On M List of Movie Reviews

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Major League (1989)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 10/03, 4/08, 6/11

MajL1
3/08: Probably the best baseball picture made, Major League wins points when it comes to the cast, characters, comedy, classic moments, one-liners, and direction.

Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen, Tom Berenger, James Gammon, Dennis Haysbert, Bob Uecker, and Margaret Whitton are memorable for playing fan favorite "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn, Willie Mays Hayes, Roger Dorn, Jake Taylor, Lou Brown, Pedro Cerrano, Harry Doyle, and Rachel Phelps, respectively.

These quirky characters make the clichéd story work, allowing the comedic aspect to come alive rather easily. There are many moments that make the film a time-tested classic. As funny as it sounds, I have the cues memorized for commercial breaks because I've seen it a million of times on television.

Back then, I was trying to figure out the "Hayes" part for a while when Willie Mays Hayes said he "hits like Mays and runs like Hayes." It turns out that "Bullet" Bob Hayes was a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys during the 60's and remains the only NFL player to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic Gold Medal (two of them). During the 1964 Tokyo Olympiad Games, he ran the 4x100m relay and was reported to be clocked at 8.5 seconds on a borrowed shoe.

All in all, as much as I hate the sport, Major League is to baseball as Days of Thunder is to auto racing.

6/11: Just after I finished Major League, Charlie Sheen confessed to steroid use during the filming, so his 70-MPH fastball could be increased by at least 10 MPH.

Oh, my...shocking news. Not. I guess it's pretty much the reason why baseball has been long dead for decades. Hence, Major League makes for a good substitute whenever I think of the tarnished sport. Any time I feel like watching baseball, the video gets popped in, and my fulfillment is met. It's simple as that.

Major League is a great from-rags-to-riches story of a motley set of characters who make most of their chance to be champions for once in their sad, pathetic lives. What sucks the most is the lack of a real ending because I have no idea what happened to the Cleveland Indians team afterwards although it'll be revealed in the following sequel.

Two notable aspects must be mentioned. First, it's humorous to see Tom Berenger teaming up with Charlie Sheen for a common cause, considering their characters' fall-out wasn't pretty in Platoon. Second, Wesley Snipes was an unknown before starring in Major League although he was somewhat familiar in an old Goldie Hawn flick called Wildcats. Afterwards, he became a big star in his own right, going on a huge run of successful films in the next four years.

All in all, great acting, well-scripted story, and lots of classic moments make Major League an instant winner.