Since Opening Day was supposed to be this week, I decided to have a baseball movie marathon, sparking the idea to put together my own Top 10 list.
Now, I’m sure a ton of people are not going to agree with this list, but I ranked these movies on entertainment value. I’m not going by if they were nominated for an award or how much money the movie made or even how MLB players rank them. This is totally based on how I enjoyed each movie.
1. Major League (1989)
Not only do I think this is the best baseball movie, but I think this also falls under one of the best sports movies of all time. If you’ve seen this movie you know how many quotable lines are uttered throughout the film from “Juuuuust a bit outside,” to “Wild thing you make my heart sing,” and “Are you trying to say Jesus Christ can’t hit a curve ball?” The story about how Cleveland sports are a dumpster fire still resonates today. Even though they didn’t go on to win the World Series, this movie was hilarious and great to watch.
2. Moneyball (2011)
Math, analytics, data and Jonah Hill’s first serious role. I found a new appreciation for Oakland’s general manager Billy Beane. Even though I think Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is the greatest sports GM of all time, Beane is not far from that list in my mind. I understand he has never won a title, but this man had to get players without splurging major bucks. I found it fascinating he was willing to give players a chance who had a history of injuries or players who were never that great in the league. Oakland was like the XFL of the MLB. Giving players the opportunity that no other team would.
3. The Sandlot (1993)
Another great baseball movie with memorable quotes, like “You’re killin’ me smalls!” This kids’ classic didn’t have a huge impact when it was released, but as of now it sets a standard when it comes to movies where kids are the main stars (at least when a clown isn’t involved).
4. The Bad News Bears (1976)
The classic will always have the upper hand over the remake. The drunk manager, Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau), who was out here smoking milds (I know they’re cigars) and running a youth baseball team? I know it’s a heart-warming story, but this movie was also filled with iconic scenes that were great to watch.
5. Mr. 3000 (2004)
I am a huge Bernie Mac fan. The fact that he did a baseball movie was a little strange, but hey, Richard Pryor was in Superman. One of the biggest takeaways I have in this film was seeing Bernie Mac’s character Stan Ross trying to get back in shape so he can have that last hit to reach 3,000. I didn’t enjoy the ending, but it’s a Bernie Mac movie so it makes up for it.
6. 42 (2013)
They didn’t perfectly capture the story of Jackie Robinson, but I didn’t think the movie was horrible. Before being a household name, Chadwick Boseman showed off his acting chops partnering with Harrison Ford, who played Branch Ricky. It would have been nice if they shared more hidden facts on Robinson, but the movie had such a “Hollywood feel” to it that some points of the movie were cringe-worthy. It was Boseman’s performance though that made this movie stand up.
7. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor King (1976)
You want to talk about an all-star cast? This movie featured James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor and told the story about a Negro League thriving in the country in the 1930s really pulled at my heart strings.
8. A League of Their Own (1992)
True baseball fans and women will hate me for putting this movie so low, but I liked the other movies I previously mentioned more. That doesn’t mean A League of Their Own was bad, I was just bored with some parts. It has a great story with many quotable lines, but I just don’t see myself watching it again any time soon.
9. Eight Men Out (1988)
This movie was boring as hell, although I am a sucker for movies based on true stories. I love the smart way they dissected the Black Sox scandal, but they could’ve spiced it up a little bit more. The movie was about two hours long, but it felt like eight hours.
10. Major League 2 (1994)
Definitely a forced movie in order to cash in on the success of the first movie. It’s not as good as the first one and not as funny. I chuckled just once, but it was nice to see Charlie Sheen in action again as Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn.
People are probably going to say “Where’s Bull Durham, Field of Dreams or The Natural?” Those movies didn’t hit me like the ones I named on the list. With Opening Day on hold for now, I’m just going to keep watching more films and old baseball games.