MLB – MY TOP FIVE FAVORITE BASEBALL MOVIES OF ALL TIME
We’re getting close to baseball season again, people. Only three more weeks until Opening Day 2019. I can’t think of a better way to usher in a fresh new season than debating the best baseball films in history.
I think my Top Five are perfect. Each movie embraces the personal joy of playing America’s pastime, touches on the nostalgia of the game and showcases an interesting aspect of being a ballplayer. One portrays baseball in the little leagues, another the minor leagues, yet another the major leagues, the fantasy world and then early baseball.
But, if you think yours is a better list than mine, share it in the comments section and tell us why…
#5 – THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976)
A bunch of crass kids who are bad at playing baseball get the help of an alcoholic former MLB pitcher to coach their crappy team in a competitive league. They never really win in the traditional sense, but they realize the joy of playing ball doesn’t always depend on natural talent. Even the cynical old Coach Buttermaker (played by Walter Matthau) learns this important life lesson when he gets his competitive spirit back. Perhaps even more appealing, there’s almost always a baseball diamond in the frame and the camera is at a low angle, helping to put you there on the field with the kids just like we experienced during those summer weekends playing ball with our friends or parents… And, for all of this film’s politically correct shortcomings, Buttermaker brings in a girl to be the team’s secret weapon. Gotta love that.
#4 – MAJOR LEAGUE
Another film that showcases a bunch of baseball misfits destined for disaster. But, this time, they actually win against all odds. After the Cleveland Indians find out the owner has done everything she can to have them finish last so she can relocate the team to Miami, the players vow to win the pennant. The characters are all interesting and include a pitcher who can throw 100 mph but can’t see anything in front of him, a washed-up catcher with bad knees but valuable gritty experience, and a voodoo-loving hitter who prays to the statue of his deity, Jobu. Throw in the hilarious Bob Uecker as the team’s announcer with many memorable one-liners, this is a classic comedy that never gets old.
#3 – BULL DURHAM
The director of this 1988 film (Ron Shelton) toiled in the minor leagues as a second baseman for the Orioles system from 1967-1971 before he got into the film business. So, he presented Bull Durham to audiences from a player’s point-of-view. It shows in the grittiness of the characters and the cynicism they had towards the industry. Yet at the same time, they had an undying dedication to the sport and never let go of their dreams. Like Bob Costas has said about the film, Shelton gave us ”the romance of baseball without the violins.” In actuality, this film was a game-changer for the minor-league industry. According to a Sports on Earth article, the owner of the Durham Bulls franchise said when the film was made, “It had a huge impact. It introduced minor league baseball to a whole new population that had no clue about it.” Indeed, minor league attendance grew exponentially and over 200 parks have opened since Bull Durham first debuted. Amazing how much impact this film has had, in more ways than one.
#2 – FIELD OF DREAMS
I’ve seen plenty of reviews for this film where people say it’s not a baseball film – it’s a movie about a man who reconciles his troubled relationship with his father through baseball. Frankly, I think they missed the point. Field of Dreams reveals the true legacies of baseball: It has a special power to bring families together and transcend generations; it allows people to dare dream about what they can be, or what they could have been; and it is tied to the fabric of our country. If you truly love the game, the themes in Field of Dreams will resonate with you. If you don’t love it like I do, then it just becomes a film about redemption for a man and his father.
#1 – THE NATURAL
I often see these types of lists posted on Twitter, along with polls. Shockingly, people don’t seem to give this film the accolades I think it deserves. For me, this film stands far and above all other baseball movies as “the best there ever was in this game”. It has everything you could want and more. And, dammit if you don’t get goose bumps more than once, then you might be dead. When Roy Hobbs says, “God, I love baseball” is when it all comes together for me. He was the boy that played catch with his father during the first scene of the movie, the man who wanted everyone to remember him as the best there ever was despite being past his prime, the wounded player who kept trying to realize his dreams and the one who plays ball with his son during the last scene of the film. He’s also the person who did what every baseball fan ever dreamt of: He won the World Series with a sacrifice fly, knocked the cover off the ball and shattered the stadium’s lights, all while keeping his dignity in tact.
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