It’s March, which means it’s time for your Milwaukee Brewers to report for spring training and promptly fall prey to a string of injuries. Opening Day at Miller Park is April 4, and to whet your appetite while the Brewers convalesce, why not indulge in two great American pastimes: baseball and movie watching?
Cobb
Writer-director Ron Shelton is no stranger to sports movies (Tin Cup, Bull Durham), and as such has a ball directing Tommy Lee Jones as legendarily ornery Tigers outfielder Ty Cobb. Based on a controversial book by Cobb biographer Al Stump (here played by Robert “Hey, I was in Batman!” Wuhl), Shelton’s Cobb, like Stump’s, is a bitter, misanthropic racist whose personality almost eclipses the depths of his accomplishments. More a road movie with a generation gap twist, Cobb is light on actual baseball for the connoisseur, but is nonetheless a compelling drama about one of early baseball’s strongest personalities.
The Natural
If the story of baseball is two outs, bottom of the 9th, waiting for a miracle, then The Natural is the story of baseball. Robert Redford stars in this fable of the life of Roy Hobbs, whose magical baseball career takes some unexpected turns on its way into legend. Hobbs is so good a player he and his story are, of course, fiction, but from the lucky “Wonderboy” bat to the famous exploding stadium lights, The Natural is the perfect tale of the power and promise of the sport.
Field of Dreams
To many minds the quintessential baseball fantasy, 1989’s Field of Dreams stars Kevin Costner as Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, compelled by voices to replace his struggling corn field with a baseball diamond. Little needs to be said of this iconic movie‘s plot beyond “IF YOU BUILD IT, HE WILL COME.” An absolute modern classic, it appeals to lovers of vintage baseball and, in Kinsella’s strained relationship with his late father, breaks through even the toughest of manly-man facades.
Major League
In contrast to the more nostalgic and somber movies listed here, there’s always Major League. An immortal document of Milwaukee’s late County Stadium and improbable showcase for our own Bob Uecker as Cleveland Indians announcer Harry Doyle, Major League takes the underdogs-take-it-all plot to new heights as the Indians roster is filled with intentionally questionable players (played by the likes of Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes). Joyously filthy – don’t watch the heavily edited versions that circulate on basic cable – Major League says something about baseball in Milwaukee, even if what it says about Milwaukee is really about Cleveland.
Bull Durham
Ron Shelton appears for a second time on this list with this 1988 romantic comedy, based on Shelton’s own experiences, in which Costner plays an aging ballplayer called down to the minor leagues to shepherd a hot young pitcher (Tim Robbins). In the mix is Annie (Susan Sarandon), a baseball groupie who makes a “project” out of one player every season. A fine romantic comedy, a fine baseball movie, and a great movie as a whole.
Damn Yankees
Not just the only musical on this list, but the only one based on Faust. The 1958 film (based on an earlier Broadway play) stars Tab Hunter as a hapless fan of the Washington Senators who literally sells his soul to get his team to beat the Yankees. Strange and affecting and full of memorable songs sung by the likes of baseball widows and the Devil himself, Damn Yankees is one of the more unique movies about the sport you’ll ever see.
Eight Men Out
Though used sentimentally in Field of Dreams, the notorious 1919 “Black Sox” scandal stands as one of the most shameful moments in professional sports. Writer-director John Sayles takes a sober, historical approach to the cheating scandal that derailed the World Series, and Eight Men Out remains a fascinating account of the dark side of the game and essential viewing for those into the history of the game.
The Sandlot
Combining the nostalgia of baseball with the nostalgia of youth, The Sandlot is a coming-of-age story set in suburban Los Angeles in 1962. Following a group of kids who play pick-up baseball games in a small abandoned lot in their neighborhood, The Sandlot is equal parts youthful fantasy – is there really “The Beast” that prevents them from retrieving fly balls beyond the fence? – and wistful reminiscence on growing up.
A League of Their Own
Penny Marshall’s take on the All-Girls Professional Baseball League that sprang up in the 1940s to replace the war-absent men remains an essential baseball movie. The rare movie that makes both Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell tolerable in acting roles, Marshall creates a movie that’s both historical, funny (Tom Hanks’ classic line, “There’s no crying in baseball!”), and touching in its explorations of female bonding.
61*
Excellently directed by comedian Billy Crystal, 61* – referring to the number to beat Babe Ruth’s homerun record – stars Barry Pepper and Tom Jane as teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as they compete to be the one to beat Ruth’s record. 61* recounts a crucial event in the history of modern baseball that’s relevant to modern audiences, even if it means hearing yet more about the Yankees.
Of course, this list is hardly comprehensive and excludes other worthy entries like The Bad News Bears, Pride of the Yankees, and a dozen others, but you can save those for those end-of-the-season blues when you need a reminder of why you watch the game.
