Doesn't strike out...yet

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2011)

Major League is not only a comedy film with numerous laughs, it proves itself to be one of the grand-daddies of baseball comedies. A League of Their Own and Bull Durham are also among the list although those are more towards the drama genre. I attend various minor league baseball games a year. Approximately twelve. I love them. Being a Chicagoan, I think I'd rather watch minor league teams than major league teams.
Some may call that strange, but I love the entertainment and the "close to home" feel provided by a minor league game. There are tons of events on the field to keep me interested, and I know pretty much every cop and concession stand employee there thanks to my father. It's an enjoyable time. I walk around most of the game, chat with various officers, it's a damn good time.
On with the film. I can discuss Minors vs. Majors in a separate blog. After the Cleveland Indians' owner dies, her husband Rachel (Whitton) inherits the team. She plans to make the team as poor as possible so they can move the team to Miami. To put it simply, she sabotages the team, the stadium, and everything else in various ways to assure a poor season.
The team is mainly made up of rookies like Willie "Mays" Hayes (Snipes), Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Sheen), and Jake Taylor (Berenger). They're acceptable players, but no where near as good as they should be.
One thing I really enjoyed and found worthwhile about Major League is the fact that we get closer into Jake Taylor's relationship life. It's good that all the fun doesn't take place on the field, and we get a wider variety and an in-depth look on one player's life. I would've liked to hear more about Lou Brown's (Gammon) career and more about some other players. But at least it's not all about on the field interactions.
Charlie Sheen, James Gammon, and Wesley Snipes were all great in the film. It's a little sad that Gammon died this past July, and news about it really didn't surface too much. Not looking at Gammon's filmography, I assume his career wasn't made up of too many more famous roles like his portrayal of Lou Brown.
Charlie Sheen was extremely hilarious in this film, but watching it only makes me more sad about he just continues to make an ass of himself to the media. His career is going straight into the ground as of now. In this film he was extremely handsome, but now his image makes him look older than he is, and his reputation is plummeting into the ground. Oh well, his role as Wild Thing was, say, WINNING.
Wesley Snipes is fantastic in this as well playing Willy "Mays" Hayes. He is absolutely funny, and a great addition to the cast. Too bad for him as well because since Snipes refuses to pay his taxes, he is in prison until 2013. I really enjoyed him in movies like Blade and Passenger 57.
What truly scares me is that this film has spawned two sequels. This kind of film can only be done well once, passably a second time, and pretty much end horrifically with a third film. Back to the Minors could easily make or break the franchise. Why make a sequel when Berenger and Sheen don't even return? It's all about the benjamins.
Major League can be summed up with a few statements. An enjoyable baseball comedy, a cast of greats, but a cast of people whose lives either ended tragically or just were forgotten.
Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo, James Gammon, Margaret Whitton, and Wesley Snipes. Diretded by: David S. Ward.