their season helps reconcile Elliot—who abandoned his baseball career for religious studies—with his embittered father. And the coach finds redemption not only by bonding with players, but also in winning the woman of his dreams—a girlfriend who hitherto refused his proposals because, as she tells him in one of the film's worst scenes, her faith demands that she marry a Jewish man. As if all that weren't enough, the beatific old rabbi who runs the yeshiva regularly dispenses life-changing lessons, often through modern-day parables. Although The Yankles is far too predictable to be recommended for most, orthodox viewers will probably consider this a hoot, making it a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)