Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Major League is a movie that came out in 1989 about the Cleveland Indians. But, it is about a lot more than just those lovable Indians. At the time the movie was made, the Indians were the laughing-stock of Major League baseball. Cleveland was considered to be the end of the line for major leaguers who ended up being traded there. Cleveland was a city that was not known for its support of the team, and being an old steel town, the stadium was not that great either. They played in old Memorial Stadium, which was also used by the football Cleveland Browns at the same time. So, keep in mind that the stadium itself was not the greatest to watch a game in, and to top that off, Cleveland could not field a team that could compete. That changed when Cleveland built Jacobs Field for the Indians, but that came later.... back to the movie.

Major League stars Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Bob Uecker, Corbin Bersen, and Wesley Snipes in one of his first movies. The basis of the whole movie, is that the new owner of the Cleveland Indians, wants to move the franchise to Florida. To make this happen, she has to make sure that the team does not do very well, and that they lose enough fan support to warrant a move to another state. To full-fill this goal, what she does, is trade, sell, and release all of the good players that the team has. In short, she intentionally tries to throw the season, so that she can move to a warmer climate. If you were not already aware, Cleveland can get quite cold in the winter-time, and usually does not warm up too much until its scorching summers.

In the place of the "talented" players that she has once had, the owner goes out and gets a strange bunch of ball-players. She goes after the "rotten apples" of the game in an effort to put a team on the filed that nobody will like, and that everyone will grow to hate. In doing so, she springs one player from jail to play on the team, signs on a rich guy who just wants to play ball for kicks, an old washed-up catcher, and even a Voodoo practicing man from the minor leagues. All this is her attempt to make sure that the team does not stand a chance at competing.

Berenger plays the washed up catcher, and he ends up being the main-character of the film. He turns out to be the equivalent to Kevin Costner in Bull Durham, because he has been around the league for years, and knows all of the ins and outs of the game. Sheen plays that ex-convict pitcher, who pitches as hard as Randy Johnson, but has no control over his pitching. Wesley Snipes comes in as a player just trying to find a team that will let him play. His major fault? Everytime he hits he just pops it up. The only reason he has lasted this long, is his speed. Finally, Uecker plays the announcer of the team. (Quite a stretch for him since he is the current announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers ;).

From that point on in the movie, it is focused on this rag-tag bunch of players that are out to prove that they are more than has-beens, and never-will-bes in the baseball sense. They must all overcome the faults that have kept them from being stars, and do it as a team along the way. I love all of the personality quirks that were given to each of the different players, and I really admire how this movie was done. In my mind this is the best baseball comedy that has been made thus far. It pokes humor at many of the processes that take place at ball games, and also has a good time when dealing with serious topics as well.

One thing I must warn you though, if you are going to watch this, is that you should not come into it expecting the greatest baseball movie ever. This is a comedy and should be treated just as that. In that aspect, this movie is a very good comedy. The cast worked well together, and it was always funny thinking about what might happen next in the film. For those of you that have read this far, here is a little tid-bit about me. I am in this movie. :) That is right, I am in this movie. I happened to be in Cleveland watching the Mariners play the Indians in Memorial stadium in 1988 when they filmed most of the wide-screen crowd shots. I am in the 3rd deck of the film (I know, I know, not really a part of the movie, but I am in it), and I am cheering on the great game going on.

I highly recommend this movie to everyone, because the comedy is suited quite well for a younger audience, but at the same time has the appeal necessary for an older audience. If you have not seen this movie then go out and rent it, and you will be pleased with the results.









Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8