The making of sports movies is a dying art. Once a staple of American Media, the Sports Fiction genre has been overtaken by documentaries like 30/30 and other mass media productions. Producers have tried, but many struggle to recapture the charm of the early to late 90’s sports comedy films. These films, especially baseball films, are no more classic than the game itself. Baseball movies, fiction or nonfiction, have been some of the greatest films and become a staple of America’s pastime. That being said, with baseball season well underway, let’s look back at my personal list of the top 5 best baseball films.
5.42
“Maybe tomorrow, we’ll all wear 42, so nobody could tell us apart”
42 is a must watch for not just the sports fan but any movie fan. The 2013 film starring the late great Chadwick Boseman tells the tale of Jackie Robinson-a man who needs no introduction. However what 42 does differently is it is brutally honest and raw. It shows Jackie’s pure emotion, his rage, his charisma, his charm, and most of all his courage. It also pulls no punches when it comes to depicting the racist environment and hardships Jackie had to pull through. Boseman is stellar in the role of Robinson, and captures all of the style and swagger Jack brought to our game. 42 is a fantastic tale of bravery in the face of adversity and is truly an important film that had to be made to further the legacy of the bravest athlete to step on a sports field.
4.Field of Dreams
“If you build it, he will come”.
Field of Dreams is a unique yet fantastic film that plays a major influence in major league baseball today and is nothing short of an all time classic. The movie stars Kevin Costner, a farm owner who one day, hears a voice that calls him to build a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield in Iowa. Eventually, the Ghosts of Baseball legends begin to show up, led by Shoeless Joe Jackson, played by Goodfellas star Ray Liotta. The movie, while being a classic film blending fantasy into reality, played such a major influence that the dream of a real game being played on the field of dreams became a reality. In 2021, the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees played a game at the field of dreams, with players entering on the field from the cornfield, a callback to the film. This game, topped off by an epic Tim Anderson walk off homer, shows the influence this gem of a film has on the baseball world.
3.Sandlot
“You’re killing me smalls”
Not much needs to be said about this 1993 classic-other than how great it is. It tells the story of a boy named Scotty Smalls who in the summer of 1962 moves to the San Fernando Valley. Looking to make some friends, Scotty tries to join a team of boys who regularly plays ball at the local sandlot, where we get introduced to some classic faces:brothers Timmy and Tommy Timmons, Michael “Squints” Palledorous, Alan “Yeah-Yeah” McClennan, Bertram Grover Weeks, pitcher Kenny DeNunez, catcher Hamilton “Ham” Porter, and their leader and best player Benny Rodriguez. The movie tells the funny yet nostalgic story of these kids with many different comedic escapades including a great fourth of July night game and a Babe Ruth signed baseball. In the end, Scotty becomes a sportscaster, and it tells us how each kid ended up. Overall, the movie, while it hasn’t aged perfectly, is still an absolute classic that perfectly embodies the childhood experience of being a baseball fan. While many consider this the best baseball movie of all time (something debatable), it is certain that it is the most well known and iconic baseball movie of all time. As a kid, I believed that this was the best baseball movie. However, after growing up and having the capacity to understand both the complexity and comedy of the next two movies, it bumps down a few notches.
2.Moneyball
“How can you not be romantic about Baseball?”
While it may not be as fantasy-like as Field of Dreams, it certainly feels that way. This 2011 true story based on the 2003 book Moneyball:The Art of winning an unfair game tells the tale of the 2002 Oakland A’s and their manager Billy Beane. The A’s are as broke as a major league team can be, and need a solution. Billy and his assistant Peter Brand (an adaptation of the real life Paul DePodesta) find lesser known players who contribute to wins through statistics like On Base percentage (At the time, OBP was considered unconventional) and use computer tracked stats to form a winning team with a comically low payroll, and end up winning 20 games in a row. Brad Pitt does a terrific job portraying the laid back but also dedicated Billy Beane, and Jonah Hill is excellent as Peter Brand, truly showing his versatility as an actor. The film weaves in Beane’s story as a failed minor league drafted by the New York Mets phenomenally, and the way they portray his relationships with Managers and players is highly accurate to that of a real clubhouse. The cinematography is top tier, providing beautiful shots of one of the ugliest places in America, Oakland California. Chris Pratt plays Soctt Hatteberg, a veteran catcher whose arm is shot-and is looking to prove himself one last time. Although he plays a smaller role, his character hits a home run in a big moment to save the win streak, and Pratt captures all the emotions perfectly, leading to, in my opinion, the best scene in any sports movie. My only gripe with this movie is it leaves out a key factor-the A’s had one of the best rotations in baseball that year. The “Big Three” of Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, and Mark Mulder, and a fourth starter in Cory Lidle, was a top 3 rotation in baseball in 2002. Zido won the Cy Young that year, however the movie hardly addresses their rotation, likely to maintain the illusion that the team was truly as substandard as the film led off. Other than that, Moneyball is an amazing film, and another one that even non baseball fans can enjoy. (Take it from my mom, who hasn’t watched an inning of baseball in her life, but loved Moneyball.)
Honorable Mentions include:Bull Durham, Bad News Bears, and Benchwarmers.
1.Major League
BY far, in my opinion, the best baseball movie ever made. Not only is it one of the funnier movies I’ve seen, but it has a story that actually interests the viewer, and pairs with the slapstick comedy in an incredible way. In the 1980’s, the Cleveland Indians were the worst team in baseball. Their owner, who wants to move them to Miami (The Marlins didn’t exist yet), needs to get approval in order to do so, and the movie is more likely to happen based on the team’s performance. So, she trades away all talent and signs a bunch of no-name’s while hosting tryouts for the team. By opening day, the team is assembled, and it’s filled with now iconic characters, like Rick Vaughn played by Charlie Sheen, a pitcher who throws up to 96 MPH (Above average back in the day) but cannot hit the strike zone. Willie Mays Hays is one of the fastest players in the league but cannot make contact with the baseball. This cast of goofy but lovable characters ends up winning the pennant, while resurrecting the love for baseball in Cleveland, keeping the team right where it is. This movie is by far the funniest baseball movie, and tells a great story of triumph while being hilarious. The movie tells a sidestory of veteran catcher Jake Taylor and his ex-wife, which nobody cares about, and does not serve much to the plot and is so miniscule it is not a hindrance to the rest of the movie and does not affect the enjoyability. Other than that, this movie is representative of what a sports comedy should be, and aged perfectly well.
