SUMMARY
- The film 'The Hill' is based on the true story of Rickey Hill, a real-life baseball legend.
- Rickey Hill's incredible journey depicted in the movie reflects his childhood passion for baseball and the challenges he faced.
There often comes a time when a film moves the audience to tears. The same has been said to happen to many who watched ‘The Hill’ by Jeff Celentano. The film was released last year and made more than $7 million, it had mixed reviews from critics.
But ever since it was released on Netflix, it has topped the charts. When the film begins, one of the first few words that appear on the screen is “Based on a true story.” And as much as the film has added elements of to make it more cinematic, much of the story was grounded in reality.
The artistic masterpiece has everyone wondering how much of the incredible journey of Rickey Hill was similar to the real-life baseball legend. Just as the film starts off with a young Rickey, hitting stones with a stick and sending them flying, mirroring the real-life childhood practice of the kid from Bowie, Texas. This detail is revealed in the podcast ‘Risen Magazine,‘ featuring Rickey Hill and director Celentano by Rickey himself.
In his own words, Rickey reminisced about spending “16 hours a day” by the railroad tracks, striking as many as 2,000 rocks with a stick. That place was the genesis of his deep passion for the game.
He explained “I hit rocks because it was called free. They were free to hit rocks,” he said. “And so if it didn’t cost money, I got to do it, one of those deals.” As is seen in the film, Rickey’s degenerative spine disorder was not the only challenge he had to overcome. Financial constraints and growing up poor were just another hurdle in his race to baseball excellence.
Did young Rickey Hill wear leg braces like in ‘The Hill’?
When talking about his financial limitations growing up, Rickey also mentioned that his father had to make the leg braces he wore when he was a kid because they didn’t have enough money to buy one. In The Hill, a doctor unfolds a piece of news with Rickey that his bones are depleting rapidly, adding, “It will be a miracle if you ever walk again.” The same words were uttered in the presence of the actual Rickey Hill.
Reflecting on his condition, in a podcast with ‘Becoming Outlaws,’ he gently recalled, “My legs when I was born were wrapped around one another, which created one problem. Then the other problem went on up to my back and my spine where I was born with very little disc.”
And just as in a glorious moment in the film, when Rickey breaks his leg braces to send a pitch by his bully soaring into the sky. The moment when he broke free from his shackles actually happened in real life as well. According to historyvshollywood.com, Rickey Hill remembers the day he did. “One day, at eight years old, I busted those braces off. I never put em’ back on.”
The father-son relationship was also inspired
Much of The Hill’s crux is about the relationship that Rickey has with his strict but caring father. Growing up, to keep his son from further physical injuries, he tried to dissuade Rickey from playing the high-stakes sport. Rickey Hill mentioned that his real father had never once seen him play baseball.
However, the movie in a remarkable resolution, flaunts a beautiful scene. Right when Rickey gets up after getting hit by a pitch in the ribs, his father for the first time witnesses him sending a beautiful moonshot out of the park.
However, despite his father never witnessing his son play baseball. Rickey mentioned in the ‘Becoming Outlaws’ podcast that he received unwavering support from him nevertheless. “He would come into the room. Check on me. Make sure I’m okay, and make sure how I did, always checked on me. Which was really a great thing.”
Rickey Hill’s girlfriend in The Hill was loosely based on his former wife
One of his other supporters in the film was his girlfriend Gracie. Now, the character is loosely based on Rickey’s real-life former wife Sherran. Who similar to Gracie, was his first love.
The audience gets to see the old photographs of Rickey at the end of the film. As well as how the two got married to each other in a fairytale wedding at the same place Rickey found his dream. The Expos Stadium’s home plate. Everything aside, The Hill beautifully captures the essence of Rickey Hill’s journey and his ocean-deep love for the game.