Major League (1989)
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PLOT SUMMARY
I think this comedy could find relevance to modern-day Dodger's fans.
This is IMBD.COM's summary: The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.
I remember very well the group of misfits that was put together. Talk about Bush League - a catcher with two bad knees, a pitcher with a 110 mile an hour fastball who thinks the strike zone is in the stands, a speed demon who can't hit - the list goes on and on.
But, much like life, like it or not, they are stuck together. And their owner wants them to lose. Somehow, the coaches are crazy enough to get these guys to work together, and suddenly, out of nowhere . . . they start winning.
THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE
What an ensemble! Dare I say I wish they had ensembles like these today! Pre-IRS trouble Snipes, Pre-"Bi-Winning" Charlie Sheen and the great Tom Berenger, who I last saw in "Training Day". Worth noting too is that Dennis Haysbert plays a very amusing character who is constantly trying to evoke voodoo magic so that he can hit better. And of course, the voluptuous and beautiful Rene Russo, whose sex appeal also lies in the fact that she knows baseball.
What an ensemble! Dare I say I wish they had ensembles like these today! Pre-IRS trouble Snipes, Pre-"Bi-Winning" Charlie Sheen and the great Tom Berenger, who I last saw in "Training Day". Worth noting too is that Dennis Haysbert plays a very amusing character who is constantly trying to evoke voodoo magic so that he can hit better. And of course, the voluptuous and beautiful Rene Russo, whose sex appeal also lies in the fact that she knows baseball.
They make a life-size cardboard picture of their somewhat attractive owner who could be described with an expletive, and each time they win a game, they strip off a piece of clothing from the cutout.
ART REFLECTS LIFE?
I think the greedy owner who knows and cares nothing about the game is especially relevant for Los Angeles residents who have been betrayed and sold down the dirty LA river by the Mccourts. Keep in mind, this is an old movie, but there are certainly some timeless themes.
I think the greedy owner who knows and cares nothing about the game is especially relevant for Los Angeles residents who have been betrayed and sold down the dirty LA river by the Mccourts. Keep in mind, this is an old movie, but there are certainly some timeless themes.
It is important to mention and remind people how incredible Charlie Sheen was as the incorrigible "Wild Thing" who was brought up from a prison league to play. They have to teach him how to tame his fastball, but they don't try to tame his heart. He becomes known to fans as "Wild Thing", and when he comes out on to the field, they play the most popular rendition of that song. He is one of my favorite movie characters of all time. And Sheen doesn't overdo it, he just plays it.
This is an ode to a real-life "Wild Thing" who struggle this year and last to maintain equilibrium. My hope is that young people could watch this movie and realize why Sheen, who was one of the most entertaining leading men of his time, is relevant.
THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE
Wesley Snipes' "Willie Mays Hayes" is another character I loved and cared about. I would paraphrase this movie as a child for years after watching it. What's special though is the bond that these misfits create. That is an age-old recipe for a movie, and in this one, it worked. It was not contrived.
For me this movie out-Bull Durhams Bull Durham, maybe because there are more characters and it's about the major leagues and not the farm leagues. Also, there is nothing wild about Kevin Costner, but Snipes and Sheen, who have had real-life struggles recently, fit the bill.
Rating: Three Mike and Ikes out of a possible three which implies excellence in film making.
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| Charlie Sheen as "Wild Thing" who is prescribed glasses to help him hit the strike zone. |
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| A sort of wierd, unfortunate celebrity that resulted from Sheen's social media melt-down and eventual depatrture from his sit come "Two and-a-half Men" |