“You have to believe that Inspiration shares your hope for the film.”

Published: October 11, 2024

YOU MUST BELIEVE, Inspiration wants the film to “lead people to Christ”

By Movieguide® staff

Robert Ratliff wants the film YOU GOTTA BELIEVE, based on his life and dedicated to the memory of his father, to strengthen people’s faith – both in God and in themselves.

“YOU GOTTA BELIEVE” “is based on the inspiring true story of one team’s transformation from district underdogs to a place in the Little League record books,” the film’s website says.

“After dedicating the season to a teammate’s ailing father, a group of underrated young baseball players from Fort Worth, Texas, continued their Cinderella run to the 2002 Little League World Series – culminating in a record-setting showdown that became a moment ESPN classic,” it continues.

Part of the Movieguide® review reads:

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a fantastic addition to the sports drama genre. It’s a heartfelt story about perseverance, team camaraderie and never giving up. The film is based on the true story of Robert, his father’s battle with cancer and their great success in Little League in 2002. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE tells an inspiring, well-structured story with phenomenal acting. The film is not explicitly faith-based, but does include a brief moment of prayer. However, YOU GOTTA BELIEVE also contains some relatively mild profanity and a slight humorous innuendo. Therefore, MOVIEGUIDE® advises younger viewers, especially preschool children, to exercise caution.

Ratliff, whose father was the inspiration for the baseball team’s season and the film’s story, spoke to THE 700 CLUB about his father.

“My father always had a smile. Apparently, he was undergoing intensive treatments for melanoma skin cancer. He had a positive attitude… there’s a lot of joy,” he explained. “It gave him a lot of meaning to come to our games and continue his fight against cancer. I don’t think I could imagine a better last summer to spend with my dad.”

Ratliff continued: “My memories of my dad are fantastic, and I think that’s one of the reasons we’re okay with all of this happening. “We don’t have any bad memories. Do we have sad memories? Yes, of course, but my memories of my father are simply spectacular.”

“He really taught me a lot and made the most of his time here on Earth and his time as our father,” he said.

When asked what he hoped audiences would take away from YOU GOTTA BELIEVE, Ratliff talked about faith.

“If we can strengthen people to believe in God and strengthen people to have a relationship with Christ and lead people to Christ, then that’s important,” he said. “I think we hope that people go home knowing that they can achieve anything they want if they believe in it. We hope that people walk away and really start to believe not only in God but in themselves.”

Ratliff also spoke to Fort Worth Magazine about YOU GOTTA BELIEVE.

“My father left us a huge legacy full of great memories,” he shared. “We had a lot of fun and learned how important it is to always believe and know that anything and everything is possible.”