Baseball Themed Films I've Reviewed
by classicsoncall | created - 17 Aug 2011 | updated - 7 months ago | PublicHere's a list of baseball themed movies I've watched and reviewed. It's presented in IMDb ranking order.
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1.
The X-Files (1993–2018)
Episode:
The Unnatural
(1999)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Searching through an FBI reference book, Mulder finds a photograph of Arthur Dales with a baseball team and the alien bounty hunter. Mulder goes to Arthur Dales' house to ask him about the ... See full summary »
Director: David Duchovny | Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Jesse L. Martin, Fredric Lehne
Votes: 4,370
"What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia, is that baseball is the key to life."
2. The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)
80 min | Documentary, Sport
In 1973, Hollywood actor Bing Russell starts an independent minor league baseball team in Portland consisting of outcasts and misfits, and turns them into unlikely overnight success.
Directors: Chapman Way, Maclain Way | Stars: Lou Russell, Kurt Russell, Ken Wheeler, Todd Field
Votes: 4,579
"It was a dream-making kind of place." - Carren Woods
3. 61* (2001 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 129 min | Biography, Drama, History
Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.
Director: Billy Crystal | Stars: Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Anthony Michael Hall, Richard Masur
Votes: 17,638
"And if I may be permitted a cliche, records are made to be broken."
4. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Approved | 128 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of the life and career of famed baseball player Lou Gehrig.
Director: Sam Wood | Stars: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth, Walter Brennan
Votes: 11,991
"I'm telling you, that was a mighty wallop."
5. Moneyball (2011)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 464,337 | Gross: $75.61M
"You may not look like a winning team, but you are one."
6. Field of Dreams (1989)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.
Director: Phil Alden Robinson | Stars: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan
Votes: 128,014 | Gross: $64.43M
"I have just created something totally illogical."
7. 42 (2013)
PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.
Director: Brian Helgeland | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, T.R. Knight, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie
Votes: 102,662 | Gross: $95.00M
"I don't know who he is or where he is, but he's comin". - Branch Rickey speculating on the first black Major League ballplayer."
8. Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story (2018)
87 min | Documentary, History, Sport
In 1955, when racial segregation defined the South, two groups of twelve-year-old boys stepped onto a baseball field in a non-violent act of cultural defiance that would change the course of history.
Director: Jon Strong | Stars: Hank Aaron, Andrew Young, Cal Ripken, Gary Sheffield
Votes: 102
"Nobody should take your dreams away from you, especially a kid."
9. The Natural (1984)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sport
A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Votes: 52,430 | Gross: $47.95M
"I came here to play ball."
10. Fastball (2016)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, Sport
With Kevin Costner narrating, lead a cast of baseball legends and scientists who explore the magic within the 396 milliseconds it takes a fastball to reach home plate, and decipher who threw the fastest pitch ever.
Director: Jonathan Hock | Stars: Kevin Costner, Derek Jeter, Denard Span, Craig Kimbrel
Votes: 1,817
"You don't teach people how to throw fast. It just comes natural."
11. Babe Ruth (1998 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
He was perhaps the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. A larger-than-life hero on the field, Babe Ruth's exploits off the field were just as legendary. Don't miss this compilation of rarely... See full summary »
Director: George Roy | Stars: Liev Schreiber, Karl Benish, Ben Bentley, William Bond Sr.
Votes: 261
"If Babe Ruth had not existed, it would have been impossible to invent him."
12. A League of Their Own (1992)
PG | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna
Votes: 120,980 | Gross: $107.53M
"There's no crying in baseball!"
13. Major League (1989)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Sport
The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton
Votes: 76,386 | Gross: $49.80M
"Welcome to the Happy Hunting Ground!"
14. Eight Men Out (1988)
PG | 119 min | Drama, History, Sport
A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
Director: John Sayles | Stars: John Cusack, Clifton James, Jace Alexander, Gordon Clapp
Votes: 22,075 | Gross: $5.68M
"You play your ball game and I'll play mine and we'll see how it comes out."
15. Bull Durham (1988)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson
Votes: 59,316 | Gross: $50.89M
"You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball. You got it?"
16. Angels in the Outfield (1951)
Passed | 99 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
The Pittsburgh Pirates' brash and abusive manager receives the help of an angel to win games and become a better person in the process.
Director: Clarence Brown | Stars: Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn, Donna Corcoran
Votes: 2,962
"Alright, you play ball with me and I'll play ball with you."
17. Screwball (2018)
105 min | Documentary, History
Billy Corben's true-crime dramedy investigates the MLB's infamous doping scandal involving a nefarious clinician and his most famous client: the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez.
Director: Billy Corben | Stars: Frankie Diaz, Bryan Blanco, Ian Mackles, Samuel Kai Taylor
Votes: 1,827 | Gross: $0.01M
"It was a love of baseball."
18. Million Dollar Arm (2014)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A sports agent stages an unconventional recruitment strategy to get talented Indian cricket players to play Major League Baseball.
Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Alan Arkin, Suraj Sharma
Votes: 47,831 | Gross: $36.45M
"Okay, we can't find and train two nobodies in a year."
19. Fear Strikes Out (1957)
Approved | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
True story of the life of Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden, Norma Moore, Adam Williams
Votes: 2,159
"I play to win games."
20. Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)
PG | 96 min | Drama, Sport
The story of the friendship between a worldly-wise star pitcher and a half-wit catcher as they cope with the catcher's terminal illness through a baseball season.
Director: John D. Hancock | Stars: Michael Moriarty, Robert De Niro, Vincent Gardenia, Phil Foster
Votes: 6,240 | Gross: $0.35M
"Life is unfair, I'll tell you that."
21. Trouble with the Curve (2012)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
A daughter tries to remedy her dysfunctional relationship with her ailing father, a decorated baseball scout, by helping him in a recruiting trip which could be his last.
Director: Robert Lorenz | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake
Votes: 68,511 | Gross: $35.76M
"Is that it. Is that all you got?"
22. It Happens Every Spring (1949)
Approved | 87 min | Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
A scientist discovers a formula that makes a baseball which is repelled by wood. He promptly sets out to exploit his discovery.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Ray Milland, Jean Peters, Paul Douglas, Ed Begley
Votes: 1,898
"Wow, what kind of a ball was that?"
23. Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
Approved | 93 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Two turn-of-the-century baseball players, who work in vaudeville during the off-season, run into trouble with their team's new female owner and a gambler who doesn't want them to win the pennant.
Director: Busby Berkeley | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett
Votes: 4,076
"Denny, I've got a hunch that girl is human."
24. The Hill (2023)
PG | 126 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The remarkable true-life story of Rickey Hill's improbable journey to play Major League Baseball.
Director: Jeff Celentano | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Colin Ford, Joelle Carter, Scott Glenn
Votes: 5,635
"When I swing that bat, I ain't crippled no more."
25. The Pride of St. Louis (1952)
Unrated | 93 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Jerome "Dizzy" Dean, a major-league baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs in the 1930s and 1940s.
Director: Harmon Jones | Stars: Dan Dailey, Joanne Dru, Richard Hylton, Richard Crenna
Votes: 782
"He's dizzy, that's what he is, dizzy."
26. The Winning Team (1952)
Approved | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Family
Nebraska farmboy Grover Cleveland Alexander achieves baseball stardom before war injuries and alcoholism derail his career, but through his wife's faithful efforts he gets a chance for a comeback and redemption.
Director: Lewis Seiler | Stars: Doris Day, Ronald Reagan, Frank Lovejoy, Eve Miller
Votes: 1,113
"Doesn't that guy ever throw anything but strikes?"
27. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
Approved | 77 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Biography of Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player in the 20th century. Traces his career in the negro leagues and the major leagues. Restored in original Black and White.
Director: Alfred E. Green | Stars: Jackie Robinson, Ruby Dee, Minor Watson, Louise Beavers
Votes: 1,438
"In baseball, it's not who or what you are, but can you play the game."
28.
The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
Episode:
The Mighty Casey
(1960)
TV-PG | 25 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A down-and-out baseball team's fortunes are lifted by a mysterious but seemingly unbeatable young player.
Directors: Alvin Ganzer, Robert Parrish | Stars: Rod Serling, Jack Warden, Abraham Sofaer, Robert Sorrells
Votes: 3,011
"He pitches like nothing human."
29. Elmer, the Great (1933)
Not Rated | 72 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
Country bumpkin Elmer Kane joins the Chicago Cubs as the greatest hitter in baseball. His skill with a bat takes the team to the World Series, but on the way to the championship he has to deal with gamblers and crooked pitchers.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Joe E. Brown, Patricia Ellis, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd
Votes: 601
"Imagine a cross-roads apple knocker high hattin' the Chicago Cubs!"
30. Home Run on the Keys (1937)
Approved | 9 min | Short, Family, Music
Babe Ruth returns from hunting to a cabin shared with musicians Zez Confrey and Byron Gay where he regales them with stories. With Babe's help, they write a song about baseball which then debuts on a radio show.
Director: Roy Mack | Stars: Babe Ruth, Zez Confrey, Byron Gay, The DeMarco Sisters
Votes: 157
"So David, play it! It's a home run!"
31. Alibi Ike (1935)
Approved | 72 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
Idiosyncratic new recruit Francis "Ike" Farrell tries to help the Cubs to the pennant with his pitching and hitting.
Director: Ray Enright | Stars: Joe E. Brown, Olivia de Havilland, Ruth Donnelly, Roscoe Karns
Votes: 717
"Will he make good, or is he just another Big League bust?"
32. A Mile in His Shoes (2011 TV Movie)
PG | 89 min | Drama, Family, Sport
Mickey Tussler, an autistic pitcher, joins a minor-league baseball team and has a profound effect on the team and manager Arthur "Murph" Murphy over the course of a season.
Director: William Dear | Stars: Luke Schroder, Dean Cain, George Canyon, Chilton Crane
Votes: 789
"I like being on the team."
33. The Babe (1992)
PG | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Babe Ruth becomes a baseball legend but is unheroic to those who know him.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: John Goodman, Kelly McGillis, Trini Alvarado, Bruce Boxleitner
Votes: 11,509 | Gross: $17.53M
"I like to hit home runs."
34. Home Run (2013)
PG-13 | 113 min | Drama, Sport
A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team.
Director: David Boyd | Stars: Scott Elrod, Dorian Brown Pham, Charles Henry Wyson, James Devoti
Votes: 3,326 | Gross: $2.86M
"Nothing great happens when you hold back."
35. Fireman, Save My Child! (1932)
67 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
Joe Grant is an inventor, fireman and baseball player in his small home town. He gets an offer to play in a big team, he hopes to get more money for his inventions. But he is invited to ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Joe E. Brown, Evalyn Knapp, Lilian Bond, Guy Kibbee
Votes: 295
"That's right, I remember. You always liked to peel your own banana."
36. Success (1931)
17 min | Short, Comedy
Elmer proposes to Molly, but she says he needs her fathers permission. He wants Elmer to become a ballplayer, but his eyesight keeps getting him into trouble. Elmer also needs a new pair of glasses.
Director: Alfred J. Goulding | Stars: Jack Haley, Helen Lynd, Phil Silvers, John Hamilton
Votes: 45
"Tonight's the night, honey."
37. Ladies' Day (1943)
Passed | 62 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A top baseball pitcher "loses" his pitching skills whenever he falls in love. His teammates try to get him to settle down with one woman so they can start winning some games.
Director: Leslie Goodwins | Stars: Lupe Velez, Eddie Albert, Patsy Kelly, Max Baer
Votes: 228
"He's a push over for anything in skirts."
38. Safe at Home! (1962)
Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Legendary Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle stars with his Yankee teammate Roger Maris in this good-natured story of dreams that really do come true.
Director: Walter Doniger | Stars: Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, William Frawley, Patricia Barry
Votes: 366
"You can't make a foul ball fair by movin' the base line."
39. The Phenom (2016)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Sport
A rookie pitcher undergoes psychotherapy to overcome the yips.
Director: Noah Buschel | Stars: Johnny Simmons, Ethan Hawke, Paul Giamatti, Sophie Kennedy Clark
Votes: 2,393
"I think both of us have some issues about being perfect, man."
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