The offseason can be tough on baseball fans. Why not get your baseball fix through the Silver Screen? All offseason long, check out “Friday Flicks” at lunchtime for a baseball movie review. Want to suggest a movie for review? Comment below with the title.
Last week‘s film was a baseball drama that was about as poignant and deep as a baseball movie could get. This week’s movie appears, at first blush, to be as far on the other side of the spectrum as one can get.
Major League (1989) was in theaters when I was 7 years old. As an “R” rated movie, there was no way I was allowed to see it. The title was one I’d certainly run across every once in awhile, but for some reason I assumed it was a slapstick comedy about a bunch of misfits. Sure, the team is made up of a bunch of misfits, but the story line is more than just slapstick and grabbed me from the beginning.
As a fan of the Minnesota Twins, it was hard not to chuckle when the catcher, with bad knees and sporting jersey number 7, was expected to be the team leader that would turn around the team with a perpetual losing record. The Cleveland Indians, put together with the intention of finishing last, are made up of has beens and never-should-bes. The new owner is a floozy who wants to move the team to Miami so she can enjoy the climate. When the misfits find out, they set out to spite her. Oh, and with Bob Uecker as the radio play-by-play announcer, the flick couldn’t get much better.
Is it a hit? I give it a homerun. It might be because I know I’m making up for lost time because I just saw the flick for the first time at so late a date. However, I really think it’s the combination of clever humor, quirky characters, and Cinderella drama that make this such an engaging story. Oh, and watching the Yankees get put back in their place.
Come back next week for a review of a kids’ movie that features the Minnesota Twins.