Best baseball movie ever...

[TURBO]

Turborickey - are you talking about Mr Destiny with Belushi? If so I love that movie!

 

Yes Sir, I am.

 

[RobDeer 45]

I guess I never counted that as a baseball movie, but really that's what sparks the whole thing. Always love watching that one!

[TURBO]

Yeah, I would "loosely" call it a baseball movie, but not a full-bore baseball movie.

[jli27]

Favorites: Field of Dreams (even if I only see the last 5 minutes), Bull Durham, 61*, Pride of the Yankees, Major League... and add the recent 42 to the list.

 

Pretty good: The Natural (he strikes out at the end in the book), Sugar, Eight Men Out, A League of Their Own, Moneyball

 

Blech: Mr. 3000

 

Also enjoyed the Burns series, and the When It Was a Game series - although not really movies.

[TooLiveBrew]

61*

I really enjoy this one. And, even if someone doesn't like it that much overall, imo Thomas Jane as Mantle & Barry Pepper as Maris make it worth watching on their own.

[Harry Doyles JD]

My favorite is Eight Men Out. Terrifically done.

 

I also will watch Mr. Baseball every time it was on, Selleck was great and, IMO, very believable as an aging, slugging firstbaseman.

[Dragonbait]

Little Big League, Rookie of the Year, and Sandlot all have a place for me since I was young enough to really enjoy them (as the target audience)

 

No mention of Angels in the Outfield? suppose it was too corny.

 

Trouble with the Curve was entertaining, even though JT is in it and its more about a daughter re-connecting with her father.

[The stache]

I've been a big fan of baseball since I was a kid, and have watched every baseball movie I could find. And over the years, I've found a few films that I keep going back to as my favorites. These are movies I never get tired of watching. Some are based on players or teams that really played the game. Others are fictional. Some take me back almost a century ago, when the game and America were different. Others will take me back just a few years. But no matter how they differ, these films continue to resonate with me. So, without further ado, here are my five favorite baseball films of all-time.

 

1. The Natural. It seems everybody has a strong opinion about this movie. People either love it, or they hate it. Well, put me enthusiastically in the "love it" category. I remember the first time I ever saw this film. The feeling I had when Roy Hobbs hit the ball into the lights to win the pennant at the end was incredible, and upon subsequent viewings, I still get chills when Barry Levinson yells out "He did it. Hobbs did it!". For me, Robert Redford circling the bases with the sparks flying down on to the field, and Randy Newman's exceptional score playing--is cinematic perfection. The camera perspective makes Hobbs appear larger than life. As he rounds the bases, the expressions we the viewers see are priceless: Iris seeing the man she loves, the father of her son, circling the bases in a moment of personal redemption. Pop Fisher with tears in his eyes as he realizes his lifelong dream. The Judge realizing he's out as co-owner of the Knights. It remains an iconic moment in motion picture history, and one of the greatest endings to a sports movie. I know that Bernand Malamud's novel ended differently, with Hobbs striking out, but I prefer the triumphant ending of the film.

 

The issue many seem to take with the film is the realism. There are certainly elements of the film based on fact. The "Whammer", for one, is an obvious reference to Babe Ruth. Hobbs being shot by Harriet Byrd was based on the real life shooting of Eddie Waitkus, and served as inspiration for the book. And Redford's portrayal of Hobbs was a nod to his favorite player, Ted Williams. But the film is allegory. It is a loving homage to the game itself, and not meant to be taken literally. For me, it is incredibly entertaining. I've probably watched the Natural from start to end at least thirty times, and it holds my attention the whole way through.

 

2. Eight Men Out. An outstanding period piece that takes the viewer back to the events leading up to the 1919 World Series, which members of the Chicago White Sox threw for money. The "Black Sox" scandal forever changed the game, and resulted in the lifetime banning from baseball of eight men, including one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. The movie's realism is incredible. The actors in the film were chosen not only because of their rising star power, but because they could play the game. And it shows. The movie is entertaining. The bad guys (chief among them gangster Arnold Rothstein, a name familiar to Boardwalk Empire fans) are easy to despise. But there is unexpected complexity to the story. On it's face, cheating is deplorable, and the men banned by Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis seem to get their just deserts. But it's not as simple as that. The film reinforces the feeling held by many, that Joe Jackson was not complicit in the crime. And while some of the players were out to make just a quick buck, others were just looking for financial security as their career drew to a close (David Strathairn is excellent as star pitcher Eddie Cicotte). Eight Men Out takes you back to a time when America's Pastime was thriving, before the Great Depression nearly wiped the game out.

 

3. Moneyball. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. Like Eight Men Out, it sits on my DVR marked "save until I delete". There's not a lot I can say about the film that hasn't been said already. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are both outstanding, and the film is highly entertaining. I don't want to start a whole sabermetric discussion, so I'll stop there.

 

4. 61*. This is one I just saw recently for the first time, and it made a lasting impression. I've always been fascinated by the summer of 1961, when Yankee teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris both pursued Babe Ruth's single season home run record. After watching the outstanding "making of" documentary on the disc, I jumped feet first into the film. Director Billy Crystal's love of the game is evident throughout, and the attention to detail is absolutely stunning. The performances are outstanding. You really need to watch the aforementioned documentary to appreciate just how massive an undertaking shooting this film was. Highly recommended.

 

5. This is a tough call, as I like Field of Dreams, Major League, and Cobb, all for different reasons. But I think I'll go with A League of Their Own. The subject matter has always fascinated me. When my Uncle Joe died, he left me a few of the baseball books he'd collected. Two of them included stories about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which existed from 1943 to 1954. We all know that many Major League players were called to active duty in World War II. What many baseball fans do not know is that when they were overseas, many young women played professional baseball. It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but it sucks me in every time I see it. Another highly recommended film. Penny Marshall does a fine job directing an all-star cast.

 

So, what are your favorites, everybody?

 

Doh: edit. I forgot Chasing 3,000. I'm a big Clemente fan, and I thought that was a pretty touching film. Two brothers driving cross country to see Roberto get hit #3000. Highly recommended (and also on my DVR).

[torts]

the sandlot

a league of their own

major league

major league 2

Mr. Baseball

[TooLiveBrew]

A topic from last month in the Off Topic forum:

 

viewtopic.php?f=67&t=29762

[The stache]

Thanks, toolivebrew. I was unaware that the off topic board would also include baseball discussion. I know the baseball card discussion was allowed on this board.

 

If you or another mod reading this can merge this into the other discussion, I'd appreciate it.

[Bombers]

My top 3 are:

Major League - Comedy at it's best

Major Leauge II - I also found this one to be hillarious

Sandlot - I too quote this movie a lot and loved every minute of it. You're killin me smalls!

 

I also enjoyed:

Moneyball

Bull Durham

Field of Dreams

A League of Their Own

42

Trouble with the curve

Brewster's Millions was also funny but not exactly a baseball movie per say

Fever Pitch

8 men out

[TooLiveBrew]

Thanks, toolivebrew. I was unaware that the off topic board would also include baseball discussion. I know the baseball card discussion was allowed on this board.

 

If you or another mod reading this can merge this into the other discussion, I'd appreciate it.

Hah! To be completely honest, since I've never merged a topic before, I chickened out & just posted the link.

 

I just figured you'd enjoy that thread... lots of good recommendations/movies in there.

[3and2Fastball]

Bad News Bears Breaking Training.... it is not "classic cinema" by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a favorite from my youth

[Bikeage77]

Major League

Sugar

42

Bull Durham

Bad News Bears

 

Sandlot gets honorable mention

[jjkoestler]

Thanks, toolivebrew. I was unaware that the off topic board would also include baseball discussion. I know the baseball card discussion was allowed on this board.

 

If you or another mod reading this can merge this into the other discussion, I'd appreciate it.

Hah! To be completely honest, since I've never merged a topic before, I chickened out & just posted the link.

 

I just figured you'd enjoy that thread... lots of good recommendations/movies in there.

 

Merged... I think

[RockCoCougars]

Bad News Bears Breaking Training.... it is not "classic cinema" by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a favorite from my youth

 

It's a tad cheesy, but I actually like this one better than the 'original', which is great as well.

[TURBO]

Finally saw "42." Loved it. I'll be picking up a copy once it hits the shelves for sure...