It's Father's Day, so I picked a flick with a daddy-theme.

My oldest son shows little interest in baseball, and I've started to accept the fact that he probably will never join me in rabid Yankee fandom. His love of this film, though, gives me a little bit of hope that he may still develop an interest in America's pastime (which it really isn't anymore, but why spoil a cliché?)

'Everyone's Hero' isn't terribly daring, the animation is only so-so, and the plot is utterly unbelievable in almost every way. But somehow the film works, with plenty of laughs, some tugging at heartstrings in the right places, and a perfectly triumphant sports-movie ending.

Yankee Irving -- his parents named him for the team -- is a lousy baseball player, but that doesn't stop him from being a huge fan of the team his dad works for as a clubhouse attendant. Then Babe Ruth's favorite bat gets stolen, and Yankee's father is blamed, and then fired. This is a real problem for the family -- it's the 1930's, and there are no jobs. Yankee's dad thinks Yankee stole the bat, and, shockingly, he doesn't really buy his son's assertion that all will be cleared up if the team President would only speak to his new friend, the talking ball. Yes, Yankee has found a magical talking ball. Of course, the ball only talks to Yankee (shades of Mr. Ed), but we know Yank's not a loony-tunes since the ball can be seen moving around on its own by everyone. The ball was a foul, and wishes it could have been a homerun, but unlike every DreamWorks movie, this isn't a major plot point; it helps that the ball is an obnoxious New Yorker with a kid-friendly potty mouth. Eventually they find the bat, who also talks and is an egomaniac because of her "relationship" with the Babe. They also, you know, save the day, after some heroics.

The movie shows a teeny bit of depth when Yankee is befriended by a Black girl whose father is a star in the Negro Leagues. Yankee ends up riding on his team bus, and the players show him some ball techniques that make him a better player in the end. It's all presented very matter-of-fact, as a piece of history but without any self-conscious judgment, which serves to make it more poignant in a way. The same is true of a scene with a bunch of hobos, all of whom are just down on their luck as opposed to being drug addicts or something else sinister.

This is also a rare children's film where both parents are alive and well. Dad is unemployed for a little while, and part of Yankee's journey to get the bat back is motivated by a desire to prove to his father that he didn't steal it (it was taken by the owner of the perennially-losing Chicago Cubs). That's about as sad as it gets. All is forgiven, dad even feels bad for not believing in his son, good feelings abound. Even the ball cheers up.

In a field of kiddie films crowded with wacky animals that spew fart and dick jokes, it's nice to see something that, while it doesn't take many chances, just presents a sweet, straightforward story. Oh, and the baseball thing helps, at least for me. Highly recommended.

image: Amazon.com