Pepper Leach: [Vaughn has just given up a grand slam after walking three straight batter] You want me to go get him?
Lou Brown: Nah, leave him out there. I want to see how he handles this.
Lou Brown: [Vaughn hits the next batter causing a benches clearing brawl] I think you can go get him now.
I was a fan of the Atlanta Braves in the 1980's. To put it as kind as I can, they sucked. They constantly finished last and lost about 100 games a year. So imagine the great feeling I had when the Braves turned things around in 1991 and won a thrilling pennant race. Major League tells a similar story, about the perennially losing Cleveland Indians, and a ragtag collection of misfits that finally takes them to the top. There is nothing new about that plot, but what makes Major League one of the better films in it's genre is how effectively it captures the feel of a town energized by it's team's resurgence to the top.
The Indians owner has just passed away and his ex-showgirl widow is now in charge. She hates Cleveland and wants to move the team to Miami, but can only do that if the attendance is low. So she gets together the worst collection of players available, figureing there is no way they could win. They include Jake Taylor (Berenger), a former all-star catcher with a bum knee; Rick Vaughn, an ex-con pitcher with a great arm but no accuracy; and Roger Dorn, a millionaire prettyboy who refuses to risk his body to make tough plays. Also on hand is Willie Mays Hayes (Snipes) who wasn't invited to camp but earns his way on the team after displaying his blazing speed. Unfortunately, he's a terrible hitter. Lou Brown (Gammon), who's coached in the minor leagues for 50 years is selected as the manager.
Anyone who has seen sports comedies before knows exactly what will happen. The team will play terrible at first, but will band together and slowly rise to the top. Then there will be the big game against their most feared rivals at the end. So while the basic plot may be routine, the execution is not.
Director David S. Ward pulls out all the stops in detailing the ways a town gets involved during an exciting pennant race. There is a loyal band of fans who chant the song "Wild Thing" whenever Rick Vaughn pitches. By the end of the season, the entire stadium is taking up the chant, and Wild Thing shirts. This is reminiscent of the Atlanta Braves tomahawk chop, if less controversial. The "Wild Thing" chant was even carried over into real life and applied to Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams. The pure energy and buzz in the stadium during the games is perfectly realistic. The games, the strategy, the players all seam real. This is a movie that gets every single detail about baseball right.
There are also some nice personal moments. Jake tries to get back together with his ex-girlfriend (Russo), who then was an Olympic swimmer and sports enthusiast. Now she runs a large library collection and has settled down with a snobby, upper class, businessman. Jake tries to prove to her that he has matured from his former playboy days the last time he was a ballplayer. The chemistry between Berenger and Russo is very strong and their many scenes together are adorable. Berenger's entire performance is very strong. He effortlessly carries the movie as the teams clubhouse leader. Berenger is credible wether he is romantic, tough, or funny. Sheen, Snipes, and Gammon are also memorable in their respective roles. And Bob Uecker, as the Indians announcer, gets off some of the films best lines.
Major League rolls along smoothly to it's conclusion, and rarely makes a false step. It's obvious Ward cares about this film,. He has injected alot of heart into it. A few years later, a sequel came along that managed to use the exact same formula with much of the same cast. What that sequel was missing was energy and heart. It's easy to copy the formula, but it's not easy to create excitement and passion. Ward and his actors were able to do that for this film, and that's what makes Major League one of the best sports comedies I've seen.
