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Alex Frost, Steve Zahn, Michelle Lombardo, Jeremy Sumpter, Cynthia M. Watros ... see more see more... , Noah Ryan Scott , Abbey Merow , Diedrich Bader , Grace Thorsen , Abraham Benrubi , Darwin Barney , Andrew Wilson , Jane Adams (II) , Douglas Rowe , Catherine E. Coulson , Josh Fadem , Jimmy L. Garcia , Michael Matondi , Terri McMahon , Rosie Thomas , James J. Peck , Bill Rowe , Norman Malmberg , Larry Ziegelmeyer , Colin Cunningham , Jeanne Renaux , Renée Hewitt , Jackson Rowe , Alexis Brown , Marcus McDougald , Brian Amlin , Jodee Scott , Aaron Chapman , Tia Khachitphet , James Joy , J.J. Owens , Linda Case , John Askew , Petracovich , Jaclyn Hamilton-Smith , Richelle Millsap , Marsa Morse , Dennis Nicomede , Tony Boggs , Charles Curt Farber , Greg Sorenson , Mark Cunningham , Scott Ford , Dick Chamberlain , Grayson Wagner , Cynthia Watros

An unathletic junior college student works to realize his dream of playing for the MLB while courting a pretty volleyball player who displays the athletic prowess that he so sorely lacks. Calvin Marsh... read more read more...all (Alex Frost) is a good kid with big dreams. Despite knowing that the young player will never make it to the big leagues, his coach, Doug (Steve Zahn), recognizes Calvin's dedication to the game, and decides to keep him around as a morale-boosting bench warmer. Meanwhile, likeable Calvin strikes up a tentative romance with Tori (Michelle Lombardo), a statuesque volleyball star with a quick smile and a warm heart. But just as Calvin and Tori are getting to know one another, the bumbling baseball player tells an innocent lie that threatens to destroy any chance for a meaningful relationship. Despite the many setbacks Calvin faces both romantically and professionally, he struggles with the realization that his only hope for getting the absolute most out of life is to accept the little disappointments along the way, and turn his failures into learning opportunities. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

38% liked it

234 ratings

Critics

56% liked it

9 critics

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Gary Lundgren

Release Date: August 20, 2010

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DVD Release Date: September 21, 2010

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Stats: 39 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (39)

  • itsjustme2004
    March 27, 2012
    itsjustme2004
    I put this movie off for a long time, because it was supposed to suck. Well, it didn't. Not at all. This was a rather enjoyable, rather well done little movie. Alex Frost (Calvin) reminded me ALOT of a young John Cusack. Nice movie...
  • blkbomb
    July 21, 2011
    blkbomb
    "Ambition Charm Delusion"

    Calvin Marshall is the name of the movie and of the lead character. Calvin has high hopes of being a baseball superstar, but he can't even play for a little Junior College team. The coach let's him hang around though because he doesn't have the heart to... read more tell Calvin that he just doesn't have any talent. 

    This is by no means a great movie. It's an average one at best, but it has a lot of likable qualities. First, all of the characters are likable. Calvin is a hard working and nice kid who loves baseball. The girl he likes Tori is a beautiful, charming, and nice star volleyball player, who is going through a tough time. Coach Little, played really well by Steve Zahn, is a hard ass on the field with his players and a drunk off the field. But we see what he's really like when he talks to Calvin. He may not admit it, but he likes having Calvin around.

    Overall I enjoyed watching Calvin Marshall. It's not a movie that you feel the need to see more than once. It doesn't have a star-studded cast. It's not a big budget comedy with tons of laughs. It's just a charming little Indie Drama/Comedy that has a heart and is easy to like. If you need to kill an hour and a half, it's not too bad. If you never see it, well, that wouldn't be to big a deal.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    July 3, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    A hit comedy about losing

    Great movie, I really enjoyed it. It was a smart but funny movie with a nice message. The film Calvin Marshall transcended your typical sports film to convey the choices we all face in life when it comes to following our dreams, our talents, and what is... read more important in our life. It's not a fairytale story, or the story of the kid from the wrong side of the tracks overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, or the story of the washed up veteran making an improbable comeback, this is the story of everyman. Steve Zahn absolutely nailed his character and put up one of his best performances, if not the best performance, of his career. I love sport movies!

    Calvin Marshall's childhood dream of playing Major League Baseball is in serious jeopardy as he can't seem to make the Bayford Bisons Junior College team. A poignant comedy about Calvin's deferred dream and the people in his life who want him to succeed.
  • LWOODS04
    September 28, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Alex Frost, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Sumpter, Michelle Lombardo, Jane Adams, Diedrich Bader, Andrew Wilson, Cynthia Watros, Abraham Benrubi, Catherine E. Coulson, Douglas Rowe

    Director: Gary Lundgren

    Summary: Though he has no athletic ability whatsoever, college student Cal... read morevin Marshall (Alex Frost) is so blindly single-minded about making the school baseball team that Coach Little (Steve Zahn) -- a former minor league player -- relents and lets him on the squad. But when he's sidelined by an injury, Calvin has an opportunity to discover his true talent in life.

    My Thoughts: "It's not a bad film, but it's not great either. It's just a bland movie. Not to much going on to keep you interested throughout. The characters are OK, but you don't really connect with any of them nor do you care to. They are just very bland. The only character that showed any real life was Steve Zahn's character as Coach Little. His character was funny and most of the time, the most enjoyable to watch. Definitely a forgettable movie."
  • kinadeon
    February 20, 2012
    kinadeon
    This one really surprised me. Within the first few minutes, I came pretty close to stopping it and picking a different one from Netflix.

    Calvin was a great character to root for, as he stubbornly keeps trying to make the college baseball team. Having no real athletic skills, he... read more quickly becomes the laughing stock of his peers.

    The story really develops the three main characters: Calvin, Calvin's coach Doug, and Tori, who plays Calvin's volley-ball-playing romantic interest. The coach really reminded me a lot of my freshman baseball coach, Coach Alvarado. And the chemistry between Calvin and Tori seemed very raw and authentic. I don't think she was smoking hot, but that's exactly how the girls seemed in high school or college.

    A great movie, which smoothly juggles the baseball, coming-of-age, and romance elements all in one.
  • shawndeeds
    November 22, 2010
    shawndeeds
    Heart. One word that means so much, not only in this movie, but in every aspect of life. Anybody can be a great athlete, musician, politician, or teacher, but the really, really great ones stand out because of their heart. From Bill Russell to Jack White to Abraham Lincoln to my ... read more10th grade Biology teacher Mr. Miller, they all had heart and were separated from their peers because of it. And if you have heart, sometimes you don't have to have all the talent in the world, as is the case with Calvin Marshall. Calvin is played by 23 year old Alex Frost, whom you may (or may not) remember from Gus Van Zandt's Elephant, or the main bad kid from Drillbit Taylor. Here he plays a, lets face it, a pretty terrible baseball player, but with hopes and admirations of being a professional baseball player. The other problem is, he's been cut the past three years by his junior college baseball team. But this year is different, and he manages to pull at his Coach's heartstrings and talks him into sort of being on the team. Coach Little sees a bit more in him than his assistant coach, but knows that he'll never quite make it. Steve Zahn is down right amazing in his portrayal of a former Minor League player, settling for a coaching job because even he wasn't good enough for the Majors. If anybody knows what it takes to get there, its Coach Little, as he attempts to prepare Calvin for options in case he can't get there either. But Little wasn't quite prepared for the "heart" that Calvin proves he has and Calvin wasn't quite prepared to fall in love with the new star volleyball player, Tori Jensen. Tori is played by Michelle Lombardo, a very tall, beautiful brunette who got her start in the Adam Sandler film Click. Tori has turned down several 4-year offers from major universities to stay home with her parents as her Mother is sick and dying. This for me, was one of the more sad things I remember seeing lately. I couldn't help but tear up as she sat by her Mother's side getting her drinks and being there for her. Eventually Calvin and Tori start to see each other and finally hook up, but Calvin has fallen in love with her. Sadly for Calvin, Tori doesn't feel the same. Everything in his life seems to have taken a turn for the worse. But when the worst is presented in front of us, those with heart have the ability to power on and see things through. And like I've said, Calvin definitely has heart! The ensamble cast also features Jeremy Sumpter (Sasquatch Gang), Andrew Wilson, Diedrich Bader (!) and the always lovable Abraham Benrubi in great supporting roles and Gary Lundgren writes and directs his first feature film. With all those parts all working in unison, its no wonder this film works on so many levels. Ross has done it again!

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Critic Reviews

Mike Hale
August 20, 2010
Mike Hale, New York Times

Most baseball movies are about dreams; Calvin Marshall is a sentimental comedy about self-delusion, and the young actor Alex Frost can't find a way to make sense of Calvin, or to make him sympathetic. Full Review

Frank Scheck
August 19, 2010
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

Lundgren's screenplay beautifully juggles the story's alternately comic and poignant elements and renders all three main characters with surprising depth. Full Review

Ronnie Scheib
August 19, 2010
Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Aside from Zahn, thesping is uneven. Full Review

Michelle Orange
August 17, 2010
Michelle Orange, Village Voice

[Director] Lundgren has a light touch and a weakness for wistful indie lullabies; it is the former that gives this classic coming-of-age film its distinctive ring. Full Review

Adam Keleman
August 30, 2010
Adam Keleman, Slant Magazine

Director Gary Lundgren's Calvin Marshall eventually falls flat in its heavy-handed efforts to score an emotional homerun. Full Review

Stan Hall
August 26, 2010
Stan Hall, Oregonian

A baseball movie suffused with authentic patter and love for the game equal to that harbored by its titular character. Full Review

Avi Offer
August 20, 2010
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

A grand-slam comic drama that's heartwarming, funny, inspirational and, above all, triumphant. Full Review

Simon Abrams
August 18, 2010
Simon Abrams, Time Out New York

When you don't care about the character who gives a movie its name, you've got terminal problems. Full Review

Prairie Miller
August 16, 2010
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze

A rare and invigorating spotlight on the back to basics collective spirit among salt of the earth workingclass enthusiasts of any game played among them, simply for the love of sports beyond money and... Full Review

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