My FAVORITE baseball movie!

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2010)

MAJOR LEAGUE (1989) might not be especially deep or provocative or ethereal like such more regarded classics as THE NATURAL, BULL DURHAM, EIGHT MEN OUT, or FIELD OF DREAMS (how did the 80s produce so many good baseball movies?!), but in retrospect, MAJOR LEAGUE is most probably my favorite among the bunch just b/c it is so plain entertaining! While those other films try to go for the long ball and swing for the fences, MAJOR LEAGUE basically just tries to make contact and get on base! And it does it with great humor, grit, and palpable appeal!
The main reason MAJOR LEAGUE works is due to the casting, first and foremost the underrated Tom Berenger in one of his most accomplished film performances. Berenger totally carries ML as veteran, crafty, world-weary, womanizing catcher Jake Taylor, whose last chance at glory is upon him with a tryout with the Cleveland Indians, a franchise that hadn't been in a World Series since 1954. Berenger's laid-back, man's man appeal sets the tone of the film and everyone basically plays off of him. He's as effortless as the lead in ML as Kevin Costner was in his 80s baseball movies.
The diverse supporting cast is sublime: Charlie Sheen as closer Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, Corbin Bernsen as egotistical, media-schmoozing 3rd baseman Roger Dorn, scene-stealing James Gammon as scruffy, take-no-prisoners manager Lou Brown, Wesley Snipes as slick "Willie Mays" Hayes, Dennis Haysbert as voodoo-worshipping Pedro Cerrano, sexy Margaret Whitton as devious team owner Rachel Phelps (undercutting the team hoping it will lose so she can sell it for profit), enchanting Rene Russo as Jake's true love Lynn Wells, and last but not least Mr. Baseball Bob Uecker, used brilliantly in an all-too-welcome role as Indians announcer Harry Doyle.
The strength of ML is that it has a real "everyday" appeal that one doesn't find to often in movie comedies. It has a lot of (seemingly improvised) montage scenes of the team throughout the season and just random extras playing Indian fans in bars, at games, at work thrown in to give it a universal appeal; in this way, it allows the viewer to root for this underdog team along with them. But these scenes all feel REAL and the movie doesn't work without them.
Everything in ML is relatable to the viewer. The laughter comes from the reality of the situation and is not manipulative at all. Of all the baseball movies I've ever seen, ML feels like the one that gets the sport of BASEBALL right!