VividSimon Simply Perfect

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

punishmentpark An early, pre-'Psycho', role for Anthony Perkins and the debut film for director Robert Mulligan. It's especially since I saw his (Mulligan) 'The nickel ride' (1974), a terrific crime drama, that I've been wanting to see everything that he ever made. And why not start with his debut? I also saw his classic film 'To kill a mockingbird', and this one is much like that one, in a sense: a heartfelt drama with a good amount of social issues addressed.Perkins does a terrific job playing Jim Piersall, the son of an almost obsessed (but still well-meaning) father who wants his son to play for the Boston Red Sox one day, as does Karl Malden as the father. Perry Wilson has considerable less screen time as the mother, but does a good job nonetheless, and Norma Moore does an admirable job as Jim Piersall's charming sweetheart and later on wife and mother of his child.I must admit I'd never heard of this true story before, but then again, I am no particular fan of baseball or any other sports. The story goes pretty fast, from one pivotal moment to the other, leaving not much room to take in any atmosphere or just get acquainted with the characters. But it's still a pretty good drama, and some particular scenes are dramatically pretty near perfect.A good 7 out of 10.

raleighgranprix This movie really tells it like it is, I appreciate it as well if the '50s version is made more conservative by being made some decades ago. Someone also said boxing always looks better in black and white, perhaps the same can be said for baseball. Really a lot here to think about, I don't think much is left for our imagination really. Back when it was made, it was a bold undertaking. It's timeless as well. I really do feel it gives a good feel for one undergoing mental problems as well as the relationship to the father. The nature of this film is not limited to appeal to baseball fans. It is more like baseball is a backdrop and an allegory that many of us can relate to.

disdressed12 i found this inspired by true events movie based on the life of Jimmy Piersall,baseball player for the Boston Red Sox to be quite compelling.it charts his life(briefly)as a boy with a love for baseball and dreams of making the big leagues.he plays the game from high school league up,all the while being criticized by his Father for not being good enough and having it drilled into his head that nothing he does is good enough.even making the big leagues doesn't solves his problems. Anthony Perkins plays young Jimmy Piersall as an adult and Karl Malden plays his father.Perkins puts in a terrific performance.for me,Fear Strikes Out is an 8/10

ccthemovieman-1 I still remember seeing this as a Little League-age kid in the theater as our family was vacationing in Florida.When I saw it again, some 40 years later, parts of the film were still very familiar, a testimony to how powerful some of these scenes were. I never forgot them.This was a based-on-a-true-life account of major league baseball player Jimmy Piersall, a very talented player who suffered a nervous breakdown. The enormous pressure to succeed that was driven into him by his never-satisfied father was pictured as the cause which made him snap.Anthony Perkins, who plays Piersall, and Karl Madlen, who portrays his dad, are both excellent, riveting characters. Some say this was Malden's best performance ever. Perkins was no slouch, either. This is the classic sports story of an overzealous parent living his or her dreams through their child.The baseball segment of this film ended about halfway through. From that point, after Perkins breaks down at the park, climbing the backstop fence in a horrifying scene, the film actually gets even more interesting with everyone in the film contributing although the cast, after Perkins and Malden, is a pretty much an unknown-name one.The only unrealistic part of the film, typical of sports films until the 1980s, was seeing an actor play a ballplayer when he "throws like a girl," as the old expression went. The younger actor playing Piersall as a kid was no better than Perkins in this regard. Neither had a clue how to a throw a ball. It looks corny nowadays.Oh, well. That wasn't the focus of the story, anyway. As powerful as this film was, it apparently didn't have much of an effect as pushy parents in sports still exist and probably always will, taking the fun out of sports for a number of kids.It's still a memorable film and worth your time today, especially if you have never seen it.