Off the Black (2006)

In the Name of

the Father and Son

Lonely alcoholic Ray Cook (Nick Nolte) is a high school baseball umpire. When he makes a marginal call in an end-of-season game, pitcher Dave Tibbel (Trevor Morgan) Is livid because it cost his team the chance to go to state championships. In anger, Dave and his pals Paul (Johnathan Tchaikovsky) and Todd (Noah Fleiss) trash Cook's yard one night.

Awakened from his stupor by a noise, Cook dashes outside with a gun but is only able to collar the terrified Dave. Rather than calling the cops, Cook tells Dave he can work off the violation by cleaning up the yard and by posing as Cook's son at Cook's upcoming fortieth high school reunion.

Dave agrees and they are lead into a strange nearly father-son relationship -- something they both desperately need as Cook has had no contact with his own son for many years and Dave's father (Timothy Hutton) is a walking zombie since Dave's mother abandoned the family. Dave and his sister Ashley (Sonia Feigelson) are basically left to tend to themselves.

Written and directed by James Ponsoldt.

Run Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Rated R for a crude sexual remark.

My personal rating: C+