Baseball Cinema : More Baseball Movies
By Laura Nist
May 2, 2003
A League of Their Own (1992) – This is
a movie about the formation of the first professional women’s baseball
league (AAGBL) during World War II. While many MLB players were leaving
for the war, these ladies, who were traditionally homemakers, helped to
keep baseball alive for an appreciative nation. Dottie and Kit (Geena
Davis and Lori Petty), recruited by a scout, go to Chicago for tryouts
with many other hopefuls, including prospective team members played by
Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell, who add much to the comedic charm of the
film. Tom Hanks stars as the coach, a former home-run king turned alcoholic.
Directed by Penny Marshall, it is part comedy and part drama; it is about
transition and about how it felt as a woman to suddenly have new roles
and freedom.
Angels in the Outfield (1994) – This is Disney’s re-make
of an old film and granted it did not receive rave reviews from critics
or moviegoers but it is a cute family movie. The story centers on a young
boy living in a foster home hoping that his father will come back for
him. His father tells him that he will be back when the Angels win the
pennant (meaning when hell freezes over as the Angels are the worst team
in their division). Of course, a little bit of divine intervention doesn’t
hurt. Christopher Lloyd plays the head angel and Danny Glover is the team's
manager.
The Babe (1992) – Starring John Goodman as legendary Babe
Ruth. This film is a truthful depiction of Ruth’s life from being
a shy orphan to his absolute love for the game to the wild-life that he
lived off of the field with the abundance of women and alcohol to his
devotion to children, especially orphans. We see the roller coaster of
emotions as he has highs and lows in his career and in his life, particularly
the painful realization that his career is over as he walks off of the
field for the last time. This movie does not over glorify him just because
of who he was rather let’s us see that he was indeed human like the
rest of us and gives some insight as to the person that he really was.
The Bad News Bears (1976) - This movie is about a group of misfit
kids who like to play baseball but don’t have a lot of talent. Walter
Matthau plays the former pitcher turned alcoholic pool cleaner who is
hired as the coach for this inept team. When he signs up a secret weapon,
pitcher Amanda (Tatum O’Neal) and a motorcycle riding neighborhood
punk the team begins to turn around. By the end of the movie they come
together as a team and contend for the championship. There are many funny
scenes and Matthau’s character really makes this movie with all of
his cynicism, conning the kids into making martinis for him and cleaning
pools while he entertains them with increasingly drunken stories of his
baseball glory days.
Baseball - A Film by Ken Burns (1994) – This 18 hour history
of America’s favorite pastime was originally a PBS series but is
also available on video and DVD. It is a massive 9 video set (the DVD
has a bonus disk with behind the scenes footage and an inter-active trivia
game) that covers more than 100 years of the game and is filled with interviews
and perspectives from celebrities, journalists, politicians, historians,
and of course, the men who played the game. Burns covers such issues as
segregation, racial inequality, labor battles between owners and players
and politics and even the various scandals that baseball has endured throughout
the years. He has also included interesting footage and biographies on
many of the players. This should be required viewing for every fan of
the game and may even give non-fans a greater appreciation for the game.
Cobb (1994) – This film, which stars Tommy Lee Jones, covers
the turbulent life of Ty Cobb on the field and off of the field as portrayed
in the biography written by Al Stump. Even though the baseball scenes
are minimal, the script of the movie is detailed and the scenes are powered
by great dialogue. It is a very well done film and we get a look into
the true story of a baseball legend. Tommy Lee Jones is great in this
intense characterization.
Eight Men Out (1988) – Starring Charlie Sheen, D.B Sweeney, Christopher
Lloyd and John Cusak this movie delves into one of the darkest moments
in the history of baseball, the infamous 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal.
The film explores why this particular group of players, including Shoeless
Joe Jackson, would lose the most important game of their lives intentionally
and it demonstrates how money and exploitative labor conditions destroy
the purity of the game. This is a very well done movie on a topic that
every fan of the game should be familiar with. Based on Eliot Asinof's
1963 book of the same name
Little Big League (1994) – This is a charming movie about
a 12-year old boy, Billy Heywood, (played by unknown actor Luke Edwards)
who inherits the Minnesota Twins after the owner, his grandfather, dies
and leaves the team to him. Billy is a typical baseball crazy kid that
loves talking strategy, history and trivia and ends up becoming the manager
of the Twins. Cameo appearances by baseball personalities such as Ken
Griffey Jr., Sandy Alomar, Randy Johnson, Tim Raines and Chris Berman.
The Pride of the Yankees (1943) – In this Oscar winning film,
Gary Cooper plays Lou Gehrig, the first baseman for the Yankees whose
career was cut short due to a crippling and incurable disease. This is
a touching story of Gehrig's love of baseball from childhood, his friendship
with Babe Ruth (who plays himself in the film), his marriage, career triumphs,
and eventual retirement from the game. It is about so much more than baseball;
it is about bravery and dedication, on and off the field and it is truly
a classic film for all ages.
Rookie of the Year (1993) – Another cute baseball film for
kids about a clumsy little leaguer who trips over a baseball and breaks
his arm. When his cast is removed he discovers that his arm did not heal
properly and he can now throw 100 mph pitches. He ends up being recruited
for the Chicago Cubs. Is this a realistic baseball movie? Absolutely not
– but there are some funny parts and it is a good family movie.
Slugger’s Wife (1985) – Stars Michael O'Keefe, Rebecca
De Mornay, Randy Quaid. This movie is the story about a player for the
Atlanta Braves (O’Keefe) who is pulled out of batting slump by the
love of a beautiful nightclub singer (De Mornay). After they get married,
however, his hitting suffers whenever she's not in the stands cheering
him on. The baseball scenes are not very realistic – in one scene
both teams (Braves and Astros) are wearing home uniforms although it may
be a good date movie – if your date doesn’t like baseball that
much.
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