Major League (1989)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

David S. Ward

Writer (WGA):

David S. Ward (written by)

Release Date:

7 April 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

When these three oddballs try to play hardball, the result is totally screwball.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Showgirl | Voodoo | Sombrero | Bunk Bed

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Jake Taylor
Charlie Sheen	...	Ricky Vaughn
Corbin Bernsen	...	Roger Dorn
Margaret Whitton	...	Rachel Phelps
James Gammon	...	Lou Brown
Rene Russo	...	Lynn Wells
Wesley Snipes	...	Willie Mays Hayes
Charles Cyphers	...	Charlie Donovan
Chelcie Ross	...	Eddie Harris
Dennis Haysbert	...	Pedro Cerrano
Andy Romano	...	Pepper Leach
Bob Uecker	...	Harry Doyle
Steve Yeager	...	Duke Temple
Peter Vuckovich	...	Haywood
Stacy Carroll	...	Suzanne Dorn

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Finland:K-10 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Mirage

Trivia:

The restaurant where Lynn Wells (Rene Russo) is spotted on a date is in Milwaukee. It was at the time a gourmet restaurant, stood empty for a time and then was a Russian Restaurant and dance club. It again sat empty for a period and is currently (2005) a Baptist Church.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Taylor is in Lynn Wells boyfriend's apartment, his beer-glass goes from half-filled to three-quarters filled.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Rachel Phelps: Good morning, gentlemen, and welcome to another season of Indians baseball.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Just Shoot Me!: For the Last Time, I Do (#7.21)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Beyond the Blue Horizon

There Once Was...

This is one of the cleverest predictable movies of all time, and for my taste the best baseball movie. A great cast, an underdog plot, and one memorable choice after another by the writers and director make this a valentine to the foot soldiers of our national pastime. (Remember, this was 15 years ago.)

The fabulous scoreboard, the hysterical radio play-by-play of Bob Uecker, even the motley occupants of Cleveland sports bars are irresistible hooks to reel us in, after we've been hooked by the motley team of colorful has-beens and never-were's. If this is a formula, it's the right one. I deeply love this movie, and regret not having seen it in its theatrical run. (I've seen it a dozen times since.) I'm sure the audience went wild during that climactic Yankees game! How about that Dorn making a bunch of clutch plays! Didn't you love Cerrano carrying his bat around the bases with him? Jake not dusting off, and pointing, twice...man, I wish I'd been there.

Then there's the little insert, early in the story, about Jake's fantasy of hitting the winning run out of the park. What happened instead when the chips were really down?

Okay, it isn't "poetry" -- it's more of a limerick, know what I mean? Just start with three words: "There once was...." and finish it yourself! I bet you'll finish with a big smile on your face!