On April 6, Major League Baseball (MLB) kicked off the 2015 season with the always-anticipated Opening Day action. In honour of one of summer’s greatest pastimes, we take a look at the top 10 baseball movies of all-time.
10. Trouble with the Curve (2012)
Looking at the struggles of an aging, renowned baseball scout, Gus Lobel – played by the esteemed Clint Eastwood – this modern-day story dives into the relationships baseball builds off the field, including Lobel’s troubled connection with his daughter Mickey, played by Amy Adams. It seems through the rough father-daughter history, baseball is the only thing keeping the two together.
9. Mr. 3000 (2004)
Stan Ross, played by Bernie Mac, retires after making it to 3,000 base hits. However, nine years later, Ross finds himself having to chase the milestone once again after a technicality called back his original accomplishment. On his second go-around, returning to professional baseball now as a 47-year-old, Ross goes on to capture more than the number 3,000.
8. Moneyball (2011)
With Brad Pitt starring as the Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, the most compelling aspect of this modern day baseball tale comes in a small-dog organization outsmarting the big and rich ball clubs, such as the New York Yankees, with predicted maneuvers behind-the-scenes to, avoid the cliché of the “magic” of baseball, and instead, focus on the smarts in building a potential championship squad. The movie is based off the book, “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game” written by Michael Lewis.
7. The Natural (1984)
Shot as a young baseball prospect on his way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, Roy Hobbs (played by Robert Redford) gets back into professional baseball 16-years-later with the New York Knights, who are in a last place standing. Nevertheless, Hobbs makes a mark as one of the best players in the league, as the Knights turn their season around – only to the dismay of their owner, who wants nothing but games lost.
6. Fever Pitch (2005)
Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore play a couple that falls in love, despite having a severe lack of things in common. Baseball is one of the many things the two don’t share a love of, yet, Fallon – playing Ben Wrightman – has two loves: Lindsey Meeks (Barrymore) and the Boston Red Sox. The latter ends up being a serious threat to the relationship.
5. A League of Their Own (1992)
Starring names such as Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell, and set during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league is born as men are the foundation of the war effort. Hanks, playing a has-been coach named Jimmy Dugan, deals with overly competitive sisters, among various other obstacles for the untraditional league.
4. Major League (1989)
In order to close a deal to move the Cleveland Indians to Miami, the new-owner Rachel Phelps (played by Margaret Whitton) puts together a team comprised of an almost-blind pitcher, injury-prone catcher, and various other less-than-capable players. However, instead of tanking the season, along with ticket sales, the Indians turn into a contending squad.
3. Bull Durham (1988)
Susan Sarandon, playing the Bulls’ minor league baseball loving-groupie, Annie Savoy, acts as an inspiration to a washed-up professional Crash Davis (played by Kevin Costner) to guide up-and-coming pitcher Ebby Calvin Laloosh. As Davis guides Laloosh – coined as “Nuke” – to control his talent, the love of baseball and the lessons of life itself are on full display.
2. The Bad News Bears (1976)
Morris Buttermaker, a once minor-league hopeful with a drinking habit, unhappily agrees to coach a Little League team, only to quickly realize the squad is compromised of misfits. Buttermaker attempts a solution with talented pitcher Amanda Whurlitzer (played by Tatum O’Neal) to lead the team, but needs to learn some patience to help the process.
1. Field of Dreams (1989)
A farmer named Ray, played by Kevin Costner, hears a voice in his cornfield one night exclaiming, “If you build it, he will come” and acts on the instruction by building a baseball diamond on his farm. Once built, the ghosts of baseball legends of the past emerge to play, quickly teaching Ray that his “field of dreams” is about a lot more than the game.