Best baseball movie ever
I caught Bull Durham on TV last night; do you realize that movie is almost 20 years old?! It’s hard not to notice, since Kevin Costner has hair. I think the film has stood the test of time, though. Costner’s great lines are delivered with humor tinged with the wistfulness of someone who knows the end of his career is near, and that he will never make “the show” (save for a two-week callup). Tim Robbins plays a perfect idiot (of course, he doesn’t really need to act), and Susan Sarandon is slightly cloying but overall great as the community college literature teacher/town slut. In my estimation, it is the best baseball movie ever. What do our contributors think are the best baseball movies? Here is my list*, respectfully submitted, Douglas C. Neidermeyer, Sargeant-at-Arms:
*I have never seen Fear Strikes Out or Bang the Drum Slowly so don’t include either though it seems many if not most people would.
1) Bull Durham
2) The Rookie - You just couldn’t make Jim Morris’ story up, it is too improbable. Dennis Quaid does a great job as a guy who can’t believe what’s happening any more than those around him.
3) Major League - Just hilarious; Berenger, Sheen and Snipes had a great chemistry.
4) Eight Men Out - A good portrayal of some immoral behavior and a lot more morally ambiguous behavior. Also an appropriately (in my view) sympathetic portrayal of Shoeless Joe Jackson.
5) Field of Dreams - I can’t believe Kevin Costner has two entries in the top five of anything, but hey, there it is.
6) Pride of the Yankees - Just for the moving goodbye speech.
7) The Bad News Bears - Matthau played to type, and you have to love a team sponsored by Chico’s Bail Bonds.
8) 61* - A little trite but still a well done tribute to Roger Maris, whom New York never really forgave for the sin of not being Mickey Mantle.
9) A League of Their Own - Jon Lovitz had the simple, droll line that still makes me laugh - “Well. This would be more then, wouldn’t it.” Tom Hanks before he started taking himself too seriously, Rosie O’Donnell before she became a tragic anti-hero (or, clinically speaking, a nut job), Madonna before her appeal dwindled to drag queens looking for an alternative to Cher.
10) Brewster’s Millions - A sentimental pick for Richard Pryor. Plus I often get to cite it professionally, given the propensity of so many companies to spend millions on various things yet have nothing to show for it (The Daimler Chrysler deal made Monty Brewster look like an amateur at squandering money).
May 30th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Vote 1 for Major League…..Simply rife with bits and pieces that would become part of Americana…..
?? Should I feel somewhat out of the loop if I am not totally clear on the Daimler Chrysler analogy…???
May 30th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
sorry, let me explain. no, there is no time; let me sum up: roughly a decade ago Daimler Benz paid $36 billion to purchase Chrysler, and they just sold it to a private equity firm for essentially zero. So they burned money even faster than Monty Brewster.
May 31st, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I’ve gotta go only with baseball movies I’ve seen - thus eliminating from consideration some likely notables such as “Field of Dreams”, “Pride of the Yankees”, and “61*”… as well as “Fear Strikes Out” and “Bang the Drum Slowly”. In the interest of full disclosure, though, it should also be noted that I’d have a hard time including the Yankee-related themes - whatever that may say about me, so be it.
1) Major League - it’s a tough, tough call for me, but Manager Lou Brown puts this movie over the top for me. So many quotable lines, as we all know. Bob Uecker was beyond outstanding. And the winning run scoring on a bunt… nice twist. “I look like a fucking banker!”
2) Bull Durham - I take no issue with anyone putting this #1. Good story, so many quotable/memorable lines. The first three things that come to mind: (a) the lollygagging rant, concluding with the 8-15 record “… how’d we ever win eight.” (b) “Who are you?” “I’m the Player-To-Be-Named-Later.” (c) The meeting at the mound to decide what to get Jimmy for a wedding gift. Terrific, terrific movie… but Lou Brown gives “Major League” the edge, in my mind.
3) Long Gone - maybe it’s just that the first time I saw it, I was at the right age to fall hard for Virginia Madsen as Miss Dixie Lee Boxx. William Peterson does a turn as a Bull Durham-esque turn as a sage player at the end of a long minor league career - and a young Dermot Mulroney is the teenage prospect that Peterson’s Stud Cantrell takes under his wing. The gyst of the story is the team starts winning when Joe Louis Brown is added as a catcher (not trivial as he’s black and the setting is the mid 50s). Cantrell (coaching job) and Brown (new car) are bribed to miss the key game so that their team loses - despite the angry protestations of young Jamie Weeks (Mulroney) who becomes a man in trying to lead the team to victory despite the missing players. Ultimately Cantrell and Brown “do the right thing” and show up in time to help the team win late. All that said, Virginia Madsen is just delicious in this film. And that’s good enough for me.
4) Fever Pitch - you knew it’d be here. Two disclaimers: (a) It’s about the Sox winning the WS, so it holds a special place in my heart. (b) I’ve long had a crush on Drew Barrymore… not that she’s completely gorgeous, but she is attractive and is so endearing in roles like this. She’s got that “nice girl with a private naughty streak” thing going which I really like. You know the story, the film was supposed end with the Sox losing painstakenly… again - but then the Sox went ahead and screwed things up by actually winning, so they re-wrote the ending. Perhaps you have to be a Sox fan, or just know enough Boston fans, but the Jimmy Fallon character is spot on and most of the scenes are eerily realistic (except for the one where Drew Barrymore makes it from CF all the way to behind home plate).
5) A League of Their Own - I enjoyed this film, more than I expected to. Jon Lovitz was terrific and I know exactly the line you’re talking about, as Lori Petty is noting that they make less working on the dairy farm and Lovitz comments as noted. His reaction to the ugly chick that hits like Babe Ruth is priceless as well. And of course, “there’s no crying in baseball!” has found its way into the everyday lexicon of almost everyone who follows the sport.
6) Bad News Bears - yes, the original… not the one where they play in the Astrodome… and not the one where they play in Japan. Terrific movie. Walter Matthau was perfect for the role (and no, Billy Bob Thornton was nowhere near up to the task… though it’s not all his fault). I love the fact that at the end… they lost - and of course their reaction to the less-than-heartfelt “respect” afforded them by their conquerors, given their stick-to-it-iveness in defeat. Finally, as a Little League coach, I can relate to the joy of putting a “bad” player into the game to see him make a play… when parents are whining that not every 10-yr-old kid should be given a chance to play… in freakin’ Little League.
7) The Natural - Robert Redford and Glenn Close are terrific, and I find myself drawn in every time - although not as much as when I watch “Rudy” (more later). When he’s bleeding out of his side and hits the HR… classic. How can you not enjoy the cascade from the broken light? Hollywood BS? Yup.. but it works.
8) The Rookie - I liked this movie, but I wasn’t drawn into it as much as “The Natural” for some reason. Course, the fact that it’s true is outstanding.
9) Brewster’s Millions - I’m running out of baseball movies, and I think I laughed some when I watched this one. Course, more often than not John Candy and Richard Pryor make me laugh… so take that for what it’s worth.
10) Naked Gun - a reach perhaps, but it did feature Lt. Frank Drebin on the ballfield in the critical final scene. The stirke calls… hilarous. The national anthem (”… lots of bombs in the air…”). And Priscilla Presley and her stuffed beaver.
Oh, shoot! I’m already at #10 - so sadly I have no room for other stalwarts such as “Angels in the Outfield”, “Ed”, “Air Bud”, and “Mr. Baseball”. “The Slugger’s Wife” was a horrible movie, one that even the luscious Rebecca DeMornay couldn’t save (starring opposite “Caddyshack”’s Danny Noonan).
Finally, a bit of trivia: Name at least two other baseball movies that Kevin Costner starred in.
P.S. The best football movie ever is “Rudy”. Sorry, but it gets me every freakin’ time I see it. And if it doesn’t get you, I submit you don’t have a pulse. Plus I’m Irish Catholic, so I’m beholden to feel endless guilt if I don’t speak highly of the film regardless… it’s like their law.
May 31st, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Oh - and I didn’t see “Eight Men Out” either, which is why it’s excluded from my list… although I’ve heard its excellent.
“They got hot dogs over there in France?”
“I’ll order for all of us.”
“That’s my wife!”
“Does she know that?”
“You may run like Mays but you hit like shit!”
I better not get going… I’ll run out of bandwidth….
May 31st, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Speaking of Rudy, did anyone catch the episode of My Name Is Earl a few weeks ago where Sean Astin was the guest star and they parodied the scene where everyone turns in his jersey? Quality programming.
June 1st, 2007 at 10:15 am
I usually watch “My Name Is Earl”, really funny show - except Cody’s bedtime now interrupts that exercise. If I only had TiVo…. wait, I *do* have TiVo! Shoot - you mean that thing doesn’t read my mind… I actually have to *tell* it what to tape for me? Harrumph! Some “technology”!
Btw, I’m not sure if we covered this before or not, but are we all aware that Vince Vaughn got his cinematic debut in that film? Everyone know (or able to figure out) which character he was?
June 1st, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Favreau was also in Rudy (prety obvious, I know)….
My list:
1) Eight Men Out - fascinating story, and extremely well acted. Baseball scenes were very well done - also remained very true to the book…
2) Bull Durham
3) Field of Dreams - sappiness and cliches aside, that movie gets me every damn time. ONe of my favorite lines ever:
“When did these ballplayers get here? Do not sell this farm, Ray. Do not sell this farm.”
4) League of their Own - could have done without Rosie O’Donnell, but everyone else in that was great. Especially Lovitz.
5) Major League
6) The Rookie
7) Bad News Bears
8) Bang the Drum Slowly
9) 61
10) The Natural. This would have been MUCH higher, but the really “Hollywooded” the ending - book ending was much better…
Cliffy - get your ass to a video store or get a subsription to Netflix; Eight Men Out is a must see for any baseball fan. Tank- ditto for you wrt Bang the Drum Slowly…
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Yup - and Favreau has lost some poundage since his turn as Rudy’s best/only friend his first two years at college. (I suppose one could call Roc his friend… but I saw him more as a mentor than a friend.) Since apathy will preclude all of you from hazarding a guess on my Vince Vaughn question, he was Jamie Whatshizname… the much-heralded high school All-American that was a complete bust at Notre Dame, who took his frustrations out on poor Rudy, until the end when he threw the halfback option TD pass to give Rudy time to get on the field with the kickoff team (and then the defense) so he could “officially” be part of the team: “I did that for you… for you!”
Recall the scene in practice where Rudy hammers Jamie and he gets pissed. Parseghian asks him what the problem is. He responds something to the effect of, “He plays every down like its the freakin’ Super Bowl, fer crissakes! He needs to lighten up!” To which Parseghian replies, “You just summed up your entire sorry career! Go to the third team! Get the hell outta here!” Classic.
June 4th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Actually TiVo does record shows that you don’t tell it to. It is in the TiVo suggestions category. Of course when you exclusively watch Sesame Street, Curious George, and Wiggles, it may not think to record “My Name is Earl”….
Eight Men Out is at the top of my list, with Major League a very close second. How could you not have seen that? We’ll fix that in August
June 4th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Not a great drinking movie, but a definitely must see. Though I suppose following that up with Major League would make for one hell of a DH…
June 6th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
So… in one weekend in August I’ll be golfing, drinking, in a luxury box at Miller park, drinking, eating, watching baseball movies, drinking, in the bleachers at Mecca for Cubs/Cards… twice, drinking, eating and playing Asshole. Man… sometimes life is pretty freakin’ good.