Movie review
August 18, 2023 · 121 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Hill is a 2023 biographical drama based on the true story of Rickey Hill. Growing up poor in small-town Texas with leg braces due to a spinal disease, young Rickey excels at baseball. His preacher father tries to steer him toward ministry instead, creating family tension. Rickey relies on faith and determination to pursue his major league dream and mend his relationship with his dad.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Hill.
Woke representation / casting
Casting uses actors who match the real-life white Southern Texas family and historical setting. No audience-visible identity signaling, quotas, or prominent diversity emphasis in lead roles.
Woke political dialogue
No activist, political, or social justice dialogue. Conversations focus on faith in God, family duty, baseball dreams, and personal resilience.
Identity-driven story themes
Story follows physical disability overcome through faith and effort plus father-son repair. No race, gender, sexuality, or modern identity politics shape the narrative or character arcs.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film portrays Christian faith, small-town family values, and the American sports dream positively. No critiques of patriarchy, traditional roles, Western institutions, or similar activist framing.
Woke character or canon changes
Production
Not relevant. This adapts real events with no pre-existing fictional canon, source material, or historical figures altered for ideological or identity reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No meaningful public complaints, social media posts, or coverage treating the film as pushing woke, DEI, or left-wing identity messaging. Reactions stayed on inspirational and faith elements.
Creator track record context
Main writer Angelo Pizzo built a career on straightforward traditional sports underdog tales. Director Jeff Celentano works in faith-based storytelling. Other crew show no patterns of activist or identity-driven creative output.
