Force Fed Films: Major League (1989)

So when it came time this week for Puneet to pick a movie to force me to watch, I'm pretty sure what he had on his mind. This week I had to watch Major League, a comedy baseball movie about the Cleveland Indians fighting to win the World Series after a 35 year losing streak. There are a number of stars in here including Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes, Dennis Haysbert, Rene Russo and the one, the only, Charlie Sheen! I haven't seen many Sheen movies, but Puneet clearly wanted to remind me what all the fuss is about these days. So hit the jump and we'll find out if this is a homerun winner, or a struck out loser!


So I'm sitting here finding it difficult to find words for this movie. It's kind of a hard movie to write about. It's just baseball, the story is that they're trying to win, as it is with every sport movie. There's some side stories here and there, like the romance between Jake Taylor (Berenger) and Lynn Wells (Russo) and that Wesley Snipes' character is trying to get a stolen base record of some kind. The basic side stories of the different players trying to get better and overcome their individual weaknesses, you know the kind. But the story isn't what's important in a movie like this. It's the characters themselves and how well the sport itself is portrayed. So how does it do?

The characters are the true heart of this movie and while there's quite a large cast of them, you do really get to know a good number of them and they're all unique and likable (there is one jerk on the team). None of them is the star player, and to do well they all have to work their asses off to get over their limits. The catcher has bad knees, the shortstop is afraid of getting injured, the pitcher has no control over his arm-cannon, things like that. Even though this is a comedy, and that list of problems is pretty absurd on paper, the problems of the characters are all handled really well and you really end up feeling for them and rooting for them to win.

That brings me to the actual baseball scenes. I love them! I totally bought that all the actors were really the baseball players on the field and it was just like watching a real game on TV. I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat hoping they'd get the next hit, or that Willie Mays Hayes would steal yet another base! This is all brought together by the amazing annoucer work of the great Bob Uecker who sounds just like a radio announcer and brought a real excitement and often comedic element to the plays.

Willie Mays Hayes is the man!

Actually, I found the comedy to be really good. I wish I could be more eloquent about it, but all I can say is that I had a lot of fun with this movie. Wesley Snipes really surprised me and really came out of nowhere. I'm so used to seeing him as Blade and being serious that to see him play the goofy energetic spark of the team caught me totally off guard. But you know what, it really worked and he is easily my favorite character on the team. And what better name is there in the world than Willie Mays Hayes? Brilliant! The other character that stands out the most is of course Charlie Sheen's Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn. He definitely has a presence about him in the movie, and it sure doesn't hurt that he has a GIGANTIC entrance onto the field while a packed stadium cheers him and sings "Wild Thing" as he walks in to save the game. And how about those iconic glasses with the silver skull and bones right on the bridge? Great is what they are. Unfortunately his really doesn't have much depth, in part because he hardly ever talks through the whole movie. I guess he's just that cool though! Even I was cheering him as he walked in with all the authority in the world. You go Charlie Sheen, you go!

So I think it should be pretty obvious that I liked this movie a lot. Definitely one of the better sport movies I've seen in a long time, that's for sure. The comedy worked, the characters were great, the story did it's job and the baseball was fun. If you like baseball and good times, then seek out this movie, it totally holds up and I totally recommend it.

I can't believe I actually made it through this whole review without resorting to a Charlie Sheen meme! WINNING! ... dammit!

 

Tiger Blood!