Ok, I confess. I truly love just about every Disney movie I’ve ever seen. There is a simple reason for this and it has to do with something I like to refer to as The Disney Effect. No matter what Disney movie I’ve ever watched, there always seems to be a positive message and a level of hope and joy by the end of each of them. That principle held true even on my last outing to their latest film, which was titled The Million Dollar Arm, and I was extremely grateful for that.
I believe that we all need positive messages and a level of hope and joy right now in life. Our world is filled with so much pain and anguish and you can see that quite clearly every day in the news. With that being said, I’m not one to go to the theater anymore and see something that ends on a sad note because life is already filled with so much of that everywhere else. The reason why I go to the movies is to have an escape from what’s going on in the news, to feel good, and to also be uplifted. Thankfully, I can always seem to count on that with a Disney movie and The Million Dollar Arm was no exception to this.
The movie is a true story about a declining sports agent who reinvents his recruitment process by staging a pitching contest in a country (India) that is mostly known for its cricket players. There he seeks out the best pitchers who compete for the ability to try out for a Major League Baseball team. The story surrounds Jon Hamm as that sports agent, J.B. Bernstein, and the two protégés he finds in that contest, Madhur Mittal as Diniesh Patel and Suraj Sharma as Rinku Singh. While I’m not one to spoil the full plot of a movie for others, I think it’s fair to say that this film does have the typical Disney happy ending. And maybe it’s those happy endings that create The Disney Effect for me. Regardless, I’m just glad that Disney sticks to its formula. In a world that’s filled with so much negativity, seeing a Disney film like The Million Dollar Arm brings a breath of fresh air and sense of rejuvenation for me.
I enjoy leaving a theater feeling more upbeat then when I went in, especially on days when I’m really struggling to smile. I guess I can only wish that every movie that’s released were like The Million Dollar Arm. Maybe then our world might be more focused on creating love and light, then on promoting selfish interests and darkness.
I very much want to help create a world that’s filled with positive messages and high levels of hope and joy. The Disney Effect definitely helps with this and for now, I know I am going to continue seeing movies such as The Million Dollar Arm. At least then, I know I’ll be watching something that promotes this quest I’m on with my Higher Power and that’s to simply fill this world with a lot more of the love and light it truly deserves.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson