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      Fear Strikes Out

      Released Apr 20, 1957 1 hr. 40 min. Biography List
      83% 24 Reviews Tomatometer 77% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Ever since Jimmy Piersall (Anthony Perkins) was a boy, his baseball-obsessed father (Karl Malden) has pushed the sport on him. Trying to live vicariously through his son, the elder Piersall makes Jimmy eat, sleep and breathe baseball with destructive determination. But once Jimmy achieves his father's goal and makes it to the major leagues, he begins to unravel. After Jimmy suffers a breakdown, it is unclear whether he will ever be able to play the sport again. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Nov 29 Buy Now

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      Fear Strikes Out

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      Critics Consensus

      Based on the true story of troubled baseball star Jimmy Piersall, Fear Strikes Out is an emotionally compelling drama featuring excellent performances from Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Steve D Solid acting horrible script. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/08/23 Full Review Audience Member The best sports movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Great acting from Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden, but otherwise it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. Just an OK biopic drama that is worth seeing once. (First and only viewing - 4/10/2018) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review ashley h Fear Strikes Out is a decent film. It is about the life of Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball. Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Robert Mulligan did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Great GREAT acting and stuck pretty well to the original story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Pretty darn good! Malden is great as the overbearing sports dad! And Perkins really owns his role and flashes a bit of his Norman Bates to come! Poor kid! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (24) Critics Reviews
      Richard Brody New Yorker [Mulligan] reflects an intense sensitivity, a romanticism of vulnerability and innocence that flashes a political edge. Apr 5, 2019 Full Review Ty Burr Entertainment Weekly Fear holds up well, and the climactic showdown between father and son offers a tremendously appealing resolution. Rated: A- Mar 4, 2011 Full Review TIME Magazine Fear Strikes Out rolls Frank Merriwell and Sigmund Freud into a ball and then lines it out for a solid hit. Mar 4, 2011 Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Anthony Perkins, Hollywood's most ballyhooed new star since James Dean, justifies most of his press agents' blurbs by the power and sincerity of his performance here... Oct 29, 2019 Full Review Tony Sloman Radio Times Director Robert Mulligan's feature film debut is a harrowing and intense biopic of Boston Red Sox baseball star Jim Piersall, superbly portrayed by Anthony Perkins. Rated: 4/5 May 6, 2014 Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television Harrowing look at pressures on a young ballplayer. Aug 16, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Ever since Jimmy Piersall (Anthony Perkins) was a boy, his baseball-obsessed father (Karl Malden) has pushed the sport on him. Trying to live vicariously through his son, the elder Piersall makes Jimmy eat, sleep and breathe baseball with destructive determination. But once Jimmy achieves his father's goal and makes it to the major leagues, he begins to unravel. After Jimmy suffers a breakdown, it is unclear whether he will ever be able to play the sport again.
      Director
      Robert Mulligan
      Distributor
      Paramount Pictures
      Production Co
      Paramount
      Genre
      Biography
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 20, 1957, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 10, 2016
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