Jeremy Ordan
Major Contributor
So tonight I was watching Bull Durham for the 500th time and just wanted to find out what everyone considers to be the best baseball film of all time.
Best Baseball Film
- Thread starter Jeremy Ordan
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David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
I had to go with Eight Men Out. Sayles really captured when the game lost it's innocence. What a cast also.
Rasquachemedia
Well-known member
the natural, my all time fav baseball film. i love this film
Jeremy Ordan
Major Contributor
I went with Field of Dreams also. It is that one simple line at that end that just gets me...
I can't speak from the side of having a kid ask me if I want to play catch (although I did coach little league this year), but it just brings back memories of my father and I, and Costner saying that line gets me all worked up.
I can't speak from the side of having a kid ask me if I want to play catch (although I did coach little league this year), but it just brings back memories of my father and I, and Costner saying that line gets me all worked up.
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
This is a tough poll (Thanks Yankee)
I hadnt even realized that "For the Love of the Game" was Raimi unitl you said it; cool.
Bull Durham - My favorite
Field of Dreams - A classic; a contender
The Natural - I always found this kind of Redfords pretentious 'Hey look at me film'. Never felt like a baseball film to me; felt more like a Robert Redford film.
Major League - Love this film; how can you not?
Pride of the Yankees - Before my time
The Babe - Are you kidding me? John Goodman playing Babe Ruth is an insult to The Babe and The Game.
For the Love of the Game - Very well done and I still haven't 'witnessed' one of these
Eight Men Out - An underrated gem; but sombering; I like my sports films to end in glory and achievement
The Rookie - Really inspiring; true and well done
Disney-ish Baseball - Bad stuff.
I hadnt even realized that "For the Love of the Game" was Raimi unitl you said it; cool.
Bull Durham - My favorite
Field of Dreams - A classic; a contender
The Natural - I always found this kind of Redfords pretentious 'Hey look at me film'. Never felt like a baseball film to me; felt more like a Robert Redford film.
Major League - Love this film; how can you not?
Pride of the Yankees - Before my time
The Babe - Are you kidding me? John Goodman playing Babe Ruth is an insult to The Babe and The Game.
For the Love of the Game - Very well done and I still haven't 'witnessed' one of these
Eight Men Out - An underrated gem; but sombering; I like my sports films to end in glory and achievement
The Rookie - Really inspiring; true and well done
Disney-ish Baseball - Bad stuff.
Jeremy Ordan
Major Contributor
For as much crap as people talk about Costner, he is actually great in his baseball movies. For the love of the game doesn't have that true Raimi feel, but it is actually a great movie. I have seen very few perfect games in my life (David Wells & David Cone are the only ones I have ever seen, Mike Mussina was one out away from one three years ago against the Red Sox), so that movie rings true on so many levels.
Hudson, you of all people would love Pride of the Yankees. Classic movie and just a really twisted feel.
I agree that 61* is a great movie, what story about Mantle and Marris can be bad, you know, but when I was putting together the list there are only 10 entries you can have. The original Bad News Bears should have been on the list, as should the Sandlot. Those are both great films.
Regarding The Natural, there is something about that movie that just brings out the nearly thirty year old little leaguer in me. It might be the coach telling him to hit the cover off the ball, and then he does, or the infamous music and running the bases with the lights exploding. There is jsut something about that movie I love.
There is also fever pitch, but I refuse to see that because I am still trying to convince myself that last season never happened, so I don't need to be reminded about it.
Finally, and this is not a plug for my bronx boys, but the YES Network airs these Yankeeographies, plus they have all these other documentaries about the stadium and the history of the ballpark. These are incredible documentaries, if you enjoy those types of things (such as HBO's Legendary Nights series).
Enough rambling, I'm going to go to the store and get some lunch.
Hudson, you of all people would love Pride of the Yankees. Classic movie and just a really twisted feel.
I agree that 61* is a great movie, what story about Mantle and Marris can be bad, you know, but when I was putting together the list there are only 10 entries you can have. The original Bad News Bears should have been on the list, as should the Sandlot. Those are both great films.
Regarding The Natural, there is something about that movie that just brings out the nearly thirty year old little leaguer in me. It might be the coach telling him to hit the cover off the ball, and then he does, or the infamous music and running the bases with the lights exploding. There is jsut something about that movie I love.
There is also fever pitch, but I refuse to see that because I am still trying to convince myself that last season never happened, so I don't need to be reminded about it.
Finally, and this is not a plug for my bronx boys, but the YES Network airs these Yankeeographies, plus they have all these other documentaries about the stadium and the history of the ballpark. These are incredible documentaries, if you enjoy those types of things (such as HBO's Legendary Nights series).
Enough rambling, I'm going to go to the store and get some lunch.
CallaghanFilms
Veteran
Bull Durham is, as originally posted, is a film that is damn hard to pass up whenever it is on cable...and yes I too get drawn into watching it each and every time.
That being said, I am quite surprised that it is even in the same ballpark (pun intended) as Field of Dreams. Yes Bull Durham has good...no great dialog, and was brilliantly directed by Sheldon - but I still don't think it has the X-Factor that Field of Dreams has. It would have been easy to utilize cheap devices in order to create sentiment out of the plotline (especially with the Americana backdrop of dad+son+baseball at your disposal). However, Phil Alden Robinson didn't use any such shortcuts in his message...his film targets the heart directly.
I can't think of many other films whose emotional climatic scenes never lose their potency, never become deluded...
-The "Play La Marseillaise" scene in Casablanca
-The "A toast...to my big brother, George. The richest man in town" scene in It's a Wonderful Life
-The "FREEEEEEDDOOOOOM!" scene in Braveheart
-and, yes the "Hey, dad, you wanna have a catch?" scene in Field of Dreams
IMHO of course.
That being said, I am quite surprised that it is even in the same ballpark (pun intended) as Field of Dreams. Yes Bull Durham has good...no great dialog, and was brilliantly directed by Sheldon - but I still don't think it has the X-Factor that Field of Dreams has. It would have been easy to utilize cheap devices in order to create sentiment out of the plotline (especially with the Americana backdrop of dad+son+baseball at your disposal). However, Phil Alden Robinson didn't use any such shortcuts in his message...his film targets the heart directly.
I can't think of many other films whose emotional climatic scenes never lose their potency, never become deluded...
-The "Play La Marseillaise" scene in Casablanca
-The "A toast...to my big brother, George. The richest man in town" scene in It's a Wonderful Life
-The "FREEEEEEDDOOOOOM!" scene in Braveheart
-and, yes the "Hey, dad, you wanna have a catch?" scene in Field of Dreams
IMHO of course.
Steve Strickland
Well-known member
What's cool about these films is that they all deal with the same basic subject, but they are all unique in their approach. Like Yankee, I'll always stop to watch any of these films if I'm channel surfing. They hold up well over time. Even though I know what's going to happen, I still get that emotional rush from the movie like I was watching it for the first time. Another film not included that is a personal guilty pleasure is "A League Of Their Own."
Jeremy Ordan
Major Contributor
Am I considered a misogonist because I didn't put that on the list?
Steve Strickland
Well-known member
I just thought you had something against Laverne De Fazio :grin:
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
I liked A League of their Own but; I don't know. The whole 'Chick ball' thing. Like the WNBA "Come on; someone dunk that ****!"
Rich Lee
I shoot Pirates.
THE NATURAL!
one of my favorite movies ever. parts of it still give me the chills. i think its bigger then a baseball movie...one of the things it always makes me think about is anyone who has an amazing gift, but they were delt a bad hand, and something stops them from realising it to its fullest or ever.
the end when he shatters the lights is one of my most favorite scenes in a movie...its beautiful.
one of my favorite movies ever. parts of it still give me the chills. i think its bigger then a baseball movie...one of the things it always makes me think about is anyone who has an amazing gift, but they were delt a bad hand, and something stops them from realising it to its fullest or ever.
the end when he shatters the lights is one of my most favorite scenes in a movie...its beautiful.
Jeremy Ordan
Major Contributor
This weekend I watched 'Cobb' again. While I do not consider this a real baseball movie, it was still a great film with some of the best acting you could ask for in a film. Any baseball fans who have not seen this movie should certainly take the time to watch it.
By the way, BestBuy has 'The Sandlot' on sale for $6.99. I must buy this today.
One final note: Interesting Fact-> everyone in 'Eight Men Out' did the film for scale because they were so in love with the script but the studios wouldn't put any money into the project (and people wonder why the White Sox haven't won the world series since 1917)
By the way, BestBuy has 'The Sandlot' on sale for $6.99. I must buy this today.
One final note: Interesting Fact-> everyone in 'Eight Men Out' did the film for scale because they were so in love with the script but the studios wouldn't put any money into the project (and people wonder why the White Sox haven't won the world series since 1917)
Jeremy Ordan
Major Contributor
I was sitting here avoiding working and read Taubkin's post and was like 'how can anyone not love baseball?'
This immediately sent my mind spinning because honestly, none of the movies listed here actually capture the essence of pro ball. Not a single movie shows the 162 game season, the daily grind over six months, and then the highs of the big wins and the deflation of massive losses. Not a single film shows the discrepency between the highest paid ($252M) vs the lowest paid ($400k/yr). Maybe it's my skewed perspective from the six weeks I spent playing minor league ball (completely different story), but baseball does not have a true movie showing baseball. Football was most accurately shown in that garbage movie 'The Program' where you at least see the guy with the blown ACL or maybe even 'Friday Night Lights'. Baseball has nothing like this. I wonder if it is because people find baseball boring, or it is just not possible to make a <3 hour picture about such a long season.
Sorry for the ramble.
This immediately sent my mind spinning because honestly, none of the movies listed here actually capture the essence of pro ball. Not a single movie shows the 162 game season, the daily grind over six months, and then the highs of the big wins and the deflation of massive losses. Not a single film shows the discrepency between the highest paid ($252M) vs the lowest paid ($400k/yr). Maybe it's my skewed perspective from the six weeks I spent playing minor league ball (completely different story), but baseball does not have a true movie showing baseball. Football was most accurately shown in that garbage movie 'The Program' where you at least see the guy with the blown ACL or maybe even 'Friday Night Lights'. Baseball has nothing like this. I wonder if it is because people find baseball boring, or it is just not possible to make a <3 hour picture about such a long season.
Sorry for the ramble.