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Living amidst the poverty of 1957 Monterrey, Mexico, a group of poor boys discover the joys of Little League baseball. At the urging of the town’s priest, Padre Esteban, former U.S. minor league baseballer Cesar Faz agrees to coach the boys. Inspired by their dream, the boys overcome poverty, disapproving parents and prejudice to score their first victory on U.S. soil. Relying on their religious faith and love of the game, the team embarks on a record-breaking winning streak that leads them all the way to the Little League World Series – where a miracle cements their place in history and changes their lives forever.  

The Perfect Game contains very little objectionable content. On one occasion a scuffle breaks out between two boys, but is quickly ended before any punches are thrown. One boy’s father is frequently shown drinking and acts harshly toward the boy, though this is explained by the father’s depression over the death of his oldest son. After being humiliated by his former teammates, Cesar also gets drunk, though Padre Esteban intercepts him before he loses the boys’ respect. During the movie’s opening credits the town’s boys are shown engaging in minor mischief, such as throwing rocks through windows and setting off firecrackers to scare an old man.  The word “hell” is used once, and several times coach Cesar tells his players that he will “kick your butt” if they do not practice.

Parents should be aware that The Perfect Game offers a realistic treatment of race and gender relations in the 1950s, and sexist and ethnic slurs are used occasionally. Various Americans call the Mexican boys “greasers,” “wetbacks” and similar epithets, and remark that “these Mexicans ain’t gonna take our flag!” An African-American is called “colored” and treated disrespectfully by whites on several occasions. The young Mexican ballplayers are baffled by a bathroom sign reading “Whites Only,” and when the team encounters an African-American boy sitting in a segregated restaurant, Padre Esteban explains that “not everyone understands that we are all [God’s] children;” the Mexican team quickly befriends the boy. Another African-American character briefly mentions that his father was lynched.  A woman reporter following the team is treated in a sexist and disrespectful manner by her editor, who suggests she stay home and raise a family. Cesar, who has told the team that he was a coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, is humiliated when two Cardinals reveal that he was actually a towel boy. These elements do not dominate the film or detract from the story, but may require an explanation for younger viewers. 

The Perfect Game is a tremendously positive and upbeat film. Religion is given an exceptionally respectful treatment: Padre Esteban is a devout and caring priest and a sincere baseball fan; he uses the game to both inspire and catechize his town’s boys, who insist on receiving a blessing before each game. When Padre Esteban is forced to return to Mexico, the boys refuse to play until an African-American minister volunteers to pray with them. Cesar is initially embittered by his failures, but over the course of the movie he regains his self-respect and comes to genuinely care about his team. Cesar’s bumbling courtship of the lovely Maria provides many laughs, without shading into sexual innuendo or risqué humor.  The Monterrey boys are high-spirited and mildly mischievous but polite and respectful.  Their awe at visiting America and their joyful adulation of American baseball players like Stan Musial and Sandy Koufax, combined with their wide-eyed enthusiasm for the game and their success at overcoming all adversity, are sure to charm viewers.
 

Because of its positive, family-friendly messages and overwhelmingly optimistic, feel-good nature, the Parents Television Council is delighted to award The Perfect Game with the PTC Seal of Approval^TM. The PTC recommends this movie for viewers over age 7.

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