Rally Caps

Not Rated • Streaming

Life can be complicated, even for kids. After losing his dad in a car crash, Little League baseball player Jordy developed a bunch of tics and routines on the field to get past his fears. When a frightening injury rocks his world, Jordy decides to give up baseball for good, retiring at the tender age of 9, but it’s too late for him to back out of his dad’s favorite sports camp.

Rally Caps, featuring veteran actor Judd Hirsch, is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen J. Cutler and Jodi Michelle Cutler. It follows Jordy and the rest of Cabin 5 as they form a ragtag baseball team that is light on talent but big on perseverance. Jordy’s brother Rob, recruited as their coach, manages to coax Jordy back onto the field, but beating their cross-camp rivals won’t be easy.

The film’s plot follows the typical sports-film pattern, but there are some genuinely funny moments, and director Lee Cipolla portrays Jordy’s fears and anxieties convincingly.

Rally Caps has a wholesome quality that makes it feel like a slice of real life. The kids have all kinds of body types; there are no special effects or dramatic slow-motion sports highlights; and the high jinks and camaraderie of the campers are believable and relatable.

Cipolla sprinkles in positive messages of perseverance, courage, and teamwork without being heavy-handed. But the film promotes a “faith for faith’s sake” mentality that Christians won’t agree with. One of the campers appears to be a Buddhist who prays regularly, but Coach assures the team that it doesn’t really matter what you believe, as long as you have beliefs.

Even so, Rally Caps is an enjoyable family film worth an evening’s light viewing.