| The Final Season | 
 enlarge | Director: David M. Evans
Actors: Sean Astin, Powers Boothe, Rachael Leigh Cook, Jesse Henecke, Owen Patchen Evans
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.94
Buy Used: $3.86
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Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 5355
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 119
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: COLD23638D
UPC: 043396236387
EAN: 0043396236387
ASIN: B0012YYZDG
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 10/28/2008 Run time: 118 minutes Rating: Pg
Amazon.com
Touching and inspirational, The Final Season, based on a true story, is one of those baseball movies in which the game is synonymous with life itself—if not actually bigger than life itself. Sean Astin (star of one of the most beloved sports films, Rudy) is solid and likeable as Kent Stock, an assistant baseball coach at Norway High School in an Iowa farming community. Working under local legend Jim Van Scoyoc (Powers Boothe in a particularly golden performance), who led Norway to 19 straight state championships, Stock is happy to lend a temporary hand. But he finds his destiny altered when Van Scoyoc is pushed aside by a school board determined to close Norway High and stifle dissent by undercutting the team's chances of a 20th victory. On the wrongheaded assumption that Stock can't motivate kids, the coaching job is offered to him, and he takes to it immediately in his low-key way. Despite early struggles, Stock inspires his players to think about what's important in Norway's last shot at greatness: How do they want to be remembered? Directed by David Mickey Evans (The Sandlot), The Final Season is thick with love for baseball, from extensive scenes of practice sessions to lyrical patches of dialogue about the way the characters of men are reflected in how they perform on the field. A Copland-esque music score reminds one that The Final Season is a piece of American folklore, and a strong support cast including Tom Arnold as one of Van Scoyoc's former players, Michael Angarano as a troubled rebel, and Rachel Leigh Cook as Stock's love interest make this film a pleasure even for non-sports-loving fans. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Should Be an Insipiration to Players AND Coaches! November 14, 2008
When it comes down to it, not everybody is always looking forward to the latest in baseball movies, regardless of how funny or hilarious they might seem to be. The last great one I'd seen turned out to by my favorite, and that was 61*. So when I heard of "The Final Season," through a radio station, it caught my attention. But since my wife and I were on our way to work, we quickly forgot about it. That is, until we saw it in the store, and we both said, "We heard of that!" And we jumped all over it.
This is the true story of Jim Van Scoyoc, Kent Stock, and a very special baseball team located in Norway, Iowa. Championships were piling up, one more and it would be 20 even, and baseball was everything to this small town! But to the local school board, a merger is more important, and everything precious to the town of Norway is in jeopardy. And while Jim Van Scoyoc steps down, Kent Stock steps in to finish what was started. And being a girls volleyball coach in the past, Stock is immediately faced with doubts, and some heavy adversity. Is this guy really the right man for the job? Is he a championship coach like the legend, Van Scoyoc? Even a player or two thinks this just might be a lost cause, and they let it be known. But with hard work, and dedication to what this team deserves, Kent Stock is ready to turn some heads and to win that 20th championship.
There isn't much goofy stuff that goes on in this movie. Small town America means everything to those who live in small towns. And the whole movie just kept my attention to the end! My personal favorite scenes were the infield practice, to get into the other teams' heads! And in the end, there just wasn't anything to complain about. Plus there is a lot of good baseball action through the course of the film.
When you pick this up, don't just look for the flash. Look for something special that goes beyond the glory, look for something that inspires. Because as one who used to play baseball, it inspired me. And if I were a coach, it would get me going even more!
Don't overlook this gem! September 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
First let me say that while I appreciate sports, I am not a sport's fan. None the less, I do love movies that incorporate sports with relationships and many other things as they tell a good story. This movie was based on a true story that I'm glad was told.
There is plenty of baseball for the sport's fan and plenty of drama, values, romance, and other things for those that aren't. It is a "feel good" movie that inspires one to believe and strive for their full potential even when the deck is stacked against you.
Final season develops around a small town in Iowa and a team that lives and breathes baseball. This town supports their players as heroes. Even after many hours of hard farm work, the team still manages to pull off championships against the bigger schools. However they are faced with a school merger that gives just one season left to add to that history. The school board even forces the successful coach to retire and the final season is played with his assistant coach that the board hired hoping that he wouldn't inspire the team to win.
Watch to see all the characters bond together and find themselves as much as the love of the game.
 The Last Season June 5, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Thought it was agood true story. Norway has since become a ghost towo as sorts. Most stores are closed down so thay used our town to shoot most town scene. Enjoyed the movie even though it was not big on the big screen.
Feel good movie May 30, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great, simple, feel good movie. Can't go wrong---baseball and small town America! Must see.
The Final Season, inspirational baseball May 21, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Although I live near Washington D.C. now, I was raised in the Midwest and went to a rural farm community high school in Piasa, Illinois. Perhaps that helped me identify with this movie about Norway, Iowa, but if anyone can't identify with it on some level then they are missing something. I was lucky enough to play on a football team that won three championships. Considering we didn't have half the students of most the schools we played I know only to well the lesson "The Final Season" teaches about sports. If we didn't have students bused in from three small towns and we weren't so far from the large schools we probably would have been absorbed as well. Along with it's valuable lesson about what baseball means to these small towns, it teaches about how crowding students into larger schools doesn't make them smarter or better adjusted students, quite the contrary, and the sooner the public education system learns that the better. This movie has a great story, wonderful cast, and exceptional camera work. I highly recommend it. I haven't seen a sports movie inspire me this much since "Hoosiers". Excellent DVD quality with great replayability.
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