MovieChat Forums > The Rookie (2002) Discussion > Why did they change so much (the truths ...

Why did they change so much (the truths behind The Rookie)


Jimmy Morris NEVER lived IN Big Lake, he lived in San Angelo which was 90 miles away and Brownwood which is 90 or so miles also. He drove each day to and from work to home.

His father DID support his baseball career, it was his mother that did not.
Of course, who's Disney to make a woman look bad lol

His father was not only a Naval recruiter but that was just his cover story. he was a NSA agent.

Everyone in the movie portayed as citizens of Big Lake, except for the baseball team were fictional charectors.

He moved a lot more times then even listed in the movie.

I know all of this because my sister once dated him, and since the movie came out, have met a number of people asociated in some way with it. the part about the people of Big Lake came from a girl who dated one of the baseball players.

My sister told me a funny part.

About 3/4 of the way through the movie, Jimmy decides he is waisting his time and decides to quit the minors, sure that he will never be picked for the majors.
He goes to a bar and watches a interview of himself on tv, then stops by and watches kids play baseball. Next day he shows back up to keep playing.

That is at least partially untrue.

When the interview was shown on tv, Jimmy all ready had been told he was going to the Majors. My sister saw the announcement on tv, and called his dad and got the hotel room phone number.

They were talking on the phone with the interview going on on the tv in the background.
My sis said that her and Jimmy wish they had portrayed her into the movie, with meg Ryan playing her.

In case you wonder,

During a part of their lives, prior to events told in the movie, Jimmy and his wife were going through a seperation and near divorce. He worked at a local children's rec center and so did my sis, they ended up dating. My dad told me that my sis was in love with him but he ended up going back to his wife in the long run.



anyway, sometimes wish movies told things more correct.

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[deleted]

Does it make you feel cool to post this exact thread multiple times? Do you get some thrill in returning to this area to post this again every couple of years? we get it, youre an insider. You dont have to come back and start new threads every few years.

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Does it make you feel cool to post this exact thread multiple times? Do you get some thrill in returning to this area to post this again every couple of years? we get it, youre an insider. You dont have to come back and start new threads every few years.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Every now and then the OP keeps on posting about how his sister dated the real Jim Morris. It's not really THAT big of a deal that it deserves to have multiple threads! (especially when there's no way to confirm if his story is true).

Mr McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!

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That's awesome. Good story dude and I do believe it. Very interesting. Did u ever meet him?

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My reaction to this thread: So?

In movies like this, Hollywood takes oodles of dramatic license. "Invincible" is a good example that conveniently omits the fact that the Vince character had played in the World Football League before making the Philadelphia Eagle's roster. So Jimmy didn't actually live in Big Lake. So he and his wife's marriage was on the rocks shortly before the events of the movie. So his dad was actually an NSA agent and his mother was the one who didn't support his baseball career.

Big deal. Sometimes Hollywood takes such dramatic license in sport's movies the story doesn't even resemble what actually occurred, like in "Cool Runnings." In reality those guys were well trained and from the army and had the full support of all the other countries at the Olympics. There was no nasty German character baiting them.

"The Rookie" is a good movie because it's about a man's second chance at a dream and how it affects his family. So what if it wasn't portrayed EXACTLY as it happened.

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Exactly. The story being told here is about a former prospect who lost his shot due to injury finding out he can still throw hard and gets the opportunity to live his dream. The little details don't really matter that much.

I'm sure they put him in Big Lake so that it would make the interactions with all the locals more realistic.

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Well, Jim is actually IN the movie, so I don't care what your sister, who supposedly 'dated him once' - apparently long before the events of the movie - thinks she knows about his life.

And what was she doing calling up a married guy she used to date? Maybe innocent, or maybe trying to have an in as a 'groupie' or doing a little gold-digging because she knew him years before? Either way, I'm sure his wife wouldn't appreciate it.

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I don't know why but Hollywood studios has always created at least some fiction into movies that are based or supposed to be based on a true story. Have you seen their previous sports movie Remember the Titans, they did the same thing in that movie as well, and they also created some characters that didn't exist in real life to make the movie more dramatic. I do remember seeing the movie, but it has been a long time, through I remember his dad being seen more once Jimmy Morris is an adult then compared to his Mom.

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