Lucy

The struggles of managing a losing baseball team are underscored in this 25-minute film featuring the Peanuts gang, based on the cartoon strip by Charles M. Schulz. Angst-ridden Charlie Brown attempts to motivate his team, while Lucy in right field nettles poor Chuck into a nervous wreck. With their losses mounting, Charlie Brown tries every remedy to score a win--even trading his own dog--yet nothing improves the team's dismal record. Then Chuck orchestrates "the greatest trade in the history of baseball." While this film has the look and feel of earlier Charlie Brown classics, the heart is gone. There is a noticeable difference between this feature and "It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown," the last film created under Schulz's supervision. His presence is sorely missed. While winning isn't everything, Schulz would have found a silver lining in the art of losing, or a character redeemed through the process. One plus: smooth jazz accompaniments by David Benoit. (Ages 5 and older) --Lynn Gibson