Classic 80s comedy about sports and wacky athletes
Given the recent loss of baseball legend Bob Uecker, it’s only fitting that we look at his incredible performance as alcoholic announcer Harry Doyle in this classic baseball comedy.
For those who have never seen the film, the hapless Cleveland Indians get a new owner when a conniving former showgirl inherits the franchise and then decides she wants them to be the worst possible team in the league in order to trigger a clause that would allow her to move them to Miami (the real Marlins were founded two years after this movie released). The team of castoffs and goofballs, realizing what’s up, decides to band together and try to win the pennant to stop her plans.
Warning: Everything after this line will potentially contain spoilers for the film (yes, it’s 36 years old, still giving you a warning)
Key Stats
- Year: 1989
- Director: David S. Ward
- Writer: David S. Ward
- Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Dennis Haysbert, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo, Bob Uecker, Margaret Whitton
- Budget: $11 Million
- Box Office: $47.8 Million
- Runtime: 107 minutes
Paramount Pictures
The Cast
Tom Berenger was just a few years removed from an Oscar-nominated performance as the evil Sgt. Barnes in Platoon. Even in an ensemble film, he’s clearly the main character as we follow his last chance at baseball relevance while he simultaneously takes rookies under his wing and tries to win back the woman he loves.
Charlie Sheen was a real high school pitcher who famously took steroids before and during filming to improve his fastball — he reportedly threw around 88 mph for the film. The son of legendary actor Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen was a hot commodity in the late 1980s, having co-starred in Platoon with Berenger and appeared in films like Wall Street and Young Guns.
Corbin Bernsen was a rising television star from the show L.A. Law; here he plays whiny infielder Roger Dorn, who is trying to avoid being injured as he nears retirement, thus causing friction when he tanks plays he should be making. Wesley Snipes was basically an unknown before this star-making role spring-boarded his career. He was also apparently terrible at baseball and not fast, which is ironic given his character’s insane speed in the film.
Margaret Whitton, the film’s antagonist, was also pretty low-key before this film. I consider her character pretty iconic – she’s probably a top-tier sports movie villain due to her sadistic nature and realistic plan (the scene where a scout says a player is dead and she replies, “Well, cross him off then!” is fantastic.) Dennis Haysbert was a one-off TV show bit player before this film; he’s incredible as freedom of religion (Voodoo) defector Cerrano. Sadly it took Hollywood another 15 years or so before they really realized his quality.
The film features a ton of other solid performances and cameos from real former MLB players, but you get the point. It’s an ensemble film with some established and some future stars, all of which do a great job taking minor characters and making them incredibly memorable.
The Writer/Director
David S. Ward burst onto the scene by penning the SEVEN Oscar-winning film The Sting (1973), which also netted him one of those Oscars for his screenplay. He did a few underwhelming films for the next decade (including an ill-received sequel to The Sting) before writing and directing this baseball comedy romp.
He grew up in a Cleveland suburb and is on the record as having written the film because he felt, since his real team kept disappointing him (and still does!), that he needed to write a film where they could at least win something. Later in his career, he did earn another Oscar nom, this time for the script of Sleepless in Seattle.
Paramount Pictures
The Baseball
This movie follows the entire season of the team, from scouting off-season player acquisition to winning the pennant in front of a raucous crowd. It’s one of the few sports movies that does this, and it does it in a humorous manner.
Various characters that are clearly never expecting an MLB team to call think the GM is pranking them, including their pick for manager Lou Brown (who managed the Toledo Mud Hens for 30 years in-universe!). Training staff try to get guys in shape, the new guys get pranked and have to find a way to fit in, and generally, it feels like a dysfunctional but still realistic org at times.
The baseball plays shown all have comedic but still realistic tinges. Hayes poses while he makes a basket catch and then is immediately chewed out for being a showboat. Pitchers struggle with command or losing effectiveness of their stuff, just trying to hold on for another season. Cerrano can’t hit a curveball to save his life. The plays always look at least somewhat real, which helps a ton.
Also on display is how a cheap owner can hurt the team. The clubhouse utilities are broken (sometimes on purpose) and the guys end up doing things like putting a boat motor in a tub to mimic a hot tub bubbler. Their travel is via bus or rickety plane, and they have to trade dime novels to stay busy while on the road. The little things shown are true to baseball and it’s what helps ground the story even when it’s absurd or comedic. They do what they can with an owner sabotaging them, finally coming together to start winning once they realize her strategy.
Bob Uecker lends a hand to the cast as the drunk Harry Doyle, the radio announcer for the team. He expertly narrates the action (Juuuuuust a bit outside) and just…adds a ton. Watching him go from burnout to hype man is alone worth seeing the film for.
The Other Stuff
A big plot point is Jake Taylor’s (Berenger) pursuit of his former partner, Lynn (Russo). It’s fine, but can get sappy at points. Actually really like the dinner party scene and the real awkwardness that occurs in it, because it shows us how Taylor is truly at home on the playing field but totally out of his element in upper-crust society.
Vaughn’s new fame brings him a lot of popularity but his willingness to hook up with random women bites him in the butt towards the film’s conclusion. Dorn’s wife sees him kissing another woman after a big win, so she intentionally finds and seduces Vaughn to use it against her husband. It leads to some pretty dramatic moments in the final game, culminating in a hug AND a slug.
It’s also amusing seeing the wacky ways the team tries to drum up attendance once they realize what their owner is doing, such as being in cringetastic commercials. Seeing fan reactions — both in the stands and with random characters — really drives home some change while helping to pass the time of a long season in-film. Loved that narrative decision.
Paramount Pictures
Film Strengths
Ultimately, this one has become quite a classic baseball film because of the humor, the realism of the baseball shenanigans, and the sensational cast and dialogue. It’s shot pretty well, hiding various inadequacies from people’s lack of athleticism. It’s solidly paced and flows expertly, building up a lot of tension for the finale. Also, there are so many incredible quotes that became iconic and part of real baseball lore as folks imitated the film.
The characters are tropes, but they’re just wacky enough to believe – how many times have we heard about a beat-up catcher desperately hanging on to his career, or a fireballer pitcher who has no idea where the ball is going? Some of them are based on real players, adding to authenticity. They bring these bad players in at their worst and have them truly grow through the film, which is good writing, too.
Film Weaknesses
Definitely would argue that some of the humor doesn’t hold up, particularly as times have changed. It’s also about Cleveland winning games, which just feels icky to watch.
Also, how did they end up casting a guy to play CF who was slower than molasses? If you watch the scene where he blows past two other sprinters you can tell that he’s going full bore and the background actors are clearly jogging, with the footage sped up to mask his trouble. Finally, how many times are we going to see a guy chasing after a woman in a committed relationship, seemingly happy, to win her back somehow?
The film also garnered a mediocre sequel that’s nearly identical to this one and a third one that we don’t talk about, but I can’t hold that against this one — it’s just worth pointing out somewhere.
My Final Opinion
Honestly, this is easily one of my favorite baseball movies of all time. The comedy is so dang realistic for the shenanigans, the baseball is reasonable and shot in ways that build tension or wackiness, and all the characters feel real. It does hold up pretty well, even to today’s game, and I’d highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it. 9/10.