After several weeks filming The Scout in the late 1970s, star
Peter Falk and director
Howard Zieff abandoned the project. Two decades later, writer
Andrew Bergman gave his original script to
Albert Brooks and Monica Johnson, who polished it as a vehicle for Brooks and director
Michael Ritchie. Brooks stars as Al Percolo, a talent scout for the New York Yankees whose latest recruit (
Michael Rapaport) has just vomited on the field and fled. Sent to Mexico as punishment by his boss (
Lane Smith), Percolo finds phenomenal young pitcher Steve Nebraska (
Brendan Fraser). Before he can get back to the Big Apple, however, Percolo gets pink-slipped by the Yankees, so he offers Nebraska as a free agent. After a stellar tryout, Nebraska is signed for millions. Soon after, he starts to exhibit odd behaviors that may be linked to psychological problems. A psychiatrist (
Dianne Wiest) hired by the ball club wants Nebraska in daily therapy, so Percolo ends up babysitting a mentally unstable pitcher. Brooks' normally winning mix of laughs with psychological insights didn't add up to box office or critical success, despite cameos from real-life sports figures such as George Steinbrenner and Steve Garvey. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide