Major League (1989)

As we approach Baseball Opening Day 2024, what better way to celebrate than to revisit one of the more beloved baseball films of the 1980's, a comedy with heart focusing on a true underdog franchise, the Cleveland Indians?  Directed by David S. Ward, the story focuses on one Cinderella season for the ballclub which is now under the control of a new owner (Margaret Whitton) who is determined to have them lose enough games to kill attendance so that she can move the franchise to Miami.  Lead by a new manager (James Gammon) and mostly populated with untested rookies, this rag-tag bunch ends up surprising a lot of folks by competing for the American League Pennant.  The roster includes Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen, and Rene Russo among several others.....PLAY BALL!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

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Transcript

MAJOR LEAGUE – 1989

Directed by David S. Ward 

Starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton, James Gammon, Rene Russo, Charles Cyphers, Chelcie Ross, Bob Uecker, Steve Yeager, Peter Vuckovich, Stacy Carroll, and Dennis Haysbert

Genre: Sports Comedy (Audio clip)

Since first seeing this theaters, I have just always dug this movie! Despite being released amidst a late '80's/early '90's crop of admittedly more well-crafted baseball-themed films with more depth - Eight Men Out, Bull Durham, A League of Their Own, Field of Dreams - it's funny that it seems to be THIS one which I enjoy rewatching the most. :) Because this movie is pretty much ALL tropes and cliches....hell I can remember seeing this within a week of first catching 'Durham (which had come out the prior year) on video for the first time and realizing aghast: 

"Whoah, aging catcher with bad knees taking on a rocket-armed young pitcher with control issues....we're doing this again already??" 🤪

I mean between Bull Durham and Slap Shot, you've got just about every possible narrative beat/sports movie cliche recycled from those two films COMBINED into this one screenplay written by David S. Ward (The Sting which he won an Oscar for, Sleepless in Seattle) who also happened to be directing this time around only for the second time. And yet rewatching this, you're also once again reminded that sports cliches exist for a reason AND it's all about the execution. Oh and having a great cast too. ;) 

Managing this underdog story of the Cleveland Indians defying the odds, Ward proved adept at not only assembling a talented team of veteran and rookie players....but also knowing EXACTLY how to use them! I mean on the veteran end, was there ever a combination of gruff voice and scraggly face who was ever MORE well-suited to play a no-bulls@#t manager than the late, great James Gammon? His Lou Rawls is just an absolute joy to watch as we see him browbeat Bernsen's Roger Dorn midfield in spring training for his "O'lay bulls@#t!" fielding the ball....

Speaking of which, this was probably PEAK-era Corbin Bernsen as he was also starring in "LA Law" at the time - if you were going the central casting route for playing an '80's yuppie douche, there was Ellis from Die Hard, the boyfriend from Crocodile Dundee (Mark Blum), and HIM. Bersen just owns this role as does sweaty, grouchy Chelsea Ross (Hoosiers, The Last Boy Scout) as the older, good ol' boy douchey pitcher Eddie Harris....always a kick to watch him play these old school types condescending to the younger folks, you can just SMELL the Vagisil coming off him. 😄 The sports announcing veteran/sitcom actor Bob Uecker is also perfectly utilized as fast-talking announcer Harry Doyle....making great use of his entertainingly insincere DJ voice as he delivers iconic lines like "JUST a bit outside...." 

None of these guys are overused and they each seem ideally suited for the baseball setting. The same goes for the younger, up-and-coming players with Berenger kind of in the middle playing the almost washed up catcher Jake Taylor....Berenger is both funny and endearing here in one of his better performances post his mid '80's breakout of The Big Chill and Platoon. Not sure why but Berenger just always felt ill-suited for the many thrillers he seemed to be taking on around this time - Someone To Watch Over Me, Shattered, Sliver - they were just the wrong types of vehicles for him, trying to be all sexy and super-serious. 🫣 But you let him play some one who's either more rumpled like Taylor or simply unhinged like his Oscar-nominated Barnes in Platoon, those were just better lanes for Berenger. 

And this brings me to the two younger up-and-coming players I like the most from this lineup: Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes....both young, spry, cocky, and just having a blast on field and off! ;) Playing the ex-con fireballer Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, there are still fewer line readings which make me laugh out loud more consistently than hearing Sheen deadpan to Berenger at a fancy restaurant, "You want me to drag him outta here....kick the shit outta him?" Followed by Sheen just perfectly shaking his head sheepishly afterwards....

I don't think Charlie has been THIS likeable in a role since which is a shame - his sterling (and underrated) run leading back-to-back Oliver Stone classics (Platoon, Wall Street) always seemed a tough act to follow, I would have LOVED more comedies from him or hell athletic roles? It helps that the actor clearly could REALLY pitch...most of the actors actually seen pretty comfortable on the field which adds a nice layer of authenticity to the proceedings. All of the baseball action is also very well shot for maximum hijinks and suspense....all the way through to that final, exciting one-game player against the New York Yankees. 😉

Which brings me to Snipes playing Willie May's Hayes - after Wildcats and the Michael Jackson "Bad" video, I'm fairly sure this was his first big role and it's a nice preview for the charismatic movie star he would develop into over the next decade leading up to Blade. Like Sheen, I wish there was a bit more of him here but you can't deny how much emotion he brings to that final climactic game....which I’ll get to a bit later.

Overall, this movie delivers EXACTLY what you would expect from a rousing sports comedy of this era despite several very dated elements including silly voodoo stuff and the main romantic subplot which I will also get to in just a bit.  

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

I think I have already made it clear on previous episodes that there are some overused songs chosen for needle-drops which have been done and should be retired permanently.  And for this movie I’m actually going to choose one of those but only because it’s used particularly well in this case….and that would be the 1965 classic rocker “Wild Thing” from The Troggs. (Audio clip) 

From the get-go, this song was HUGELY popular even though it was a relatively spare, mostly acoustic slow-paced rocker with relatively few lyrics.  But one reason it has endured is that many artists have performed their own unique versions of it in the decades since including The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fancy, the Divinyls, and….Siouxsie Sioux the former lead singer of Siouxsie & the Banshees but with her second band The Creatures.  However the remake which has remained THE most famous since the original was actually a version first recorded in 1984 by X, a relatively unknown LA-based punk rock band fronted by its more famous singer/poet Exene Cervenka.  THIS version is much more produced with a more expansive sound….and it’s extremely catchy in its own right.  It actually didn’t become a popular for several years until it was used prominently in THIS very movie….during the climactic game in the 1989 movie Major League….yup that’s right, it’s the theme music played for Charlie Sheen’s Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn when he comes out of the bullpen. (Audio clip) 

Yup if you were the child of the ‘80’s, it’s this version you have mostly heard and it has endured ever since….being used in more movies and ESPECIALLY during several actual sporting events.  (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Now about that romantic subplot…..this is a tough one as this was the big screen debut of Rene Russo and you can also tell off the bat that she was a star in the making.  After this, Russo would just take on bigger and bigger roles before eventually becoming one of the most consistent female movie stars of the 1990’s with strong performances in several hits from Get Shorty to Tin Cup to Outbreak.  She plays Lynn, Jake Taylor’s ex-girlfriend living in Cleveland whom he’s trying to rekindle a romance with.  

Russo DOES have some charming moments and is generally quite winning here.  Unfortunately around 90% of her screentime is devoted to just having Berenger's Jake stalking her Love Actually-style around Cleveland…..and what initially comes off as sweet just starts to feel repetitive and KINDA creepy, a genuine slog of a subplot which stops the movie in its tracks. 😯 None of this is her fault mind you but yeah, it’s a pretty thankless role for a character which if excised from the movie might have actually made it better….sorry. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now let me get to that climactic tie-breaking game against the New York Yankees…..it basically comprises the final half hour of the movie and I would say that’s a sound choice as it DEFINITELY feels as if the whole story has been building towards it.  And not only does it deliver satisfying conclusions for each of our characters, giving them EACH moments to shine but it’s all executed well feeling both true to baseball and sufficiently cinematic.  As for THE absolute highlight…..I mean WOW take your pick: the aforementioned stroll to “Wild Thing” by Ricky….Jake Taylor calling his shot….Dorn’s tense walk-up to the mound….Cerrano rounding the bases for his home run while proudly STILL holding his bat….just SO many great moments! (Audio clip) 

But for me, it’s that final play…..pretty much ALL presented in slow motion which admittedly is quite the cliché but it just WORKS for this sequence.  First seeing Berenger’s desperate dash to first base, OBVIOUSLY writhing in pain….just fantastic physical acting on his part!  And that of course leads to another slo-mo image of Snipes’ Hayes rounding third base…..and the cherry on top??  I STILL get goosebumps watching him sliding into home plate….and then his standing up with his reaction!  Just a genuine show-stopper of a sequence. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

And this of course brings me to the filmmaker who pulls all of this together….despite some clunky sections and also kinda shamelessly recycling beats from other sports comedies, this thing just MOVES with a momentum which the sport it’s portraying – BASEBALL – doesn’t always lend itself to.  We are taken through an entire SEASON of this particular Cleveland Indians’ team….and while much of this is done though montage, it never feels choppy nor rushed.  Most of the comedy lands, the characters are well-drawn, and we get a nice sense of the general ebb and flow of a 162 game season. (Audio clip) 

Beyond that, the City of Cleveland itself becomes a character even if still mainly painted through broad strokes…it’s a love letter to the city and its underdog status, despite hardly ANY of even begin filmed in Cleveland.  And wouldn’t you know it…the DIRECTOR of this movie was a lifelong ‘Indians fan - a big part of his motivation for writing this screenplay was that he figured that the only way he was going to see his team win triumphantly was in fact through the magic of cinema.  For delivering the Indian’s first American League championship in 35 years ON-SCREEN….David S. Ward is the MVP. (Audio clip)   

Final Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

Happy 35th Anniversary to a baseball movie which might not the best of its subgenre from this era…..but it very likely the most entertaining!

Streaming on Max and AppleTV

And that ends another BASE-STEALING review!