The film Sound of Freedom has become the sleeper hit of 2023’s summer box-office season. Can another film that depicts a true story of faith, small-town Texas strength, and perseverance in the face of disability become the next grassroots box-office contender?
The Hill tells the true story of Rickey Hill, a young boy with degenerative spinal disease who discovers his true gift — baseball. Rickey has to fight just to play the game, struggling against his disease, and contending with a loving but determined father hoping to protect Rickey at all costs, and who wants Rickey to follow him into preaching. The film tells the story of how Rickey overcame all of this — but as importantly, how his father comes to terms with the illusion of control and the need for faith.
Earlier this week, I had a great conversation with Rickey Hill himself and producer/director Jeff Celentano to talk about the film. I almost wished I’d hit the record button immediately, because Jeff and Rickey are hilarious and we had a fun conversation going about some behind-the-scenes events. Both of them are passionate about the project, and talk not just about the story but the sixteen years it took to bring it to the screen.
I’ve seen the film and it’s excellent, but by agreement my review won’t go up until the day before the August 25th release date to theaters. We do talk about the film and its story elements quite a bit in the interview, but perhaps even more on how faith plays a role not just in the movie itself but also in how it was made, and how Jeff now approaches it as it nears its debut on theater screens later this month.
Watch the whole interview, but here are a few highlights of the conversation:
- “It’s totally different experience,” Rickey says about having his life story told on the big screen. “You think scary thoughts, and then you think great thoughts, and then you think, what is this gonna do in the public eye?”
- Jeff turned out to be a great partner, Rickey says. “Jeff always reassured me that, in the end, there was nobody could tell this story like he can. I got to admit, brother,” Rickey says, “he can. He came in and he defeated every obstacle that was in his way.”
- Jeff wondered at one point about whether his friend Rickey was ready for what’s coming next. “I said, Ricky, this is the beginning. The movie isn’t even out yet. Your life’s going to change overnight. I mean, this is, this is a big deal. And he was a bit floored, you know, he, he still isn’t ready for what’s coming.”
- Dennis Quaid’s performance as James Hill is particularly moving, and no one appreciates it more than Rickey. “I always wondered what it felt like looking through my father’s eyes,” Rickey says. “What did it look like coming from him? His eyes, his view, his viewpoints? How did he feel? Because I could only look through my eyes and see it. But what a great soldier,” he continues to reflect on his father. “To be a minister, and live the right way, and do the right things, and and especially for his son, that he loved me dearly. He didn’t get really what he wanted — he wanted me to be a preacher.”
- Jeff talks about the balance that he needed to find between the stories of faith, of perseverance, and of family and love. And now that everything’s over but the release, he finds that faith is more important than ever. “A lot of people say, Why are you worried about this movie at all? This movie’s gonna go through the roof. I say, Yeah, yeah, I know, I know,” Jeff says. “And my neighbors come over and they always just sit with this weird little smile. They just look at me and they go, Jeff, why are you concerned? I say it’s because I got a lot riding on this movie, my whole life. And they say, but it’s in God’s hands and you know where it’s going.”
- We discuss the grassroots campaign employed by Angel Studios and the massive success they have gained with it. When I mention that the latest figures I’ve seen are $160 million for Sound of Freedom, Jeff half-jokes that The Hill is “going to do $260 million. That’s my attitude right now,” he says, but “it’s not in my hands any more.”
Again, be sure to check out the film’s website at TheHillMov.com. They will have more information about when and where the film will appear near you, and how you can help spread the word. I’ll have my review ready for August 24th. The official trailer is below.