MAJOR LEAGUE
United States, 1989
U.S. Release Date: 4/7/1989
Runtime: 107 min.
MPAA Classification: R
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Rene Russo, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton, Dennis Haysbert, Bob Uecker, James Gammon

Director: David S. Ward
Screenplay: David S. Ward
Cinematography: Reynaldo Villalobos
Original Score: James Newton Howard
Studio: Paramount Pictures

As I write this, the 2006 World Series has begun. The Detroit Tigers, after years of losing, including a humiliating American League record-setting 119 loses in 2003, are clawing up the Central division. The St. Louis Cardinals, with perennial National League MVP candidate Albert Pujols, have returned to the World Series for the 2nd time in three seasons.

I think baseball fans like me really have a sense of goodness run through our veins whenever our teams make for a title run, especially for those long-suffering franchise fans finally that are rewarded with a winning season. Thing is, what about those fans that wait entire lifetimes for their cellar-sucking teams to actually win, only to be rewarded with simply more misery and pain?

Ohio-native David S. Ward waited for nearly his lifetime for his precious Cleveland Indians to tomahawk themselves to victory, yet from 1959 to 1993, they failed to reach the playoffs as the cellar-occupants of the American League East. Eat your heart out, Clippers fans.

Yet after many years in Hollywood, including an Oscar for his script work for “The Sting,” Ward was able to craft a fantasy where his team actually won for once.
An exotic dancer (Whitton) marries the owner of the Cleveland Indians. He does not survive the honeymoon and she is in control of his ball club. Looking at a small stadium, she wants to move to warmer climes where some new stadiums have been built, but her lease has only one escape clause, poor attendance. She fields the worst team she can find.

The attitude of the owner gives the misfits and losers something to rally around and they fight back.
This premise writes itself, and we know the score. A bunch of goofy and inept players, each with their own playing gimmick talent get together, suck hard initially, then learn teamwork, and become winners by the final credits.

What Ward pulls off that such sports fare before and after “Major League,” including the two unnecessary sequels, has failed to do is to make us quite attached to these guys, and care about their fates. Wisely Ward introduces each of the major wannabe-baseball players and we trace their individual paths throughout the film.

Washed-up catcher Jake Taylor (Berenger) deals with his failed past relationship as he naturally evolves into the team leader. Rich “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Sheen) learns to control his talented but unstable pitching elbow (and how fitting for Charlie Sheen, he is introduced in this movie as a prison convict). We see Wesley Snipes steal bases like a madman, 17 years before he committed similar actions against the Federal government with his taxes.

What I really liked, though Ward can’t give himself credit for creativity, is the evolving series of montages about the city’s diverse population, living in an area that wasn’t in its best times, reacting so emotionally to this club’s surprise success. By the 3rd act, they’ve adopted these “picked losers” as their own.

While “Major League” ultimately never escapes its genre of origin, it’s at least a pleasing endeavor in terms of melodrama and comedy that will give Cubs, Devil Rays, and Royals fans something to fantasize about their perspective teams for only 2 hours.

Interestingly, within 10 years of this film’s release, the real Indians scored several division titles, and two American League Pennants. I’m not saying that Ward helped his precious Indians finally win with a very nice sports comedy, but considering the previous decades, I’ll let Indian fans speculate the significance of this pattern.

Final Film Rating - ***1/2

Whoa, whoa...not just yet, Ronnie! Unless you know something I don't?

Great review! I already feel like one of those fans after this season - I can say that we've made the playoffs before, but I hope this WS championship virginity doesn't go on much longer.

WTF? :p A little premature, eh?

Early, eh? Well, I'll fix it. Get over it. Besides, that fuck-up of mine will get extra traffic to the website I work for, and hell, get us some e-mails bitching at me for being stupid...but I'll get the TRAFFIC.

Either way, this accident was a win-win situation for me.

However, I didn't mean to. Apologies folks.

P.S. - I bet on the Cards. :p

Whatever, in like 5 minutes you'll be right.

A great movie. I was actually at Game 5 of the 1995 WS between Cleveland and Atl where Charlie Sheen cut his hair like he had it in "Major League." He threw out the first pitch.

My favorite line was when Serrano said Jesus was of no help when trying to hit a curve ball. To which one of the old pitchers who was very religious (whose name escapes me) replied "Are you trying to tell me Jesus Christ couldn't hit a curve ball?"

Yeah, that was funny stuff goombah.

My favorite scene has to be when Dorn's wife found out that he was fucking around, and decide to get revenge...by sleeping with his sworn arch-nemesis, Vaughn. Just the look on Sheen's face when he realized the whole gig the morning after...priceless.

Better yet, when Berenger went batshit seeing her leave his apartment, and rushing in, and just giving this look that didn't need pointless dialogue.

"I didn't know!!!"



Alternate: Fried Chicken sacrifice.

When watching this movie again on cable for this review, I realized that Serrano was Dennis Haysbert, who later kicked ass for America as Mr. President on 24, and now a God-like being on those silly insurance commercials of his. Nevermind being part of the masterpiece HEAT.

Q: How do you get batting results from your God?
A: Threaten to leave him. :p

"You'd better not leave that rum around here with this crew."

God, I love this movie. One of my favorite comedies which I don't happen to own on DVD, which makes it a pleasure to see on TV.

BTW - Ronnie - is it worth it for a super-action Blues Brothers/Stripes fan like myself to pick up the new DVD's if we've already got the older editions?

bump

C'mon Ronnie, I need to know!

Unless I'm mistaken DJ, the only DVD of MAJOR LEAGUE is still that vanilla-bare-bones-ass-wipe-quality version that Paramount shat out.

A pity, since I would SO buy it if it had commentary by Ward, or other goodies.

How about for Stripes and Blues Brothers?

Bumping for Ronnie to see...

JJ, I'd say a not really to Blues Brothers. If you already have the DVD that came out earlier, you're fine. The new edition comes with some newer featurettes, but nothing really worthwhile. The theatrical edition is basically the Director's Cut minues the full songs and additional scenes. It includes a two song performance from The Blues Bros. nowadays, which is really poor, to tell you the truth. I'd say stay with the original, I just got the new one because I only had a ratty VHS before.

Yeah, I have the "Collectors Edition" which seems to be fine, but I wasn't sure if there were any additional scenes in the new one that would be worthwhile. I guess not.

As far as Stripes goes, I was wondering about that one since my current Paramount one is pretty bare on features and the new disc(s) had a new alternate ending and stuff like that?

DJ, the new STRIPES DVD is worth it, and best, nicely affordable.

Reitman commentary, new scenes with optional "branching" into the movie's "Extended Edit", a decent set of featurettes, etc.

Anyway, I agree with DA about that DVD situation with BLUES BROTHERS.

If anything, Paramount wanting to upgrade to MAJOR LEAGUE, I advise they follow the format they gave recently to the decent Ridley Scott-studio cop flick BLACK RAIN, with a good documentary, another winning Ridley Scott commentary track(he's the man with such tracks), and only for $10.

I would buy that souped-up MAJOR LEAGUE DVD for sure.

So the extended cut of Blues Brothers...are those scenes worth it to replace my collectors edition?

I'll definitely get the new Stripes DVD (and at least burn the extended cut) and do the same if the Blues Brothers EC has anything worthwhile.

BTW - Is there any site that compares DVD releases like this? I mean, do they compare an older DVD release with a new edition and tell you whether its worth it? It sounds like a decent premise for a website

If anything I think the edition on the Collector's Edition is the extended cut, but I'm not sure.

Oh, okay. Thanks.