"A Leaugue of Their Own" Movie Review

"A League of Their Own" is my favorite sports movie based in part on the historic significance of women in baseball during WWII. I also share the passion for this movie with my daughter. She was an exceptional athlete. In addition, I respect the movie because it does not mask the deeply emotional conflict of the 1940s. It provides a lucid look at what the women of the Rockford Peaches baseball team endured while men of the United States went off to war.

Brief Summary

"A League of Their Own" focuses on a group of females who step up to fill a male-dominated, and complex role in baseball. The game of ball was involuntarily depleted by men in Major League Baseball during wartime.

Much of the movie highlights sisters, Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller. Both women are outstanding ball players. They are distinct competitors as well. Dottie really longs to hang up her glove. She desires to go back to being a housewife when her husband returns from the war. Kit makes no fuss, but feels shes is the underdog, existing only in Dottie's shadow.

The 1992 Columbia Star film, directed by Penny Marshall, encompasses history, the sobering reality of war, the issue of remaining ladylike yet athletic, humor, and a poignant look at the human side of rivalry between sisters.

No-Fail Cast Awakens This Movie

I doubt "A League of Their Own" would be my favorite sports movie if the cast were comprised of other actors. Tom Hanks takes on the role of the Rockford Peaches' heavy-drinking coach, Jimmy Dugan. Dugan's alcohol-induced lines and antics are mostly funny, but a bit sad as well. Especially when you consider he is drinking his life away -- wasting what little potential he has left.

There is no humor in the underlying reality that Dugan, once a famous baseball player with great promise, is a dreadful coach, and a drunk. This aspect of the movie may take away from it being a family-friendly film from some perspective. It did not in my opinion.

On the plus side, Jimmy Dugan does mend his hard-drinking way, which results in him becoming a rousing coach. Take away the alcohol, and Dugan is still endearingly funny, but ready to tackle his responsibilities as a coach.

Other actors in "A League of Their Own" include the stunning Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, Garry Marshall, Jon Lovitz, and Lori Petty. A sweet, comical, and ultra lovable role by Madonna, as Mae Mordabito, is surprisingly engaging.

Do not write the movie off because you do not relish Madonna. I adore her portrayal as the fresh-faced Mae. If you are not familiar with Madonna's skill as an actor, you will be pleasantly surprised. The manner in which she carries the role of Mae is a delight.

There is nothing I do not love about this movie. I especially admire the resiliency women displayed during WWII: be it in the factories, the home, the war front or the baseball playing field. "A League of Their Own" is an awe-inspiring and deserving acknowledgment of a generation of female shakers and doers who literally stepped up to the plate.

Sources:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x56sz1_a-league-of-their-own-theatrical-tr_shortfilms

http://www.tv-links.eu/movies/A-League-of-Their-Own_18049/