A League of Their Own (1992)

Penny Marshall's popular 1992 comedy sheds light on a little-known chapter of American sports history with its story of a struggling team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league was formed when the recruiting of soldiers during World War II resulted in a shortage of men's baseball teams. The AAGPBL continued after the war (until 1954), and Marshall's movie depicts the league in full swing, beginning when a savvy baseball scout (Jon Lovitz) finds a pair of promising new players in small-town Oregonian sisters (Geena Davis, Lori Petty). The sisters are signed to play for the Rockford Peaches near Chicago, whose new manager (Tom Hanks) is a former home-run king who wrecked his career with alcoholism. They're all a bunch of underdogs, and Marshall (with a witty script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) does a fine job of establishing a colorful team of supporting players including Madonna and (in her movie debut) Rosie O'Donnell. It's a conventional Hollywood sports story (Marshall's never been one to take dramatic risks), but the stellar cast is delightful, and the movie's filled with memorable moments, witty dialogue, and agreeable sentiment. And just remember: there's no crying in baseball! --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com essential video

Poor service

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******buyer beware****** December 26, 2008

Excellent movie

This is such an excellent movie. Because of this movie, I have become very interested in learning more about the AAGPBL (I always wished that I was born then so I could play in the AAGPBL), very interesting part of history that we never hear about. Geena Davis, Madonna and all the cast members are great in this movie. If you want to watch a great film, this is definitely the one to watch. December 16, 2008

Memoprable and Worthwhile

I admit that I am a baseball junkie and did not know as much about this part of the great american pastime as I should have and before I saw the movie I did not know the historical perspective of the subject matter. But that changed.

This is just an out and out great movie with a wonderful cast, Tom Hanks and Geena Davis turn in wonderful performances. I am not a big fan of either Madonna or Rosie O'Donnell, but because of their efforts in this movie I do take a double look whenever I ssee their names because they were brilliant here.

And the comdey is steller. It is full of memorable lines that have become part of baseball's lexicon (well at least for baseball fans) with "There's no Crying In Baseball" something that is used by everyone everywhere nowadays, probably more so than any other catch phrase from any movie that many people know.

Laughs and even bittersweet tears permeate the movie and Penny Marshall turns in her usual top notch ability to make a movie that is memorable and enjoyable. And it has a good bit of baseball history thrown in to boot. November 9, 2008

"There's no crying in baseball!"

With the institution of the peacetime draft in 1940, Major League Baseball went into a major league slump, since, as a repository of well-conditioned 1-A young males, it lost a significant percentage of its players to the demands of the war years. Some did not return.

To counter the loss, owners resuscitated the careers of older players dragged from retirement, promoted the abilities of marginal utility players and minor leaguers ineligible for the draft, and engaged in publicity stunts to keep ahold of the public interest.

One of the more original and more successful of these "stunts" was the creation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the AAGPBL, which remained in operation until 1954. AAGPBL players were supposed to "draw them in" by being young and pretty, and by playing ball in (for the era) shockingly short skirts. Meant to be strictly exploitative, the AAGPBL actually fielded some surprisingly talented teams.

1992's A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is the fictionalized history of one of these teams, the Rockford Peaches. A great ensemble cast (including Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell in her film debut) brings these scrappy ladies back to life in an affectionately humorous way. Tom Hanks plays Jimmy Dugan, (who in real life was former long ball hitter Jimmie Foxx), as a washed-up alcoholic wreck of a manager who redeems himself by making the team his own.

Director Penny Marshall keeps it light overall, although some dark elements, such as the ever-present hovering war, manage to add some depth to the film. The cast, while comedic, also treats the subject with respect. These were real teammates who got "dirt in the skirt" while playing their hearts out in a succession of Minor League ballparks.

The most memorable line of the film belongs to the hungover Dugan, who, in the wake of a bush-league error responds to the weeping of one of the women by shouting, "There's no crying in baseball!" Perhaps not. But it's hard not to be misty-eyed at the AAGPBL reunion and Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the end. This is a fun, warm, and unexpectedly meaningful movie that has stood the test of time. October 13, 2008

Excellent movie

This movie is one of the best movie of the last 20 years. It's funny, moving & provides a fun way to learn about an interesting and frequently forgotten part of history history! Tom Hanks & Geena Davis are wonderful in this movie. Madonna & Rosie O'Donell will surprise you! September 14, 2008

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