If you are in the mood for a feel-good sports comedy/drama, A League of Their Own is exactly what you are looking for. This early 90s classic is a whole lot of fun and features an absolutely stacked ensemble cast. I am someone who knows zero about baseball, let alone the short-lived women’s pro league that was around back in the 40s and 50s, but I still have had a blast with this each time I have seen it.
How to Download A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own was released on July 1, 1992. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you want to see more movies with Tom Hanks, check out Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Apollo 13 (1995), You’ve Got Mail (1998), The Green Mile (1999), Cast Away (2000), or Cloud Atlas (2012).
The Movie Review
The movie is bookended by a couple of scenes that take place in the present, but the majority of the movie takes place in 1943. World War II has put a stop to most pro sports thanks to the draft and the owner of the Chicago Cubs has an idea to have a pro women’s baseball league and gets the other team owners to agree.
A Stacked Team of Talented Players
He tasks a scout who is played by Jon Lovitz to search and find enough players to make a team and what a team we have here. Gena Davis, Lori Petty, Madona, Rosie O Donnel, and more are the ladies who are here. The manager of this team is Tom Hanks so as you can see, this movie is stacked with star power.
A huge part of the movie is the rivalry between two sisters. Gena Davis’s Dottie is the player chosen to be the face of the league and the team, but she only joined for her sister, Lottie! Lottie is played by Lori Petty and she feels like she is always in the shadow of her big sister and she really starts to resent her.
Gena Davis Shines as Dottie
Gena Davis is one of those actresses who in the 80s and 90s was everywhere and she was near impossible not to love. I would put her role as Dottie right up there with Barbara from Beetlejuice! She longs for her husband to come home from the war, but despite this, she has a great attitude and she is a character that you can really get behind.
More Than Just a Baseball Movie
The whole cast is just so great here and it is hard to remember all the talented actors who make up this amazing cast. I know that some may be put off by the baseball theme, but you honestly do not need to like the sport to enjoy this movie. My wife who pretty much dislikes all sports even loves this movie. The game of baseball is here, but it is more about the characters and what they are going through than the sport of baseball.
From what I understand, it is not a super historically accurate retelling of the events of what really happened. However, I often think that a movie should not let the truth get in the way of a good story. If anything, the most recent time I watched this, it did make me want to learn more about the real-life story of this baseball league.
A League of Their Own is the kind of movie that will leave you feeling good and with a smile on your face. It is a fun movie and one of the better sports comedy/dramas of the 90s. I am glad I took the time to watch this when I caught it on TV recently and I think if I ever see the Blu-Ray when I am out and about, I may add it to my collection.
