Product: A League of Their Own (Widescreen Edition) [VHS] (1992)
Rating: 4.0
This used to be my playground
Director Penny Marshall has one of the largest private collections of baseball memorabilia in the U.S.A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is the often amusing, sometimes touching biopic of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was organized in 1942. The story centers on two highly competitive sisters, teammates on the Rockford (IL) Peaches, and their disgruntled, uninterested manager, a former major league superstar who took to the bottle after a career-ending knee injury.After the country is combed for prospects, the fledgling AAGPBL is formed. During games, players must wear outfits with short skirts and are expected to flaunt their charms, but off the field they have to comport themselves like proper ladies. Some calculated publicity along with skillful ballplaying eventually turn the once struggling league into a moneymaking enterprise, but with the war winding down and all the men due home, the girls are expected to return to their former lives. As true competitors however, they won't simply pack it in and go away. Meanwhile, a very exciting season is coming to a close, with the Peaches battling the Racine (WI) Belles for the championship.Several actors enrich this film with talents they bring to otherwise minor roles. David Strathairn's earnest portrayal of a P.R. man who struggles to preserve the girls' league once WWII ends, Pauline Brailsford as prissy Miss Cuthbert, the laugh-out-loud one-liners of league scout Jon Lovitz, Ann Cusack's scatterbrained Shirley Baker, Tracy Reiner's touching performance as 'Betty Spaghetti' and Megan Cavanagh's ultra-shy power-hitting Marla Hooch are particular stand-outs.Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.(7.0) A League of Their Own (1992) - Tom Hanks/Geena Davis/Lori Petty/Jon Lovitz/Rosie O'Donnell/Madonna/David Strathairn/Garry Marshall/Bill Pullman/Téa Leoni/Harry Shearer (voice) (uncredited: David L. Lander)