REEL CRITIC:’American Pastime’ a hit on this field

As you might suspect from the title, “American Pastime” has something to do with the grand old American game of baseball.

The problem is that the baseball theme is merely a backdrop for the more important story, the mistreatment of thousands of Americans of Japanese descent who have been detained after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, both themes remain underdeveloped and the impact of the film is lost amid the clutter.

Written and directed by Desmond Nakano, the plot centers around the Nomura family who, along with many others, have lost their homes and businesses in East Los Angeles.

The Nomuras have been taken to Topaz relocation center in the sparkling high country near Abraham, Utah, where they suffer the humiliation of barracks life and the hostility of the angry, war-fevered local white population.

Lane, the older of the two Nomura brothers, is the calm, sensible one who volunteers for the draft and goes off to war as part of the well-decorated, “Go for Broke” 442nd outfit that suffered hideous casualties in the European campaign.

Lyle, the angry younger brother, remains in the camp where he organizes a jazz combo, starts a clandestine romance with the school teacher daughter of one of the camp guards and eventually pitches the Topaz baseball team to an unlikely victory over the all-white, semi-pro team from Abraham.

This result is certainly no surprise and this sort of Hollywood ending is just the thing that works to water down any social comment this film has to offer.

The relationship that develops between the sullen, hot-tempered Lyle (Aaron Yoo) and the pretty, sweet-natured Katie (Sarah Drew) is refreshing and a welcome diversion from the ongoing simmering anger between the Japanese-American prisoners and the less-than-gracious townsfolk of Abraham.

The sparks that fly between the two distinct personalities of the young lovers are expected, of course, but they are patient with one another and they find a way, despite the obvious obstacles, to make their relationship work.

Gary Cole as Billy Burrell, a has-been minor league catcher and somewhat of a local hero, plays the red-necked prison guard whose daughter is the object of young Lyle’s affection.

Cole is one of the few recognizable faces in this somewhat obscure but competent cast, and his performance is quite good, considering the limited scope of the screenplay.

Worth mentioning is the cameo appearance of former major leaguer John Kruck, who did an admirable job as a local baseball announcer.

The musical score features lots of recognizable jazz numbers from the 1940s and the scene showing young Katie stumbling through a piano lesson from the moonstruck Lyle is worth the cost of sitting through some pretty bad lines from the mostly wooden script.

Unrated and, for the most part, unreviewed, “American Pastime” has a running time of one hour and 45 minutes.

If I could assign a rating, I would give it a PG-13 for a choice word or two.