The Slap Shot of Baseball

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2005)

Sure it's a cliché. Sure, there are no real surprises. But it's fun. Seeing the hapless Cleveland Indians, brought together as a team for the sole purpose of losing so many games the Indians can move to Florida, find a way to win with a manager who was selling tires before the season (James Gammon) with a catcher who's knees are shot (Tom Berenger) and a pitcher who was pitching in the California Penial League the year before. How did he get there? "I stole a car," Wild Thing Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) responds. That is the makeup of an "every-team" that is the Indians, and is enough to carry the movie from start to finish. Corbin Bernsin plays a cocky (what are the odds?) third baseman, Wesley Snipes is a speedy centerfielder, Dennis Haysbert is a Voodoo loving rightfielder, and Rene Russo makes her movie debut as the love interest of one of the ball players. The man who steals the movie, however, is Bob Uecker as the bumbling Indian's announcer, who is famous for the phrase "Juuuuuuuuuuuust a bit outside" for a pitch 4 feet off the plate. A true comedic role that narrates the movie and gives us a sense of following a team through it's season. A fun baseball movie, while not the best ever, still good fun.