A perfect example of this is the Cleveland Indians team from "Major League". That team goes from being on the verge of relocation to Miami at the start of the season, to reaching the playoffs at the end of the season. How about the Minnesota Twins in "Little Big League", or the California Angels in "Angels in the Outfield"? Hell, if the Chicago Cubs can win the World Series in "Rookie of the Year", you better believe that anything is possible.
This is what I love about Baseball Movies. They take the sport I love most, and give it an extra magical touch that only Hollywood can provide. Since baseball is already the most magical sport that exists, then it stands to reason that there would be so many classic Baseball Movies, more than with any other sport. With that in mind, I created a list of my Top 10 Baseball Movies, with every movie consisting of 2 things: lots of magic, and lots of baseball. I guess there's only one thing left to say: PLAY BALL!!!
P.S. Go Braves!
10) Field of Dreams (1989) (dir. Phil Alden Robinson)
Starring: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, Frank Whaley
*Nominated for 3 Academy Awards, including Best Picture
*The most magical of all Baseball Movies. Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer, hears a voice that instructs him to build a baseball field on his land("If you build it, he will come."). "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and the rest of the 1919 Black Sox come to play, leading to the conclusion that there must not be any Baseball fields in heaven, or hell. In the final scene, Ray finally gets to play "catch" with his dad.
*This film was released in the same year that Pete Rose received his lifetime ban from Baseball for betting on the game(the same offense as the Black Sox). I wonder if he watches this film and says: "At least I know I'll get to play in Iowa when I die."
9) Fever Pitch (2005) (dir. Peter & Bobby Farrelly)
Starring: Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, the 2004 Boston Red Sox
*A pretty good love story between Ben, the schoolteacher, and Lindsey, the workaholic. The problem is that Ben is a die-hard fanatic of the Red Sox, and no relationship with a woman can ever match the one he has with the Sox. You can overlook Fallon's many shortcomings as an actor, since his geeky demeanor actually fits the character pretty well. This is the least "Farrelly" of all the Farrelly movies. It is basically a romantic comedy with not as many laugh-out-loud moments as their other classics. However, they really succeed in showing us the fan's perspective inside one of baseball's Cathedrals: Fenway Park.
*In what can only be described as magical timing, the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 for the first time in 86 years, and the filmmakers changed the ending to the film, and actually got to film during the team's on-field celebration after the final out of the World Series.
8) Moneyball (2011) (dir. Bennett Miller)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt
*Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture
*The story of Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane, and how he started a Sabermetric revolution in Major League Baseball, with the help of his fictional assistant, Peter Brand(Jonah Hill). The movie is low on on-field action, but it goes behind the scenes to show us what the GM of the team with the lowest payroll in the league has to go through to put together a contender. It's worth a viewing just for the Trade Deadline Day scene.
*In order to make its point, the movie fails to mention a very important detail. The 2002 Oakland A's actually had a very solid roster, with 3 of the best Starting Pitchers in the league, and the American League MVP, Miguel Tejada. But still, Sabermetrics helped.
7) The Bad News Bears (1976) (dir. Michael Ritchie)
Starring: Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neill, Jackie Earle Haley, Vic Morrow
*A lovable bunch of misfits, coached by a former minor league baseball player, Morris Buttermaker, makes it all the way to the championship game against the Yankees. They get that far thanks to Buttermaker's recruiting of sharp-tongued 12 year old girl pitcher Amanda Whurlitzer, and neighborhood troublemaker Kelly Leak. Not surprisingly, they both fit right in.
*Classic ending with The Bears celebrating their loss to The Yankees on the field. "Hey Yankees ... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!"
6) Nine Innings From Ground Zero (2004)
Starring: the 2001 New York Yankees & Arizona Diamondbacks. Narrated by Liev Schreiber
*HBO documentary about the Yankees' 2001 postseason, after the devastating events of September 11th, 2001 in New York. If you want baseball magic, watch this film. It presents the healing power of baseball in a time of great personal grief for so many New Yorkers, who were able to think about something else for a couple of weeks. The only time non-Yankees fans were rooting for the Yankees.
*This wasn't any other postseason, this is the greatest postseason I've ever seen! So many magical moments: Jeter's flip play in Oakland, Tino Martinez's homer with 2 outs in the ninth of Game 4 of the World Series, Deja Vu the next night with Scott Brosius, the D-Backs scoring 2 runs off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the 9th of Game 7 to win the World Series, and the one that always gets me: Derek Jeter stepping up to the plate at the stroke of midnight on November 1st and hitting a Walk off homer to end Game 4, with Michael Kay's legendary call: "See Ya! See Ya! See Ya! ... He is Mr. November!". Those 3 "See Yas" give me Goosebumps every time. And I hate the Yankees!
5) The Sandlot (1993) (dir. David M. Evans)
Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Dennis Leary, Karen Allen, James Earl Jones
*The story of Scotty Smalls, who has just moved in to a new neighborhood and is befriended by Benny "the Jet" Rodriguez and the rest of the Sandlot gang. It takes time for Smalls to adjust to the group's customs("You're killing me Smalls") but once he does, he becomes an integral part of the team.
*Set in the 1960's, the film is pure Americana. I love the 4th of July fireworks scene. There are many other classic scenes: when "Squints" fakes his drowning in order to kiss Wendy Peffercorn, the group's mistake with the chewing tobacco before getting on the carnival ride, and, of course, Benny out-running "the Beast" with his P.F. Flyers.
4) Little Big League (1994) (dir. Andrew Scheinman)
Starring: Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield, John Ashton, Kevin Dunn, Dennis Farina, Jason Robards
*The most underrated Baseball Movie ever. I believe this film should be required viewing for every current MLB manager. Forget about Billy Beane, Billy Heywood is the actual pioneer of Sabermetrics in Baseball Movies. He understands the importance of defensive shifts, proper use of the bullpen, and the fact that you never, ever bunt when you're trying to start a rally. That scene when Mac puts his knowledge to the test is brilliant: "What does he need me for?"
*The other thing this film gets right is the Clubhouse atmosphere of a Major League team, even with the PG rating. I love the scene when the players are helping Billy with his math homework before their 1-game playoff against the Mariners: "Why don't they get a house that's already painted?". Speaking of the Mariners, the movie includes plenty of All-Star cameos including Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Lou Pinella, Mickey Tettleton("Welcome to the Big Leagues, kid"), Paul O'Neill, Tim Raines, and 3 Puerto Ricans: Carlos Baerga, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Ivan Rodriguez. What other movie can match that?
3) A League of Their Own (1992) (dir. Penny Marshall)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Lori Petty, David Strathairn
*Nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards
*The best ensemble cast in any Baseball Movie. The story of the All-American Girls Baseball League, centered on 2 sisters who play for the Rockford Peaches, but are later separated because of some sisterly fighting. The team is coached by Jimmy Duggan(Tom Hanks), who, at first, doesn't take the job seriously, but later comes to respect the team, and their leader, Dottie Hinson(Geena Davis).
*Contains one of the greatest quotes in film history: "There's no crying in Baseball!". The deciding game of the World Series makes for a great ending. I've watched the movie a million times, and I still don't know if Dottie intentionally drops the ball when Kit runs her over at the plate for the winning run.
2) Bull Durham (1988) (dir. Ron Shelton)
Starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Robert Wuhl, Trey Wilson
*Oscar nominee for Best Original Screenplay
*A Fabulous Screenplay! Easily the most quotable Baseball Movie ever. Some examples: "I believe in the church of baseball." "Well, he f*cks like he pitches, sorta all over the place." "Don't think. It can only hurt the ball club." "Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring. Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls, it's more democratic."
*Great performances from the 3 main stars. Great take on the minor league experience. Great Love Story, as well. It's #2 on this list, but make no mistake about it, this is one of my favorite movies ever!
1) Major League (1989) (dir. David S. Ward)
Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Wesley Snipes, Rene Russo, James Gammon, Margaret Whitton, Dennis Haysbert, Bob Uecker
*Great Ensemble Cast. More of a straight comedy than Bull Durham, but it also includes an interesting love story. The best representation of a Major League clubhouse of any Baseball Movie. Has the advantage of the R rating that Little Big League doesn't have. It also presents Spring Training to perfection. I can't think of any other Baseball Movie that does that. Magical ending. Introduced the trend of Major League closers entering the game with their own theme music, á la "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn.
*Most importantly, this is one of the funniest movies of all time, with one of my favorite movie quotes ever: "Juuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed". Bob Uecker as Harry Doyle takes the comedy in this movie to a whole other level. Because of this, its "repeat viewing" factor is slightly higher than Bull Durham, and for that reason mostly, I have it as my #1 Baseball Movie of all time. But these two films are classics, in my book, and I would totally understand if someone has Bull Durham as their #1.
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