Once Cesar agrees to coach the would-be Little Leaguers, “The Perfect Game” proceeds at an unhurried pace along a well-trod path to a predictable payoff. But the young baseballers in Monterrey are very eager to draw on his expertise.
Team management wasn’t ready to promote Cesar - or any other Mexican, apparently - to aĬoaching position. What they get is Cesar Fez (Clifton Collins Jr.), a hard-drinking cynic who’s returned home after a frustrating stint with the St. But a few plucky youngsters refuse to be defeated while taking a DIY approach to mastering the intricacies of baseball. In such an environment, where most of the menfolk appear ground down by their demanding jobs in the local steel smelting plant, even an eternal optimist like twinkly eyed Padre Esteben ( Cheech Marin) often finds it difficult to lift the spirits of his flock.
Lenser Bryan Greenberg and production designer Denise Hudson prove to be most valuable players while striking the perfect balance of grim verisimilitude and kidpic sunniness during early scenes that convey the hard- scrabble nature of day-to-day life in ’50s Monterrey.
