A League of Their Own

Plot synopsis:
Elderly Dottie Hinson (Anne Cartwright) is a former player on the nation's first women's baseball league in the 1940s. As catcher for the Rockford Peaches, she helped break gender barriers and earn nationwide respect for herself and the teams. Recently widowed, she nervously prepares to attend a reunion with her former teammates, including her younger sister Kit, also a league player, who Dottie rarely sees. She arrives in New York, and ss she stands at the gate of Doubleday Field the memories flood back.In spring of 1943, the United States is at the height of its involvement in World War II. The draft has claimed the best talent from Major League Baseball, including Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Bob Feller. Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall), a candy bar mogul and MLB team owner, holds an owners' meeting to determine what they should do if the American and National Leagues deem it necessary to shut down. He enlists one of his marketing gurus, Ira Lowenstein (David Strathairn), to come up with a solution.Some time later, one of Harvey's talent scouts, Ernie Capadino (John Lovitz), comes to Willamette, Oregon, to a farm-based co-ed fastpitch softball league. This particular game has the home team, Lukash Dairy, down by one, with two men on and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. A young lady, Kit Keller (Lori Petty), is on deck. Before she goes to the plate, her sister, the aforementioned Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis), points out a gap in the infield that she can hit through, to tie or possibly win the game. She also warns Kit to lay off high fastballs, a pitch Kit claims to like but Dottie knows she can't hit yet. Sure enough, Kit swings at two fastballs, then takes a changeup right down the middle to strike out, drawing sneers from the crowd.When Dottie steps up to bat, she takes a ball inside, then swings at and hits a ball right in her wheelhouse, sending it to the outfield wall. As she stops at first, the two players on base score, and they win the game. Ernie takes note of her patience at the plate, and decides Dottie would be perfect for the league due to both her talent and her "dolly" good looks. Dottie is also married, with her husband Bob fighting overseas in the Pacific.Kit clearly has a rivalry with Dottie, believing that their parents (and the rest of the town) see her as inferior to her older sister. Dottie attempts to deny this, but she also has a competitive streak that urges her to outdo Kit. As they are milking the cows at their parents; farm, Ernie Capadino finds them and offers Dottie a tryout for the upcoming league. Dottie initially declines, but Kit desperately wants a chance to prove her talent. Ernie rebuffs Kit as he had seen her poor batting at the game, but Dottie explains that Kit is a great pitcher and it wasn't her turn to pitch that game. Ernie strikes a deal, offering Kit a tryout if Dottie attends too. Dottie eventually gives in.The next morning the sisters get a late start and must sprint after the moving train and jump aboard, meeting up with Ernie. En route to Chicago, the trio stops in Fort Collins, Colorado, to watch another girl, Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh), who is coached by her father, Dave (Eddie Jones). The tryout is in a gymnasium, where she hits several hard fastballs, breaking several windows, and also shows patience at the plate. She's even a switch hitter. Her father mentions that if she were a boy, he'd be talking to the Yankees. When she's done, and Ernie finally gets a look at her, he rejects her, because she is rather homely. The rejection angers both Dottie and Kit. Marla's father manages to convince Ernie to take her, claiming it's his fault she isn't "pretty" since her mother died when she was young, and he raised her alone as a tomboy.All four make it to Harvey Field for the tryout. Ernie leaves the girls to go try out, as he has more scouting work to do. The three come upon a group of girls, including Mae Mordabito (Madonna) and Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell). Mae and Doris look down on the new girls, and make an offhand claim that Dottie, Kit and Marla will be rejected. Kit takes offense to that, leading Mae to throw a ball hard at her head. Kit ducks, but before the ball gets to her, Dottie catches it barehanded, to Mae and Doris' astonishment.As the tryout is given, a radio program is played with a debutant deriding the idea of women's baseball, calling it the "masculinization of women". Kit tries out as a pitcher, while Dottie plays her usual position of catcher, and shows incredible talent with playcalling and catching girls stealing.Eventually girls are chosen, split into four teams of sixteen girls each. Dottie and Kit both end up on the same team, the Rockford Peaches, to play in Rockford, Illinois. Marla, Mae and Doris are also on the Peaches. Before the introductions, one girl is lingering at the board, looking helplessly at the team lists. One of the girls assigned to the Peaches, Helen Haley (Anne Ramsay), approaches the girl and gets her name, Shirley Baker (Ann Cusack). As it turns out, Shirley cannot read. Finding her name on the lists, not only has Shirley made it, she's also on the Peaches. Charlie Collins (Don S. Davis), who will manage the Racine Belles, welcomes them to the All-American Girls Baseball League. During the introduction, the girls find out that many stereotypes of women will be involved. The "uniforms" feature short skirts that will make sliding very tricky, and all the girls will have classes at charm and beauty schools, in addition to their daily lives being monitored by chaperones. Lowenstein interjects to their protests, and insists that the rules be followed.One of these beauty school classes for the Peaches is shown, especially Marla's difficulties going through it. During a grading of their style, several girls are given stern suggestions to change their look. Dottie and Kit do not need such suggestions. The recommendation for Marla: "a lot of night games".Meanwhile, Walter Harvey is back at his mansion, doing business with former MLB player Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks). He asks the former player if he is still an alcoholic, but he implies he is when he can afford it. Harvey complains, since Dugan's playing career ended because of an alcohol-induced incident that left him with a blown-out knee. Harvey offers Dugan a manager position in the new girls baseball league, to give the league a name to cheer for while the girls play.In the clubhouse for their first game, the Peaches are getting ready, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of their famous manager. One of the girls, Betty Horn (Tracy Reiner), has her husband's baseball card of Dugan, hoping to get it autographed. Dugan arrives drunk, walks through the clubhouse to the bathroom, and proceeds to urinate right in front of the ladies. He takes so long, Mae actually starts timing him. When he's done, he leaves the clubhouse, ripping up Betty's baseball card along the way, leaving her in tears. The other girls are worried about not having a lineup. When Dottie stands and suggests making a lineup shouldn't be so hard, Mae and Doris challenge her to make the lineup herself. Dottie immediately names Mae the leadoff hitter, playing centerfield, to Mae's satisfaction.When they come out for the game's introductions, the guys in the stands catcall them mercilessly. The Peaches determine to suck it up and prove their mettle on the field in their first game, against the South Bend Blue Sox. During the introductions, a guy jumps up on top of one of the dugouts and makes fun of the players. The shortstop, Ellen Sue Gotlander (Freddie Simpson), throws the ball at his head, knocking him silly. The game goes on, and in the bottom of the ninth inning, Dottie hits a 3-0 pitch for a three-run home run to win the game for the Peaches. After the game, Lowenstein chastizes Jimmy for napping during the entire game.A second newsreel plays, exhibiting the new women's baseball league, and profiling several of the players for the Peaches. The end fades back to color as another game ends with Marla, Ellen Sue and Helen turning a 4-6-3 double play to lock up another win for the Peaches. After the game, another of the players, Evelyn Gardner (Bitty Schram), asks Jimmy if she can take her son, Stilwell, on the team's road trips.Cut to a scene of the road trip, with Stilwell (Justin Scheller) running up and down the aisle of their bus and distracting the bus driver, running him off the road. He stops the bus, quits, and storms off. The team chaperone, Miss Cuthbert (Pauline Brailsford), chases him, trying to convince him to stay, but to no avail. As she's away, some of the girls reveal a scheme to Dottie to sneak off to a roadhouse during their road trip. Mae plans to give Miss Cuthbert food poisoning to get away with it. Miss Cuthbert returns, and wakes up Jimmy (who was napping) to drive the bus. In a drunken haze, he blindly grabs and kisses Miss Cuthbert, but screams when he realizes who he's kissing.Sure enough, that night, Miss Cuthbert is ill, and as a doctor makes a house call, Mae, Doris, Kit, Marla and most of the team sneak to the road house, dancing all night. Eventually Dottie makes her way to the roadhouse to warn them that Lowenstein is on his way to find them. Marla lags behind--she had gotten drunk, and ended up falling in love with a patron named Nelson (Alan Wilder). It's clear the attraction is mutual, and Nelson offers to take Marla home himself.The next morning, the girls go to church. Mae went to confession and told the preacher "everything", leaving the man of the cloth stunned. That night, Jimmy takes batting practice alone with a pitching machine, drunkenly complaining to himself about his job.The next game is against the Racine Belles. Jimmy is reading a paper instead of watching the game, so Dottie is taking it upon herself to manage the team. Mae gets a hit to left-center, and stretches it into a triple. Jimmy sees Dottie giving signals to Marla, who is next to bat. Dottie is suggesting a squeeze play. Jimmy would prefer that Marla, their best hitter, swing away at the ball, and sends Marla his own signals. After a brief war of signals, Jimmy tells Dottie to stop, that he's the manager. Dottie retorts he should start acting like one. Jimmy takes over, and with his play, Marla gets a run-scoring hit. Jimmy is impressed, but still doesn't think the girls are "real" ballplayers.In another bus ride, their superstitious left fielder, Alice Gaspers (Renee Coleman), tells everyone to cross their fingers as they pass a cemetery. Mae is shown teaching Shirley how to read, using a romantic novel. Shirley is surprised when she realizes what she is reading. Evelyn is writing a song about the league. Doris tells Betty about her on-and-off boyfriend, Charlie, who puts her down because she plays baseball. But now that she sees how many girls can play, she no longer sees a problem with it. After that, she tears up and throw away the photograph of Charlie she was showing around.In the next game, against South Bend, the Blue Sox finish the top of the sixth inning having tied the game. Jimmy cuts down Evelyn for throwing home instead of hitting a cut-off man on what should have been a single, allowing a runner on second and eventually letting two runs score. His yelling leaves her crying, and he ends up yelling at her a second time, telling her how "there's no crying in baseball". He relates a story about how he was once verbally abused by famous manager Rogers Hornsby, and didn't cry himself. The umpire comes over and suggests he treat his players more gently. This leads Jimmy to insult the umpire, getting himself ejected from the game.The next game is at Racine, and barely anyone shows up. Lowenstein arrives and tells the Peaches that Life Magazine is there to do an article about the league, and Dottie is going to be their profile feature. He also reveals that the owners have threatened to shut the league down due to dismal attendance. The girls do not want to go back to their old lives. Dottie decides to do something: on a routine foul pop-up, she does a split to make the catch, impressing the crowd and getting the photographers for Life a cover picture for the issue.A montage of scenes through the middle of the season then plays out, with various plays and several fan promotions. Slowly the games bring in more and more fans. During the montage, it is shown that Marla has married Nelson, and leaves the team for the rest of the year.During another bus ride, Dottie and Jimmy talk about themselves, particularly her husband Bob, who is in Europe but has been out of contact for a while. A key game is played, and Kit is getting tired on the mound in the final inning. During the game, Walter Harvey has a meeting with Ira Lowenstein, revealing he intends to close the league at the end of the season. Ira challenges Walter to give him the reigns of the league and let him continue the league himself. Before facing the final batter, Jimmy and Dottie visit the mound, and Dottie decides that Kit is finished. Jimmy sends an angry Kit to the dugout and calls Ellen Sue in to finish the game.After the game, Doris jokes to Kit that she's getting "too big" to finish her own games. This gets Kit mad, and she throws her glove at Doris, then tackles her. Jimmy has to break them up, and tosses Kit in the showers. Afterward in the clubhouse, Kit yells at Dottie, feeling like she's being held back. Kit feels like she's at home, like she's always second-best behind Dottie. That night, Lowenstein finds Dottie lingering in the clubhouse. Dottie says she is finished with baseball, not wanting to deal with Kit's jealousy. Lowenstein offers Dottie a trade instead.That night, an irate Kit reveals she's been traded to the Racine Belles. Dottie wanted herself to be traded, but Kit figured Lowenstein would never do that, because Dottie was the star of the Peaches. The argument continues in Kit's room. Dottie remarks that the only reason she joined was to get Kit in the league in the first place. Kit asks why she's still there, then. Dottie leaves, allowing Kit to pack.A few days later, the team is getting ready for another game, singing the song Evelyn wrote. Jimmy enters the clubhouse, revealing that he gets a bonus if they win the game and make it to the World Series. After some ribbing from Doris, a Western Union delivery man arrives with a telegram from the War Department, silencing the clubhouse. He reads the telegram stating that one of the team members' husbands has been killed in action. However, he turns to leave because the telegram isn't on his delivery list. Jimmy has to rip the telegram from the delivery boy's hands, not wanting the spectre of not knowing who lost their husband to distract them from the game. He reads the telegram, and gives it to Betty, who has to be helped out in tears.That night, Dottie is in her room, crying because she does not know the fate of Bob. Suddenly, a knock on the door, and it opens to reveal her husband, Bob Hinson (Bill Pullman), walking with a cane. He was shot by a sniper, which was why he was out of contact. They have a tearful reunion. The next morning, as the rest of the team prepares to head to Racine to begin the World Series, Dottie decides to retire. Before she leaves with Bob, Jimmy warns her that she would regret the decision to leave so hastily.The Belles and the Peaches split the first six games, leading up to a Game 7 in Racine. Jimmy, concerned about his team's chances and getting constantly heckled by Stilwell, leads a rare (and somewhat irreverent) locker room prayer vigil with the team. During warmups, Jimmy tells the replacement catcher to let him know of the first sign of tiring by Ellen Sue, who has taken over full-time as pitcher. The catcher reveals herself to be Dottie. Half-way to Oregon, she realized she had to finish the season out, and returned just in time for the decisive game. Bob was in the stands for the game, cheering her on. Although Alice had been playing in her place at catcher, he allows Dottie into the game to play. Her attitude gives Jimmy a renewed confidence that they just might win the game, and the series.The game plays out scoreless until the bottom of the eighth, when Evelyn again fails to throw a cut-off on a grounder to the outfield, allowing the Belles to score a run. Although they are now behind, 1-0, Jimmy manages to keep his cool to Evelyn, pointing out strainingly that she needs to work on her fielding before next season.The Peaches attempt to mount a comeback in the top of the ninth, leaving it up to Kit to pitch the Belles to victory. Mae starts it off with an infield single. Doris follows that with a flyball single to center, moving Mae to second. Evelyn hits a sacrifice bunt to advance Mae and Doris, getting out one. Helen gets squeezed, and grounds out to first base for out two. Dottie comes to the plate, and hits a line drive right at Kit's head, forcing her to duck. Mae and Doris score, giving the Peaches a 2-1 lead. After getting Ellen Sue to fly out to end the inning, Kit returns to the dugout crying, but she has to compose herself, because she will need to hit if the Belles want to win now.In the bottom of the ninth, one of the Belles' players gets a hit, giving Kit a shot to win the game for the Belles. Dottie reminds Ellen Sue to feed Kit high fastballs. Sure enough, Kit swings at the first two. But she gets a lucky shot on the third one, connecting and driving it into the rightfield gap. The Belles runner makes it home to tie thegame, but Kit decides to win the game herself, trying for an inside-the-park home run. Evelyn hits the cut-off this time, and Dottie gets the ball in time. Kit runs into Dottie, knocking the ball loose and touching home plate, winning the game for the Belles, 3-2. At the end of the game, Harvey comes up to Lowenstein, and agrees to keep the league running.After the game, Kit is signing some autographs, reveling in her growing fame. She encounters Dottie, and apologizes for running into her. Dottie assures her it's just part of the game. Dottie is about to return to Oregon with Bob, but Kit wants to stay in Racine and get an offseason job while waiting to play next year. Dottie confirms that she is indeed retiring. Kit insists Dottie will miss being in the league, and laments that Dottie is leaving right when she wants her to stay.When everyone prepares to leave, Jimmy finds his way to Dottie, who finally introduces him to Bob. Jimmy reveals that Harvey offered him a job managing a Triple A minor-league team in Wichita. He turned it down, deciding to remain the manager of the Peaches. Before Kit gets on her bus to leave for home, she and Dottie have one more playful shouting match, with Dottie insisting that Kit lay off the high fastballs.The scene fades back to the present day, with Dottie again at Doubleday Field. Doris (Vera Johnson) and Mae (Eunice Anderson) are the first to recognize her, and confirm it by throwing a baseball at her, which she again catches with her bare hands, even though she's now in her seventies. She reunites warmly with her teammates. Among them, Helen (Barbara Pilavin) became a doctor, and Ellen Sue (Eugenia McLin) married a plastic surgeon. Among others, she also met with Shirley (Barbara Erwin), Betty (Betty Miller) and Alice (Shirley Burkovich). Marla (Patricia Wilson) reveals herself; Nelson had recently handed his business to their son. It's here that Dottie reveals that Bob had died the previous winter. During their reunion, another former player (real-life women's baseball player Dolores "Pickles" Lee-Dries) points Dottie out to a reporter, saying that though "she only played one year", she was still the best player the league had ever seen.Afterward, a ceremony is held in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Prior to the ceremony for their exhibit, Dottie meets with Stilwell (Mark Holton), who notes that his mother, Evelyn, died two years before. She also finds a placard for Jimmy Dugan (who had also passed). The Women in Baseball exhibit is opened by Ira Lowenstein (Marvin Einhorn) himself, since he was the one that kept the league going as long as it did. During the opening, Dottie looks through the exhibit, and eventually finding herself before a picture of herself and Kit. It is here that she is found by Kit (Kathleen Butler), who enters with her husband, children and grandchildren. Kit quickly finds and reunites happily with Dottie.During the credits, an "Old Timers' Game" is played at Doubleday Field. The last scene is one of the women arguing a questionable strike call with the home plate umpire.

Tags: dramatic, cult, boring, entertaining, flashback

Review:
Sounds silly, but this was the movie that reminded me to stay strong, at the time when women were expected to stay in the kitchen, as hard as they had to work for it, there was a women's baseball league during WWII.
More and more people show up and the league becomes a huge success.The acting is absolutely superb, we have actors on top of their game, Tom Hanks who delivers the memorable "There's no crying in baseball!" speech.
Little did I know as a child that a professional women's baseball league even existed.That just goes to prove what little recognition these ladies have gotten over the years.This film finally pushes them over the top in terms of getting that recognition.Excellent perception and direction by Penny Marshall here in recreating this long ago time;a time of war when the nation needed the simple pleasures of life more than ever,to help them escape,at least temporarily,the horrors of the goings on overseas.With most of the male professional ball players overseas,our beloved women were called upon to fill the void,and boy did they ever fill it!It makes me wish, in some ways,that I could have been there to see it all.A fine comic performance here by Tom Hanks,as Jimmy Dugan, the somewhat reluctant and ignorant(at least,at first) manager of the Rockford Peaches.
Seeing Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna in one film is fantastic.
After I watched it, for some strange reason I felt I'd watched an extended episode of "Laverne & Shirley" but this is great for the comedy!Tom Hanks was magnificent with all the comic touches that endear him to so many of us.The older version of Dottie at the beginning and ending of the story is NOT Geena Davis made up to look older - neither are any of the other ladies!
An excellent casting decision was made to have older actresses play these parts - Lynn Cartright was chosen to play Dottie (Geena Davis) in her late 60's and she was a dead-ringer for Geena!Watch for Tea Leoni (as Racine Belles 1st-base player), Eddie Mekka (Carmine on "Laverne & Shirley" - he dances with Madonna!) and David L.
However, for me the ignorance of the baseball rules is not important, but the fact of that the subjects treated in this movie are universal: fight for a dream and achieve it, solidarity (how beautiful the scene when one of the players teaches to read the one who doesn't know, using a "little hot" short-novel), friendship, hope, dignity and the spirit of trying to be always better.
Although Geena Davis was quite good as Dottie, the two best performances came from two actors I had not previously heard of, Jon Lovitz in the cameo role of Ernie Capadino, and Lori Petty as Kit, who brought out the fierce determination and will to win of her character.
Set at the start of World War 2, Geena Davis and Lori Petty are recruited to the first professional baseball league for women.
The sisters struggle to keep the league going against the odds, while their own personal rivalry begins to escalate.I don't pretend to know much about baseball, so if this element is poor i wouldn't really notice, but i did feel that it was a good setting for the story.Quite touching and well directed, i was surprised how compelling this movie was.
'A League of Their Own' is a film about an all-female baseball team during the second World War. This film follows the stories about the team of females and their perspective on life and society (as women) during this time in history.
By the very end, with the inevitable look at the contemporary women (who are played by actresses, don't be fooled into thinking they are the real deal), it gets moving but in that pushy way that makes you kind of glad the film is finally ending.Too bad.
Rosie O'Donnell is a real chore stomping about on the field, but Geena Davis and Lori Petty (as competitive sisters) are genuinely charming, shrewdly cast and nearly flawless (a movie about them alone would be worth watching).
As a sports fan, it's fun to see a film of a little different nature, the case here being women's pro baseball - something that actually took place for a short time during World War II.The best thing going for the film, in my opinion, was a very likable lead character - someone you could really root for - in Geena Davis' character "Dottie Hinson." She made the movie, as far as I was concerned as the rest of the cast - although good - was not particularly likable.For instance, Tom Hanks plays a profane, drunken manager, and not a lot of laughs except for famous, "There is no crying in baseball" line which has become famous.
Many of the men in here are generally pictured as sexist idiots, which is the way left-wing Hollywood likes to portray men.The sad thing is, this is another one of the these Penny Marshall films that ignorant national movie critics call a "family film." However, profanity - which includes four blasphemes (even one by Davis which ruined her good-person character image at that point), a two-minute scene of hearing Hanks taking a pee....and other things hardly add up to "family fare."However, it is an entertaining adult movie that has a lot of charm to it and is recommended, especially if you're a baseball fan..
In my opinion everything about this movie was great, The plot was awesome, the acting was perfect, just the right amount of happy tears, sad tears, laughter, and the fact that it is based on actual events, and baseball (baseball is my favorite sport) and that it is really about women proving to people that they can do everything men can do.
The ladies like Lynn Cartwright et al were not only brilliantly cast as older look-a-likes but they simply WERE the younger actresses 40 years later.The film is paced well with excellent timing and begins in 1943 went the men went to war.
I realize it's a little late to be commeting on a movie thats thirteen years old, but I didn't see it till recently, so whether it's proper, or not, I feel like I need to comment on it because it's such a wonderful movie.Every lady who played in the movie, played their parts with perfection.Maddona, Lori Pettie, Rosie O'Donnell, and Geena Davis, of course stole the show, but without the support of the multi talented rest of the cast, as well as the stunt people, they couldn't have pulled it off.And let us not forget Tom Hanks, character, as the teams manager, who started out as being a misanthropic idiot, but as the movie progressed,he gradually became a relatively tolerable human being.
Only Hanks could have pulled this character off with such an air of perfection.I think one reason for this film being such a wonderful, interesting, entertaining, and watchable movie, is the fact that Penny Marshall directed it.
There are lots of good character arcs, particularly the two sisters, Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty), and the washed up has-been, Jimmy Dugan, played by Tom Hanks with about 2 stone extra on him for the role.
The film had enough to keep my interest for the duration, but not enough to make me think "Wow, I've just seen a great movie"  There is little in the way on conflict for the talented cast to act around.
When I first seen this film for the first time I thought it was neat that women were playing baseball professionally.
This movie just proves that women can be just as good at sports as men are.During World War two a lot of jobs became available to women, including baseball.
While it isn't a perfect film, it is a nice little enjoyable flick for a Sunday afternoon - you could do worse.When the men were shipped off to fight in World War II, there wasn't anyone left to play baseball.
Fearing financial losses, women were hired to fill in for the men's absence - forming major and minor league teams and putting on games like the boys did.This is based on a true story and stars Geena Davis as the main character.
Tom Hanks plays her alcoholic coach, who has trouble accepting his position as a women's coach - he kind of resents the idea of coaching females in general.Madonna has a co-star role as one of the baseball players, and it was her name on the credits that really helped make this a success back in '92 - without her it wouldn't have been quite as marketable.The cast is overall pretty good.
I'm only 17 but this is my favourite film ever , i live in UKand don't even like baseball but i love this film and watch it all the time , i think all the actors/ actresses are great!!!!!.
I think the casting was great and Gena Davis did a great job and Rosie o Donnell was very fun and they are all really good at playing baseball as well.
Its also appropriate because director Penny Marshall seems to want to make a nostalgic womens baseball movie but also a comedy, a drama, a statement and a tribute.
Geena Davis plays Dottie Hinson, a loving sister who has some troubles with her younger sister, Kit, and struggles on making decisions of wether she should stay in baseball team (Rockford Peaches) or go back to her home with her husband who just came back from World War II with broken arm(or was it a leg?).
Jimmy Dugan is probably one of Tom's best characters so far.Another great performance by Lori Petty, who played Geena Davis' sister, Kit. Kit is a very good player, but she gets jealous of Dottie and eventually joins another team called Racines.
Various women from all over come to participate, although the movie mostly focuses on Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis), Mae Mordabito (Madonna), and the manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks).I've never really been a baseball fan, so maybe I'm not the right person to be reviewing this movie, but I thought that it was pretty well done.
A humorous look at a woman's professional baseball league during World War II, A League of Their Own follows the lives of Dottie (Geena Davis) and her kid sister Kit (Lori Petty) as they try out for and make the Rockford Peaches, one of the four teams in the league just for women.
This movies shines for people like Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and even Rosie O'Donnell shows she had talent before she became the angry lesbian that she is now.
Based on a true story, 'A League Of Their Own' follows the first season of the A.A.G.P.B.L., or the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.When a large percentage of the pro baseballers are sent to fight in World War II, a girls teams are set-up in a pro league to entertain the crowds.A whole host of stars unite to bring to live real people: Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks, Academy Award Nominee Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Lovitz and Megan Cavanaugh are just a few, who all put in exceptional performances.This movie is funny, sad, moving and a thrilling ride from start to finish.
What I found upon doing that is a movie that starts off quite slowly and seems a bit "low-rent", but then builds and builds to an emotional experience and ending.For a basic plot summary, "League" tells the story of of the Rockford Peaches, a team in the first ever Women's Professional Baseball League (organized during WWII with most of the men professionals overseas).
It focuses primarily on the contentious relationship between sisters Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty), as well as featuring some great banter between characters played by Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna.
i was shocked when I looked in the credits and found out it was not the same actress.Jimmy Dugan ( Tom Hanks) played as a coach - it was strange I think because he was a supporting character and added some comical and seriousness moments to the film.
)Last comments - I liked the film Dottie and Kit had great sibling history going on there - they had each others backs / loved each other / laughed together / cried together / played baseball together / argued together and were a family.
Really compelling characters by almost everyone on the team where they're all real characters and not just a handful of main characters and the rest being just glorified extras like how it normally goes.While the movie has a very ensemble feel to it, it still mostly focuses on Geena Davis and Lori Petty playing sisters.
Tom Hanks and Geena Davis lead the movie, with their talents as dramatic actor and actress, and also comic styles.It's a must watch, for anyone interested in good dramas, and movies that touch not only the soul and heart, but also really mean something in the end.One of the best films to ever come out..
Of all the baseball movies I have had the pleasure of watching, this one was one of the better ones, and clearly ranks up there with "Field of Dreams" and "Pride of the Yankees".With Tom Hanks as a washed-up has-been who gets another chance at baseball through managing a girls professional baseball team during World War II, Geena Davis and Lori Petty as dueling siblings who make the team in tryouts at what clearly looks like Wrigley Field in Chicago, coupled with Jon Lovitz as the eccentric scout, Madonna as the resident tart and Rosie O'Donnell as the smart-mouthed member of the team, you just know you that are in for a treat.
Plenty of laughs, a struggling bond between the sisters (Petty and Davis), Hanks "no crying in baseball" speech, Marla Hooch's blossoming and her father's big heart, the grown-up "Stillwell Angel", best use of Jon Lovitz in a film ever, former "Laverne & Shirley" cast-member spotting, the little asides.
Add to this, a drunken has been manager, played by Tom Hanks in one of his best roles, and you have a movie you can watch and never tire of.
i can't remember the first time i had seen this film, but i know that it will always remain one of my favorites and can bring a tear to my eye.a perfect movie starring Tom Hanks, in his funner care free days, Gina Davis, Rosie O'Donnel, Madonna, in one of her better acting days, and more...all giving great, heartfelt performances...This film has it all, comedy, drama, action and romance.
It shows us the power of regret and the power of love.Best of all, this film features Madonna's classic, This used to be my playground in it's full version....a touching ending to a great movie..
WWII establishes the opportunity for women, such as Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty), her sister, to compete in professional baseball, as portrayed in Penny Marshall's `A League of Their Own' (1992).
I still pull this movie out when I want a good laugh (and cry--the scene where Geena Davis is sobbing alone in her room gets me every time).
I *finally* got to see this film and it was a really fun movie.The idea of women playing baseball (and playing well) is a great thing to portray.
A Baseball Coming Of Age Story For Women - But Men Will Enjoy It Too. There's nothing particularly earth-shattering in this movie, which offers a heavily fictionalized account of the goings on in the "All American Girls Professional Baseball League" - a real baseball league formed during the Second World War as a means of keeping interest in the game alive while some of its biggest stars were fighting overseas.There are some good performances to be found here.
Tom Hanks - reunited with Director Penny Marshall (they worked together previously on "Big") offered his usual high calibre performance as Jimmy Dugan - an alcoholic ex-baseball star who (against his will) is assigned to manage the Rockford Peaches.
Geena Davis was great as Dottie Hinson, the Peaches catcher and - as Dugan describes her - "the best player in the league." I was also impressed by Lori Petty as Kit Keller, Dottie's little sister.
Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell are make excellence performances with Penny Marshall directing the film.
Madonna and Rosie O'Donnel bring enlightening humor to the film and Lori Petty plays Dottie's annoying kid sister Kit perfectly.
great cast, and it always bring tears in my eyes everytime i watched Geena Davis and Lori Petty hugging in the end of World Series...and of course when the old character meet again...subtle and touching...and i am a guy, you know what i mean....i love every moment of it, i love every cast in it, Penny Marshall should do some more like this, i hope so....
Penny Marshall directed an interesting movie about a long-forgotten women's baseball league."A League of Their Own" had a very strong plot, a great script, and excellent acting.
Every time I watch it with someone who has never seen it, they exclaim, "What good makeup work they've done!", thinking that they just made up Geena Davis and Lori Petty.
Geena Davis and Madonna were terrific as well as Tom Hanks, Rosie O'Donnell and Lori Petty.
It is a movie about the AAGPBL (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League) team named the Rockford Peaches.
Add Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty and Rosie O'Donnell, none of whom I find overly compelling and you have to pay me (bigtime) to get in front of the screen.So much for prejudging-- I enjoyed this sweet little film immensely.Penny Marshall's work has at times been uneven, but she hits a home run here.
A good film about the forgotten women's baseball league.