The Kid from Left Field (1979)

The 1970s produced some fine made for television movies, but also a lot that have understandably been forgotten, including this one. It's a remake of the 1953 theatrical movie of the same name. I haven't seen the original, but I did a little research on it, and discovered that it ran a lean 80 minutes in length, while this remake is extended by almost 20 more minutes. This may explain why the first half of the movie feels very slow and padded out. Oddly, in the second half of the movie, it turns to feeling very rushed, with key plot details quickly glossed over. Though probably you want to most of all know about how the late Gary Coleman comes across. He gives off his standard kind of acting, coming across as a somewhat irritating precocious child. Oddly, however, his character for the most part comes across as a secondary character, with the supporting cast often taking the burden of carrying the movie from scene to scene. This is not the worst made for television movie I've seen, though even though I have not seen the original 1953 version, I feel pretty confident in saying that you should seek that version out instead of this weak remake.