From its early scenes of a young Jimmy Piersall literally suffering his father's abusive determination that the boy should play baseball, Robert Mulligan's 1957 Fear Strikes Out becomes more about mental health than love of the game. But this is a compelling drama about the real-life Piersall's gradual breakdown one season before a national audience, the legacy of his domineering dad's overbearing ways. (Karl Malden plays Piersall's father.) Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) brings his usual, civilized mix of poignancy and dramatic urgency to the proceedings, keeping any viewer (sports fan or not) involved. Perkins looks out of place on the field and is meant to appear that way; his fragility and intensity underscore the sad tale of Piersall's woes. --Tom KeoghMore...
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