hnt_dnl
Well-directed by the reliable Penny Marshall, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1992) is an entertaining, fun baseball movie about WOMEN'S baseball! Based on a true story of a women's league formed to keep the sport going while Major League ball was suspended during WWII, this nifty period piece does a solid job of evoking a time and place. And, yes, even though the film is populated by and stars mostly female characters, it is really a MALE character that owns this movie! The great Tom Hanks plays alcoholic, down-on-his-luck, former baseball player Jimmy Dugan who is tasked to manage the film's central baseball team, the Rockford Peaches, led by the team's best player catcher Dottie Hinson (well played by Geena Davis) and her fiery younger sister pitcher Kit Keller (wonderfully played by Lori Petty). Dottie is a war wife as her husband (played by the reliable Bill Pullman) is off to war and living on her parents' farm with little sis Kit.The film's opening sequence shows the modern-day older Peaches reminiscing about their 1940s escapades. Then it flashes back to Dottie and Kit on the farm approached by a recruiter (played by a scene-stealing Jon Lovitz) to the newly formed women's league. Along the way, they pick up another recruit, the homely slugging phenom Marla Hooch (hilariously played by Megan Cavanagh). Upon arrival at the baseball camp in Chicago, the trio meet up with the future teammates third-baseman Doris (played with the typical comic bravado by Rosie O'Donnell) and her best friend center-fielder Mae (played by Madonna, who is just kind of there). Rounding out the engaging cast of Peaches are first baseman Helen Haley (played by the funny Anne Ramsay), outfielders Betty 'Spaghetti' (played by feisty Tracy Reiner), Shirley Baker (strongly played by Ann Cusack), and the hilarious Evelyn Gardner (played by another scene-stealer Bitty Schram), who has her precocious son Stilwell (scene-stealing lad Justin Scheller), who lives to aggravate Jimmy! LOL Other notable cast members are Garry Marshall (Penny's brother) playing the de facto commissioner of the women's league, and his right hand man, played earnestly by David Strathairn, who push to market the league and get it going.The over-arching storyline of the movie is a bit too predictable and sentimental for my taste. The Dottie-Kit rivalry is at the forefront, but really pales to all of the hilarious scene-stealing turns by most of the supporting cast. Other than Hanks' iconic performance as Jimmy Dugan with his famous 'no crying in baseball' speech, the best characters are really played by the unknown/lesser known actors: Marla, Evelyn, Stilwell, in particular, as well as the other no-name cast members. Davis, while professional, is a bit too mannered in her role, and gets upstaged by at least half the cast! Petty, while playing the more lively role, is a bit too abrasive at times. Their sibling rivalry kind of takes a backseat to the scene-stealing supporting cast. O'Donnell is actually pretty good, but ironically not the comic standout in this movie. And, as previously mentioned, I have no idea what Madonna is doing in this! Easily the most useless role.Even though Davis is the nominal star, it is really Hanks who owns this movie! I know everyone fawns over Hanks' first Oscar-winning role in 'Philadelphia', but in my opinion, Mr. Hanks first Oscar should have been for this movie! Ironically, Hanks has top billing over Davis, but I would think he would have been nominated Best Supporting Actor. He didn't even get nominated! Even though he has 2 Oscar wins on his resume and several other nods, I still think this was a great oversight by the Academy. So, remember folks, 'Philadelphia' didn't put Hanks in the big leagues in terms of acting, 'A League of Their Own' did! And it didn't take overly emotional crying scenes of sentimentality to be a great performance!
gavin6942
Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amidst their own growing rivalry.This is Geena Davis in her prime. I mean, not to sell her short, but 1985-1995 was the golden age of Geena, with one hit after another. This is one of those, maybe second only to "The Fly". And alongside Lori Petty and Tom Hanks? Priceless.Some may ask, how factual is this? Well, strictly speaking, not very. These are made up characters. But the Rockford Peaches really existed, and there really was a women's baseball league for about a decade. If not for this film, they might be completely forgotten. So, thank you movie!
FilmBuff1994
A League of Their Own is a great movie with a very well developed storyline and a terrific cast. It's a very compelling drama with a lot of heart and very likable characters, I'm not sure how historically accurate it really is, but it feels very natural throughout. I felt like it needed more character development from characters outside of Dottie, of course she is the main character and we are going to learn the most about her, but some more development from Jimmy and several female characters would have helped the story progress. The film also has many funny parts, though it isn't purely a comedy, it has several bits that are there for a chuckle and I appreciated this, it dosen't take itself too seriously. A compelling movie with a strong cast, I would recommend A League of Their Own to anyone looking for a good drama or sports film. Two sisters become rivals when they join the first female professional baseball league during World War II. Best Performance: Geena Davis Worst Performance: Madonna
SnoopyStyle
Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) is a married milkmaid on the Oregon family farm. It's WWII and the men are all over seas fighting the war including Dottie's husband. Scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) comes to find new talents. He's interested in Dottie but not her sister Kit Keller (Lori Petty). He only takes Kit after Dottie agrees to come. It's a slow start and the girls have the drunken ex-player Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) as their manager. Then Dottie becomes a star and the league begins to be successful. As Dottie gets bigger, Kit gets more jealous and angry at Dottie's shadow holding her back.Director Penny Marshall has created a very satisfying drama. It has some great moments and a few memorable lines. It can be a little bit corny at times but the top rate actors keeps it from going over the edge. Even the duo of Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell can't derail this. Tom Hanks and Geena Davis are simply wonderful providing a solid foundation. The baseball action is mostly just montages of action scenes except the big climatic finale. That's perfectly fine especially since it keeps the action moving. It's a great fun watch time after time.
