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That is how washed out baseball player Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) describes his situation as coach of the Rockford Peaches. This pretty much encapsulates the general attitude of people back in 1943, when World War II forced baseball owners to create a female baseball league so they could still make profits.
A League of Their Own focuses mostly on sisters Dottie and Kit (Geena Davis and Lori Petty), two softball players in Oregon that are recruited for this new league. Will their rivalries get in the way of their success, or will they allow to work together as a team? They are joined by an assorted cast that includes Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell.
This is a film that, for some reason, I hadn't seen before. Several people had mentioned it to me, so I was happy to finally check that box. But beyond that, the film is indeed well made and more important, a lot of fun. Although there is so much to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that is not said, the film still succeeds in giving you an idea of what it was and what it meant.
Most of the cast is pretty good, but special notice goes to Hanks and Davis, who are excellent. Unfortunately, the conflict between Dottie and Kit feels a bit half-baked. Also, I don't think the 1980s flashforwards that bookend the film were as well executed as the body of the film, but I understand their purpose: to highlight the legacy of these women that decided to shake off any dismissal or prejudice about their role as women in order to play ball.
Grade:
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
(1992, Marshall)
A film from the 1990s
(1992, Marshall)
A film from the 1990s
"Ballplayers?! I haven't got ball players! I've got girls!. Girls are what you sleep with *after* the game, not what you coach *during* the game!"
That is how washed out baseball player Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) describes his situation as coach of the Rockford Peaches. This pretty much encapsulates the general attitude of people back in 1943, when World War II forced baseball owners to create a female baseball league so they could still make profits.
A League of Their Own focuses mostly on sisters Dottie and Kit (Geena Davis and Lori Petty), two softball players in Oregon that are recruited for this new league. Will their rivalries get in the way of their success, or will they allow to work together as a team? They are joined by an assorted cast that includes Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell.
This is a film that, for some reason, I hadn't seen before. Several people had mentioned it to me, so I was happy to finally check that box. But beyond that, the film is indeed well made and more important, a lot of fun. Although there is so much to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that is not said, the film still succeeds in giving you an idea of what it was and what it meant.
Most of the cast is pretty good, but special notice goes to Hanks and Davis, who are excellent. Unfortunately, the conflict between Dottie and Kit feels a bit half-baked. Also, I don't think the 1980s flashforwards that bookend the film were as well executed as the body of the film, but I understand their purpose: to highlight the legacy of these women that decided to shake off any dismissal or prejudice about their role as women in order to play ball.
Grade: