'Perfect Game' played in Cliche Park

If you just got your first T-ball set, you may be the right age to enjoy "The Perfect Game," based on the true story of an underdog team from Monterrey, Mexico, that made it to the 1957 Little League World Series. The film itself feels like a rookie player, overeager and short on skill.

You could guess the plot, but here's a summary: After failing to make the pros in America, Cesar Faz (Clifton Collins Jr.) returns to Mexico, where a kindly priest (Cheech Marin) convinces him to coach a group of adorable urchins. Together, they will overcome racism and rich kids. A tough-cookie reporter (Emilie de Ravin) follows them around until her heart softens.

Director William Dear has covered this territory before ("Angels in the Outfield") and he seems sick of it. Part of the problem is W. William Winokur's script, a giant database of cliches like "You don't win the game out there, you win it in here." That may explain why Dear resorts to a wordless montage every chance he gets.

All of which might be tolerable if the movie's Mexican characters felt a little more authentic and a little less Speedy Gonzales. The kids use words like "estupido," while Faz meets his love interest (Patricia Manterola) by handing her an avocado. Adults will find the whole movie a flavorless guacamole, though very young children may not mind gumming it.