Review of A League of Their Own (1992) by James R — 25 Jul 2011

While I'm on the topic (okay, I'm not now, but I was a few months ago) of feel-good sports movies, I have to mention A League of Their Own. For a film made nearly twenty years ago, this is one entertaining, heartwarming, and pleasantly educational movie. It's also one of those relatively rare films that works almost as well for kids as it does for adults. There are a few adult-ish moments and lines in A League of Their Own, but nothing really objectionable--not only is the film rated PG, it's set in the 1940s, so on the whole it's pretty tame.

But tame does not mean boring. Watching this group of ladies playing baseball and becoming a family unto themselves is really, really fun! And the cast really works well to convey how much fun they are having. The banter between Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell is hilarious, Jon Lovitz is priceless, Tom Hanks leaves no laugh behind, and Geena Davis manages to be all-business and humorous at once. Even the more serious characters like David Strathairn and Lori Petty are very watchable. And mixed in and around this fun and humor is a background of both American history and personal/character history that is at once informative and very poignant.

In other words, see this movie. It's definitely in the Sports Film Hall of Fame.