Parents' Guide to

Home Run

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Athlete learns what's important in alcoholism drama.

Movie PG-13 2013 113 minutes
Home Run Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

SpidermanFan1993
SpidermanFan1993 Adult
December 7, 2013
age 10+

This one hits it out of the park!!!!

This is one of the best Christian movies I have ever seen. This movie has a really positive message. That message being that in order to overcome addictions we need to turn it over to Jesus Christ and let God deliver us from our addictions. For a PG-13 movie this is an extremely clean movie compared to what Hollywood is putting out now. There is a lot of alcohol consumption as well as seen the person get drunk on several occasions. There is a scene at the beginning of the movie when the main characters dad is abusing him, not physically, but mentally. There are references to other addictions such as sexual addictions, abuse, and drug addictions. There is some violence in this movie such as seen the main character throw a temper tantrum when he did not like the umpires call, seeing a kid get accidentally hit, seeing the main character get mad at another little league baseball coach and punching him in the face, as well as see the main character get mad and start to punch and throw stuff. There is also a scene when the main character is drunk while he is driving and eventually gets into a car accident. After the car accident the movie goes to a scene which takes place in a hospital and you get how badly injured the main characters brother is. The only reason this movie is PG-13 is due to the subject matter that the film deals with. Overall, this is a great movie that an entire family should watch. However, some parents might feel like the subject mature is too mature for thier children.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
normarcia
normarcia Adult
April 23, 2013
age 13+

Great movie to see…. keep your eye on the box!

Reality based, This sort of hurt and pain is happening all around us in one form or another. Maybe not the same addiction issue, but only you, personally can answer that. Must see with an explanation about hurts, habits and hangups, if necessary, for you and your kids so you can talk about those issues as they happen in todays fast, free-spirited world. There is hope in the Lord by believing change can happen !

This title has:

Great messages
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In HOME RUN, Cory (Scott Elrod) is a pro baseball player with a raging drinking problem. After a drunk-driving accident that leaves his brother injured, Cory is forced to take over coaching his sibling's Little League team. Cory also reconnects with the son he abandoned as a baby and slowly starts to realize the toll that his drinking has taken on him, on his career, and on the people around him.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (1):

Home Run is a worthy entry in the often-predictable -- but still moving -- category of addiction/recovery films. Cory starts out as a selfish drunk who soothes his pain with liquor and doesn't care about other people. He doesn't want to coach kids, and he doesn't want to go to a 12-step program, but it's that or lose his job as pro baseball player. When he's forced to connect to real people, including the son he barely knows and the old girlfriend he left behind, Cory slowly begins to learn about his addiction.

It's not really a spoiler to say that there's a happy ending with a now-sober Cory embracing a new life. But getting there is a mostly satisfying experience. The film is well-paced, with solid acting and not too much preachiness (a common experience in recovery movies). And it doesn't make it seem like getting clean is easy or without barriers. Home Run isn't a surprising film, but it is enjoyable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Home Run portrays drinking/alcoholism. Do you think it's realistic? Can you think of other movies/TV shows that have dealt with this topic? How is this one similar/different?

  • What do you think about the choices Cory makes, including abandoning a child and choosing alcohol over other important things? How do these choices affect his life? How did his own childhood affect him?

  • What role does faith play in the movie? How does that impact its messages and audience?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate