Hollywood: The Top 10 Baseball Movies of All Time

[walter]

The Top 10 Baseball Movies of All Time

In keeping with the theme of the upcoming baseball season (ubiquitous steroid scandal notwithstanding) and the latest irreverent comedy from the Farrelly Brothers, Fever Pitch--about an obsessed Boston Red Sox fan (Jimmy Fallon) who finally finds real love (with Drew Barrymore) but has a tough time choosing between the two-- we felt it appropriate to countdown our 10 favorite baseball movies of all time.

There's a disclaimer: Before dismissing our list as blasphemous, it is important to bear in mind that it does not cover those baseball flicks from the Golden Age of Hollywood (1930-1969). If we did, there'd simply be no room for the more contemporary films, and that's no fun. So while this rule eliminates Pride of the Yankees from contending for the No. 1 spot, BASEketball has no excuse aside from the obvious. Drumroll please...

10. (tie) Rookie of the Year (1993) and Little Big League (1994)
Box score: These two movies are essentially a single entity. One cannot be mentioned without the other, and they were released within a year of one another. Although containing slight variations in their stories, they each incorporate the same central fantasy-laden theme: A young boy gets to live out his dream and join a big-league baseball club, only to find out it's not as great as he'd anticipated. Thomas Ian Nicholas (American Pie franchise) stars as the Chicago Cubs' pubescent pitcher in Rookie, and Luke Edwards as the Minnesota Twins' manager in Little Big League. Each movie lacks major star power--save for the late John Candy in Rookie as the Chicago Cubs' announcer--thus relying on the mini-sized big-leaguers to carry his respective film.
Why it makes the lineup: Each movie is not to be taken too seriously, and it makes that clear from the get-go. But they do succeed in adding a certain credibility to an otherwise far-fetched idea. In the process, they are both a lot of fun and superbly acted by teenagers acting out a generation's fantasy.
Type of hit: Infield single. While both these movies are lighthearted and easy to watch, they don't stack up to or have the longevity of the classics.

9. The Sandlot (1993)
Box score: Also released in 1993, the film centers around kids and baseball as well--only this time it's set in 1960s suburbia, where backyard baseball was to kids then what video games are to kids today. Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) is new to the neighborhood, but he's shy and doesn't exactly possess the requisite baseball skills to make him Mr. Popular. What ensues is an endearing tale of a shy, homely kid being befriended by the neighborhood favorite, with baseball folklore to fill in the gaps.
Why it makes the lineup: It's nostalgia done right. Anybody can touch upon these memories and use this movie as a retrospective to their childhood. And if a child is viewing it, chances are that it's being shown by his or her little league coach.
Type of hit: Line-drive single. While this may be viewed as a controversial pick by the purists, it accurately captured the goings-on of neighborhoods past and how baseball brought kids of all types together. Plus, it temporarily made the phrase "You play ball like a girl" a deeper insult than making fun of one's deceased relative.

8. 61* (2001)
Box score: Admitted baseball/Yankees buff Billy Crystal takes on the real events that transpired in 1961: A relatively unknown and reclusive Roger Maris (Barry Pepper, who eerily resembles Maris) became the most unlikely player to break the seemingly immortal home run record, previously held by Babe Ruth. Along the way, Crystal chronicles the rocky relationship between Maris and the more popular Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane), not to mention the naysayers and media pressure that Maris had to endure during that unforgettable season. The Babe was able to accomplish the feat in just 154 games while Maris eclipsed the number in 162, hence the asterisk in the title and the hearts of Maris detractors.
Why it makes the lineup: Crystal did both his beloved Yankees and Roger Maris justice. He showed an adeptness at being able to direct and objectively depict the periphery of what really went on throughout that tumultuous season.
Type of hit: Sharp single off the Green Monster at (Yankees rival Boston Red Sox') Fenway Park. This was a daring undertaking for both Crystal and HBO, who aired the movie--resulting in them all coming out on top.

7. Eight Men Out (1988)
Box score: Directed by John Sayles, the film tells the story of perhaps the darkest day(s) in baseball's storied history (if you don't count the current scandal in which the sport finds itself). During the 1919 World Series, the Chicago Black Sox took money to purposely butcher the series. Not two years later, the scandal was uncovered, and it resulted in bans for life for several members of the team, including the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (D.B. Sweeney).
Why it makes the lineup: Sayles blends his always-gritty style with a darker-than-dark subject matter to turn out a stellar period-type piece. The film also served as a launching pad for then-unknown actors who have since gone on to become today's stalwarts: John Cusack; Charlie Sheen; John Mahoney; and David Strathairn.
Type of hit: Ground-rule double. John Sayles is very deliberate when it comes to choosing films; luckily, he chose this one and gave it his signature stamp of approval. This was simply a (true) story that needed to be told.

6. A League of Their Own (1992)
Box score: While the boys are off fighting in World War II, the future of baseball is suddenly up in the air. Desperate situations call for desperate measures, so an embattled yet benevolent commissioner (there's that David Strathairn again) calls upon the women to fill the void, much to the dismay of...everyone. Both hilarity and poignancy follows, with an impressive cast of characters to boot: The Sisters Hinson (Geena Davis; Lori Petty), fast-talkin' friends Mae (Madonna; easily her best performance to date, which isn't saying much) and Doris (Rosie O'Donnell) and the rest of the gals are forced to put up with drunken has-been manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks).
Why it makes the lineup: Directed by the talented Penny Marshall, League is one of the more underrated movies of the '90s. It makes you root for the underdog team, the Rockford Peaches, as the nation at the time, took its time to warm up. Hanks nearly steals the film with perhaps his best comedic performance. His "There's no crying in baseball" scene is still one of the most hilarious of all time.
Type of hit: Double in the gap. Throw in the camaraderie of the team coupled with the chemistry of the actors, and you've got a full-blown crowd pleaser.

5. Bad News Bears (1976)
Box score: Quite possibly the quintessential example of the now-overdone underdog theme, Bad News Bears is the story of a makeshift little league team comprised of misfits. The late Walter Matthau, in a role not unlike Tom Hanks' in League, stars as the alcoholic coach of the team. The real star of the movie, however, was a precocious 13-year-old Tatum O'Neal, who, at the time, was reveling in her wild-child celebrity.
Why it makes the lineup: Disregarding the subsequent--and subpar--sequels, Bad News Bears seems to find its niche every time it resurfaces. There is something beneath the light tone of this movie that makes it reverberate because we all how competitive Little League baseball can be. Also, Matthau was superb in the role of the poor-schlub coach Morris Buttermaker (unequivocally one of the best names for a character ever), a part he seemed to have perfected throughout his entire career.
Type of hit: Double, just missing a home run. The splendor of Bears remains an enigma for some. But year after year, it oddly and undeniably seems to pick up more steam and rise from its cult status.

4. Field of Dreams (1989)
Box score: Kevin Costner stars as Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who hears voices. When he hears, "If you build it, he will come," he does just that, carving out a baseball field in his corn crops. But he's not crazy, we swear. It all makes sense because once built, the field quickly becomes the hot spot for all baseball players of yore, including, and most notably, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) from the 1919 Chicago Black Sox.
Why it makes the lineup: Widely recognized and hailed by the baseball community, the fantasy drama elicits and emancipates the dreamer in all of us and simultaneously solidifies baseball's glory days as something pure and innocent that can unite us in spirit. When Ray's deceased father plays catch with him, there is not a dry eye in the house.
Type of hit: Leadoff triple. While Costner has always been an acquired taste--with his "stoic" (to put it nicely) acting style--nobody can deny the man can make a baseball movie (see below). Not to mention rake in the money at the box office.

3. Bull Durham (1988)
Box score: Here's Costner again, but this time he turns in an entirely different performance, probably his best to date. He plays the jaded Crash Davis, a lifelong Minor League catcher, whose hired by the Durham Bulls to mold a hot-headed young pitcher (Tim Robbins). Crash schools the newbie on life both on--and off--the field, as they both end up vying for the attention of Bulls groupie Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon), who may or may not be messing with their heads.
Why it makes the lineup: This predecessor to his more widely appealing baseball flick, Field of Dreams, is raw where Dreams is sappy. (Costner later tried to make it a baseball-movie trifecta with 1999's For Love of the Game, but failed miserably.) While the consensus sentimental favorite of Major League Baseball players might be Dreams, they would probably be quick to add that Durham captures life in the Minors succinctly: It's not glorious and it's not glamorous, but it just might be more fun than life in the Majors.
Type of hit: Bases-clearing triple. Funny and authentic without being verbose, Bull Durham is a minor (League) miracle and a major (League) achievement in filmmaking.

2. Major League
Box score: "Jeeeuuuusssst a bit outside," is just one of the endless quotable lines to emanate from this classic baseball farce. Yes, it's another worst-to-first sports movie, but it's also the Mount Everest of the genre. A new owner (Margaret Whitton) wants to move the lowly and relatively obscure Cleveland Indians to Florida, a much more suitable place for her to enjoy her wealth and status. However, her lease has only one escape clause, poor attendance. So, she fields the worst team she can find, but looks on horrified, as they go from laughing stock to a force to reckoned with, winning the pennant.
Why it makes the lineup: Major League's got every single thing a sports movie should have: slapstick comedy, genuine sports drama, and fist-pumping yet plausible climactic scenes. The amazing ensemble cast doesn't hurt either: Charlie Sheen stars as a pitcher/criminal; Tom Berenger as a down-on-his-luck journeyman catcher; Corbin Bernsen plays the dubious third baseman Roger Dorn; Wesley Snipes, in his best role this side of White Men Can't Jump, as outfielder Willie Mays Hayes; and Dennis Haysbert (TV's 24) as the voodoo-worshiping outfielder Pedro Cerrano.
Type of hit: Inside-the-park home run. Major League is exciting and hilarious to the end, thus cementing its place in the hearts of baseball fans and cinephiles alike.

1. The Natural
Box Score: With a rich story line, a film-noir sensibility, deep yet troubled characters and period-piece nostalgia, The Natural is the Citizen Kane of baseball movies, hands down. Set in the 1930s, Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) rises from the throes of obscurity to become an affable Babe Ruthian-type figure. But true heroism doesn't come without its temptations, often ending tragically. Hobbs' tale is no exception, but even under the direst of circumstances, he's able to gain redemption.
Why it makes the lineup: The Natural unfolds like a storybook, complete with the giant hero figure at the forefront, characters to love and lessons to learn. But Redford's Hobbs is a hero with whom you can identify, as you watch his ascent to legendary status--seemingly Babe Ruth's kryptonite (had he been a real ballplayer), with his amicability. This one's really got it all, from a cinematic, movie-going perspective; it pieces together all the elements in storytelling and movie making to produce a wholly delectable piece of art.
Type of hit: World-Series clinching grand slam in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7, two outs and a full count. Redford has never been more subtle or charming, a true natural. Sure, it's just your heart getting the better of you, but the movie gets the better of your heart.


http://www.hollywood.com/features/t1/nav/5/id/2438933

[Joliet Jake]

Die Aufreihung ist sicher Geschmackssache - ein paar Filme fehlen (For love of the game, The Rookie, ...), ein paar kenne ich davon aber auch nicht.

"The Natural / Der Unbeugsame" kommt am Sonntag (zu einer idiotischen Zeit) im TV.
/rudi

[Limping Rocket]

Sollte jemand mal ne Liste aller Baseball-B-Movies erstellen:

Nr.1: Battlefield Baseball

[The Rock]

die Unbeugsamen war zwar cool aber meiner Meinung nach sind die Indianer von Cleveland (Major League) wirklich total klassisch. Einfach nur Baseball ohne Romanzen und Schnulzen usw. (okay eine kleine)

[wolk44]

die Unbeugsamen war zwar cool aber meiner Meinung nach sind die Indianer von Cleveland (Major League) wirklich total klassisch. Einfach nur Baseball ohne Romanzen und Schnulzen usw. (okay eine kleine)

der erste Teil ja, die Sequels sind ja aber leider nix

[wolk44]

habe mir den Film "Eight men out" zugelegt, da dieser ja gute Kritiken bekommen hat, muss allerdings sagen, dass ich ihn auesserst langweilig finde ( von der Qualitaet der DVD nicht zu reden)

[Joliet Jake]

"Mr 3000" ist technisch gut gemacht. Keine Fehler in der Übersetzung (Wenn man mal von der Verwechslung hits/HR auf dem Klappentext absieht).
Guter Soundtrack.
Kein Hammer, aber nette Unterhaltung.
/rudi

[A.B.]

habe mir den Film "Eight men out" zugelegt, da dieser ja gute Kritiken bekommen hat, muss allerdings sagen, dass ich ihn auesserst langweilig finde ( von der Qualitaet der DVD nicht zu reden)

Ich find ihn gut. Vielleicht lags aber auch daran dass ich die hälfte im engl. Original nicht verstanden hab.