A League of Their Own

I have to start this blog post by saying that my initial decision to watch A League of Their Own was out of obligation. I've heard great things about this movie and it was on Netflix, so I felt it was my cinematic duty to watch it. All I knew before watching the film was that Tom Hanks was in it, and it was about a women's baseball team. Although I adore Tom Hanks, the idea of watching a women's baseball team for two hours did not appeal to me. However, my negative bias had little impact on my overall opinion of the film after seeing it.

Since I knew very little about the premise of A League of Their Own before watching it, I was extremely pleased by the storyline. This movie unveils the true story of the Rockford Peaches, one of the first all-women professional baseball teams. The women's baseball league was formed during World War II, since many professional baseball players left to join the military. The main character, Dottie Hinson, is played by Geena Davis. Unfortunately, my only knowledge of her before seeing this movie was her role in Grey's Anatomy (I'm the movie buff who shamefully has yet to see Thelma and Louise). However, she is easily the best actor in the film. Tom Hanks portrays their alcoholic manager, Jimmy Dugan. He also does a great job, but this role cannot possibly compare to the other roles he has taken on. While the cast as a whole is phenomenal- surprisingly including Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell- Davis is the one that truly shines.

Besides Davis's standout performance, there were other aspects of the film that really drew me in. First of all, I tend to gravitate towards movies that tell true stories. My inner history nerd lives for them. The film was able to effectively demonstrate how the creation of a women's team was a significant reality in these women's lives that impacted their futures. Since in modern society there is such a strong push for gender equality, it was great to see how, even in the 1940s, women could demonstrate their equal worth. Although the team was created simply because men weren't around to play baseball, the all-women's team showed the world that they can be just as valuable athletes as men.

I do think, however, that this movie tried a little hard to, no pun intended, cover all the bases. It wanted to make you laugh. It wanted to make you cry. It wanted you to believe Madonna could've been a professional ball player. This is all too much for this type of film to take on. While there are funny moments, and the storyline is heartfelt and moving, a movie who tried to excel in all of these areas is rarely done seamlessly. The cinematography was nothing special. I can understand that this is not one of the greatest movies I've ever seen, but it did entertain me. Sometimes even the toughest critics have to stop overanalyzing and just base their critiques on the enjoyment factor of a film.