FORT WORTH, Texas — Some of the stars of the new movie “You Gotta Believe,” including Dallas-native Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear, were spotted at Fort Worth hotspot Joe T. Garcia’s this week.
The 89-year-old Tex-Mex restaurant near the Fort Worth Stockyards shared photos from the visit on social media, featuring Wilson, Kinnear, and others from the film, joined by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker.
“A special thanks to Visit Fort Worth, Film Fort Worth, Higginbotham, and Mayor Mattie Parker for their unwavering support. We’re proud to stand with our community, Fort Worth, and the Westside Little League,” a post from Joe T.’s about the visit read. “Here’s to the magic of film and the spirit of believing!”
It’s no stranger to celebrity visits. Everyone from Garth Brooks to Michael Jackson to Bruce Springsteen to Elton John – has stopped by the local institution over the years.
Wilson and Kinnear were in Cowtown for the premiere of the new movie, which is based on the true story of the 2002 Westside Little League team from Fort Worth and their inspiring run in the Little League World Series. The underdog team rallied behind a teammate's dying father and assistant coach, Bobby Ratliff, played by Wilson.
The team captured the hearts of America when they played Louisville in the longest game ever recorded in LLWS history. The game went 11 innings, and both teams set a combined record for strikeouts.
"To make this in Fort Worth, right down the street where I'm from in Dallas --I feel really lucky! It's just a really good uplifting baseball movie, and I have a good feeling that people will like it,” Wilson told WFAA.
They were accompanied at the premiere by the 2002 Fort Worth Little League World Series team. Wilson told WFAA ahead of the premiere last week that most of the movie was filmed in Fort Worth.
Ratliff's son, Robert Ratliff, played first base during the team's run and was at the red carpet premiere with his former teammates to honor his father, who ultimately died of melanoma in 2003.
"For my father--he got out of bed every day wanting to watch us play baseball. For us--we wanted to give my Dad joy as he was going through those cancer treatments," Ratliff told WFAA.
Greg Kinnear plays head coach Jon Kelly, who also attended the premiere.