A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN - RETROSPECTIVE

1992's A League of Their Own is a near-perfect film.  I could end my review here, but I don’t think you believe me.  It is masterfully directed, hilariously written, and features an all-star ensemble cast at the top of their game.  The film follows rival sisters Dottie and Kit Hinson, played respectively by Earth Girls are Easy’s Geena Davis and A League of their Own’s Lori Petty, who join the first all-women’s baseball league near the end of World War II.

After being recruited by a scene stealing Jon Lovitz (TV’s Saturday Night Live), Dottie and Kit are both put on the same team, the Rockford Peaches.  I’m going to just take a moment to make sure you know what I mean by scene stealing.  Jon Lovitz absolutely KILLS IT in his brief cameo as baseball scout Ernie Capadino.  He doesn’t just steal scenes in this film, but also from every other movie that bothered to come out in 1992; doing more with a roughly 10-minute cameo than many comedians can do in a lead role.

Unbelievably, his isn’t even the best performance.  Everyone in this movie is brilliant.  Tom Hanks (The Man with one Red Shoe) is a riot as Peaches’ manager/coach Jimmy Dugan, a disgraced, alcoholic ex-player who begrudgingly accepts this second chance. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention teammates Doris Murphy, played by Rosie O’Donnell (Another Steakout) and Madonna (Dick Tracy) who plays “All the Way” Mae Mordabito.  Yes, that Madonna, but hold on.  She is impressively funny and even has a surprisingly heartfelt moment about halfway through the film.  Yet another stand-out is Megan Cavanagh (Robin Hood: Men in Tights) who ALSO steals the show as Marla Hooch.

Impressively, Penny Marshall manages to give almost the whole team little memorable moments here and there.  From Shirley Baker, who humorously learns to read with “help” from Mae, to Evelyn Gardner who not only learns one of baseball’s top unwritten rules but also must impose her bratty child Stilwell on the rest of the team.  A lesser script might fail miserably to include an unnecessary-to-the-plot child, but Stilwell is yet another highlight.

As comedies go, this is a criminally underrated triumph.  Almost every single scene is quotable and the entire cast shines.  The film is also a great lesson in tone.  While not quite a dramedy, Marshall gives the characters some surprising dramatic depth.  The dynamic between Dottie and Kit that the film hangs on is played out well and leads to a bittersweetly happy ending.  The relationship between Dottie and Jimmy is both funny and endearing as she helps him overcome drinking and even come around to his new role in baseball he first rejected.  This leads to a pretty dramatic scene near the end when the war hits too close to home for the team, and Jimmy proves he is exactly the manager these women deserve.

Do yourself a favor and seek this one out.