The Slugger's Wife (1985)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Hal Ashby

Writer:

Neil Simon (written by)

Release Date:

29 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

How can a woman walk out on a love like this? Just Watch!

Plot Keywords:

Superstition | Baseball Psychopath | Baseball

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Michael O'Keefe	...	Darryl Palmer
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Debby (Huston) Palmer
Martin Ritt	...	Burly DeVito, Braves Manager
Randy Quaid	...	Moose Granger
Cleavant Derricks	...	Manny Alvarado
Lisa Langlois	...	Aline Cooper
Loudon Wainwright III	...	Gary
Georgann Johnson	...	Marie DeVito
Danny Tucker	...	Coach O'Brien
Lynn Whitfield	...	Tina Alvarado
Al Garrison	...	Guard
NiCandra Hood	...	Nurse (as Nicandra Hood)
Ginger Taylor	...	Sherry, Hired Date
Kay McClelland	...	Peggy, Hired Date
Julie Kemp	...	Paloma, Hired Date

Also Known As:

Neil Simon's The Slugger's Wife (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

In a article that appeared in the October 2008 edition of the Sports Collectors Digest, there was a brief feature of a 1984 Topps baseball card for Darryl Palmer. Topps produced the card as a promotional item for the film. Even though it's unclear how many of these cards are in existence, there is no addition value for the card because of the film's box office failure.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the last game of the season, at the end of the movie, Palmer makes a catch in right field to end the top of the 9th Inning. The score at that point of the game was Houston 2 - Atlanta 1, but the scoreboard in the background of the catch shows Atlanta leading the game 1 - 0.

Quotes:

Burly DeVito: I'm a manager, not a pimp!

Movie Connections:

References Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Soundtrack:

WHEN I NEED YOU

Danny Noonan Breaks Maris' Record. No one seems to care.

This film advertises itself as a Baseball movie with a Love Story. The film fails at both attempts.

The Love story is boring and pointless as the characters simply go through the cliche'd story of falling in love, and then drifting apart.

But the real disaster here is the failure as a Baseball story. Somehow, we are supposed to believe that Michael O'Keefe is a credible Baseball Slugger? O'Keefe will forever be known as Danny Noonan from Caddychack. Unfortunately, this role did little to take that typecast off of him.

He's less than 200 pounds, with barely any muscle tone on his body, and he supposed to have been inspired by his love for Rebecca De Mornay to hit 62 Home Runs in a Season. The story starts off with the fact that he's a light-weight singles hitter. If you look at the four men in history who have hit over 60 home runs in a season, (Ruth, Maris, McGwire & Sosa) you will see that these men are rather large and muscular. O'keefe is neither.

However, the story gets even more ridiculous as O'Keefe nears the record. On the night before the final game, he is sitting on 61 Home runs, which has tied the record. So, what does he do? He goes out to the local dance club (where he first met De Mornay) with his buddies. On his way to the dance floor, one reporter from Sports Illustrated approaches him and asks him a few questions, than wishes him luck.

ONE REPORTER!?!?! He's on the verge of breaking the single season home run record, and he's out in a disco, and there's only one reporter asking him questions??? Even non-baseball fans can appreciate the amount of media coverage and fan reaction when guys like Maris, McGwire and Sosa neared the 60 mark. Those men were constantly hounded by fans and the media every night.

If you want a decent movie about baseball, that also details the accurate lifestyle of a player about to break the single season, see Billy Crystal's "61*".