Some of the best sports movies of all time have their setting on the baseball diamond. Being a slow game, baseball is easy to film, seems to take on a metaphor for life quite easily, and happens to be the American pastime. So with so many movies to choose from, it was quite hard to pick the top three.
3. Bull Durham
The late 80’s classic features Crash Davis, a washed up minor league catcher, mentoring stud pitching prospect Calvin Laloosh. It emphasizes the crud yet essential part of the game, as well as highlights the ruggedness that is minor league baseball. Crash Davis, played by Kevin Costner, is the kind of teammate you wish you had, and Annie Savoy, played by Susan Sarandon, is the kind of fan you wish you always had watching you on the field. It’s comedic, yet provides some serious insight into what the game of baseball is like away from the Majors.
Quote: “This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.”
2. The Natural
Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was. The story, based on a novel, tells of Hobbs’, played by Robert Redford, big league story, as he takes the Majors by storm as a 35-year old outfielder. The movie’s real legacy is in the title. It portrays a man’s love for the game and how gracefully he plays. It emphasizes that baseball is a part of natural heritage and that it should be a part of our youth, as there are a few scenes of Hobbs as a boy and him playing catch with his boy. The final scene leaves the crowd in “ahh”, as Hobbs hits a winning home run that smashes out the lights. Literally.
Quote: “Go pick me out a winner Bobby.”
1. Field of Dreams
This movie is a very hard one to describe, as it is multi-faceted, however its theme is not. Baseball is a passion. It can be seen in Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, as he tears down a few acres of his corn farm to create the most pristine baseball diamonds that Iowa has ever seen. It can be seen in Shoeless Joe Jackson, played by Ray Liotta, as he believes that this field is heaven. It can be seen in “Moonlight” Graham, in the way he plays the kid as a mere youth. Also, its got a few monologues from James Earl Jones…Awesome!
Quote: “People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”
There are many others that could have been chosen, so here is a list of honorable mentions:
The Sandlot – “Oh yeah, the Great Bambino. Of course! I thought you said the Great Bambi.”
Little Big League – “If I owned the Twins, I wouldn't even show up here. I'd just hire a bunch of scientists to do my homework. I mean, if you're rich you don't have to be smart. That's the whole beauty of this country.”
Eight Men Out – “Say it ain't so, Joe. Say it ain't so.”
3. Bull Durham
The late 80’s classic features Crash Davis, a washed up minor league catcher, mentoring stud pitching prospect Calvin Laloosh. It emphasizes the crud yet essential part of the game, as well as highlights the ruggedness that is minor league baseball. Crash Davis, played by Kevin Costner, is the kind of teammate you wish you had, and Annie Savoy, played by Susan Sarandon, is the kind of fan you wish you always had watching you on the field. It’s comedic, yet provides some serious insight into what the game of baseball is like away from the Majors.
Quote: “This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.”
2. The Natural
Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was. The story, based on a novel, tells of Hobbs’, played by Robert Redford, big league story, as he takes the Majors by storm as a 35-year old outfielder. The movie’s real legacy is in the title. It portrays a man’s love for the game and how gracefully he plays. It emphasizes that baseball is a part of natural heritage and that it should be a part of our youth, as there are a few scenes of Hobbs as a boy and him playing catch with his boy. The final scene leaves the crowd in “ahh”, as Hobbs hits a winning home run that smashes out the lights. Literally.Quote: “Go pick me out a winner Bobby.”
1. Field of Dreams
This movie is a very hard one to describe, as it is multi-faceted, however its theme is not. Baseball is a passion. It can be seen in Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, as he tears down a few acres of his corn farm to create the most pristine baseball diamonds that Iowa has ever seen. It can be seen in Shoeless Joe Jackson, played by Ray Liotta, as he believes that this field is heaven. It can be seen in “Moonlight” Graham, in the way he plays the kid as a mere youth. Also, its got a few monologues from James Earl Jones…Awesome!
Quote: “People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”
There are many others that could have been chosen, so here is a list of honorable mentions:
The Sandlot – “Oh yeah, the Great Bambino. Of course! I thought you said the Great Bambi.”
Little Big League – “If I owned the Twins, I wouldn't even show up here. I'd just hire a bunch of scientists to do my homework. I mean, if you're rich you don't have to be smart. That's the whole beauty of this country.”
Eight Men Out – “Say it ain't so, Joe. Say it ain't so.”
A League of Their Own – “Are you crying? There’s no crying in baseball
and Pride of the Yankees! Angels in the Outfield, Little Big League, Rookie of the Year, there are so many good ones...Bad News Bears
ReplyDeleteGood choices, especially what got in and what was left to the side, but in the wrong order. While Field of Dreams is ethereal, Bull Durham is the best baseball in a movie.
ReplyDelete