A Definitely Not Definitive List of the Best Baseball Movies Ever
This is a guest post from friend of the blog Roland Fuller
Baseball is an obsession in the US, and is considered by many to be that country’s national pastime. For this reason, it comes as no surprise that there are a number of films which have it as the main topic, and the five outlined in this article are considered by many to be the very best.
- The Scout, 1994
The Scout stars Dianne Wiest, Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser, and has Brooks portraying Al Percolo, a baseball scout who has had a run of bad luck and has been relegated to scouting for players in small Mexican villages after the umpteenth player he signs turns out to be a ruin.
He happens upon Fraser’s Steve Nebraska, the greatest player Percolo has ever seen, but, when they return to the United States, it soon became obvious that Nebraska is as mentally unstable as he is talented.
- Rookie of the Year, 1993
The Rookie of the Year stars Ian Nicholas, Albert Hall and Gary Busey, with Nicholas playing the part of a 12-year old Henry Rowengartner, who dreams of playing baseball for the major leagues. He is not, however, a particularly good player, until he manages to break his throwing arm. When the bones heal badly, Rowengartner is suddenly able to toss balls at 103 miles an hour, and he is soon on his way to making his dreams come true.
- Fever Pitch, 2005
Fever Pitch has Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon lighting up the screen, with Fallon portraying an ardent Red Sox fan. When he meets Lindsey Meeks, Drew Barrymore’s character, during the off-season, they fall in love, but, when baseball season begins again it becomes clear that Fallon’s character will need to choose between his love of Lindsey and his love of the Red Sox.
Those who are fervid in their enjoyment of the betting online Australia has to offer will sympathise with Fallon’s having to choose!
- Angels in the Outfield, 1994
This film has a host of stars moving the story forward, and you can look forward to stellar appearances by Danny Glover, Christopher Lloyd, Tony Danza and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
After his father tells him that their family will reunite if the Angels win the pennant, Gordon-Levitt’s character makes his wish, and it is fulfilled. The Angels, who are by far the very worst team in the entire league, are suddenly begin helped by a band of angels that only Gordon-Levitt’s character can see, and the team very quickly starts turning things around.
- Hard Ball, 2001
Diane Lane, Keanu Reeves and John Hawkes bring this film to life, with Reeves portraying a gambler by the name of Conor O’Neill. In order to get a loan from a friend of his in order to get out of the debt he is in, O’Neill agrees to coach a Cabrini-Green Chicago projects Little League team.
Although it is just a way to get hold of some money, initially, O’Neill very quickly realises the wonderful influence he could have as he mentors the young players, and this film perfectly encapsulates just what a positive impact sports can have on players who struggle with poverty.
-Roland Fuller
