BEN AROUND: baseball movies never get old
by Ben Flanagan
Summertime means many things, and baseball rises to the top of the list. Certainly enough of us have become jaded by the money-fueled, steroid-laced version of the game, but purists have hope that America�s greatest pastime will once again triumph in a country in need of escape during troubled times.
I�m leaving out a couple of baseball movies I�m sure you hold near and dear, but not because I find them overrated or less entertaining. I just hold a special place for the following titles.
n �Pride of the Yankees� (1942) Easily the most pure, sentimental, Americana baseball experience at the movies, the story of Lou Gehrig from his rookie year to his final days as a player stands as not only a classic of the genre, but of any you throw out there. Gary Cooper is Gehrig in my eyes and always will be. For those who did not live through some of the greatest years of the sport, we can look to films like these to celebrate all there is to love about nine innings. Witness the real Babe Ruth play himself in a surprisingly impressive performance. My dad recommended this to me very early on in my childhood, and I�ll do the same for my kids.
n �The Bad News Bears� (1976) From a child�s point of view, possibly the greatest baseball movie, and easily the funniest. Never has another captured Little League like this comedy starring Walter Matthau as a washed up, drunk ex-major-leaguer coaching a handful of foul-mouthed kids who�d rather spend the summer doing anything else. Not all of us were winners on the diamond, and this movie shines a light on the ones who just wanted to have a little fun, even if they weren�t any good at it. While I never encountered a coach quite like Matthau�s Buttermaker, this film came the closest to mirroring my experiences in Tuscaloosa.
n �A League of Their Own� (1992) Maybe my personal favorite is Penny Marshall�s heartfelt portrait of the inaugural season of women�s professional baseball. A great example of pure entertainment, it helps us understand it doesn�t matter who�s swinging the bats; the game remains pure. Call me crazy, but I�d classify Tom Hanks� drunkard manager Jimmy Dugan as perhaps the actor�s greatest role. His �There�s no crying in baseball!� remains the best quote of the genre.
n �Bull Durham� (1988) Some might argue this as baseball-loving actor Kevin Costner�s greatest contribution to the genre, and I�d agree (sorry, �Field of Dreams� fans). The interplay between Costner and Tim Robbins, as the hard-headed rookie pitcher, explains why we should always listen to veterans. While the story tends to spend more time on relationships, the baseball moments don�t disappoint, especially as we hear the inner thoughts of Costner�s Crash Davis in the batter�s box, anticipating pitches.
n �Major League� (1989) Do profanity and baseball go hand-in-hand? This comedy suggests so, at its time the best mix of sports and laughs since �Caddyshack.� Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen and Wesley Snipes are among a motley crew of hopeless Cleveland Indians. The evil owner hopes they blows the season so she can move the team to another city. The �Slap Shot� of baseball actually displays great reverence for the competition, despite a great deal of cursing and cynicism. But hey, that�s sports.
n �The Natural� (1984) Who better than Robert Redford to play Roy Hobbs, the all-American middle-aged nobody born to play the game? The film attempts to puncture your body with goosebumps, as memorable moment-after-memorable moment pass through, including Roy�s whittling his lightning-struck bat Wonderboy, his literally tearing the cover off of a baseball or his wallop that busts out stadium lights. My favorite comes when Roy strikes out the pseudo-Ruth character in a meadow, after a few talking heads bet he couldn�t do it. With this many iconic moments, you think you�re watching true class, and for this genre, you certainly are.
n �Little Big League� (1994) During a year�s span that also featured �Angels in the Outfield� and �Rookie of the Year,� I�d choose this as the best of the three movies that involved kids as either players, managers or inspirations among major leaguers. In �Little Big League,� Billy Haywood inherits the Minnesota Twins after his grandfather (Jason Robards) passes away, and assumes the role as manager of the troubled club. Highly entertaining and underrated, this comedy understands the principles of America�s greatest pastime and admirably reminds the cynical sports world about the beauty of the game through the eyes of a child.
n �South Park�s �The Losing Edge�� (2005) Trey Parker and Matt Stone incited painful belly-laughs during season nine when Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny were forced by their parents to spend the entire summer playing a boring tournament that no boy in Colorado wanted to do.. Don�t miss Stan�s father Randy at his best, pounding beers in the stands and feeling it his moral duty to instigate fights with the opposing players� fathers.
And while you�re at it, here are a few things you�ll want to check out this week:
n The Rude Mechanicals present �Macbeth�: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and Thursday-June 6 at River Road Park East: Some of that wicked local theater action accompanied by some warm weather and the Black Warrior. My personal favorite Shakespeare play, �Macbeth� is perhaps the most violent and straight-up �gangster� of the Bard�s tragedies. Directed by UA theater professor Steven Burch, the play will feature a slew of local actors ready to get their betrayal on, and lucky for you, it�s free. Perhaps the best basis for comparison whenever you hear anyone use the phrase �Shakespearean in magnitude,� this story gets better with every reading and performance.
n �Up� at the Hollywood 16: If it�s Pixar, I�m there. Pete Docter, the director of the great �Monsters, Inc.,� returns with this adventure about a senior citizen seeking his own great journey after the passing of his wife.
n �Drag Me to Hell� at the Hollywood 16: Director Sam Raimi finally ditches �Spider-Man� to return to the horror genre. Trailers suggest another rather generic horror feature, but we should trust Raimi to deliver big thrills.