I don't care who you are, A League of their Own is a classic. That's a fact. You can dispute it all you want - go ahead, claim it's a "girl movie"; tell me it's too lovey dovey; argue that Madonna playing baseball discredits the entire thing - I'm not budging. Without a doubt, A League of their Own is one of the best baseball movies out there, and sits securely among my personal favorites.
First off, any movie that features Jon Lovitz in perfectly small doses is off to a great start. Then there's Geena Davis, who managed to pull off this dirty, slugging, tom-boy elegance that the male race never before even knew existed (nor that they liked it so much). Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell aren't exactly my two favorite people on the planet, but they both nailed their supporting roles, producing a Pinky-and-the-Brain type of dynamic that backboned the humor in most of the scenes. And whoever bit the bullet and played Marla Hooch, thank you for countless laughs.
There was also this guy named Tom Hanks. No one could have brought the miserable yet hilarious Jimmy Dugan to life like this Academy Award winner. One of the best characters in any baseball movie, he produced too many great lines to list them all. There is one that has managed to stand out, however.
I'm pretty confident I know more lines from A League of their Own than I've memorized from Die Hard, Scarface, The Godfather, Shawshank, and Braveheart combined - and I've got no problem admitting that. An innovative (and true) storyline, a captivating set of characters, comedy at every turn, and a baseball backdrop - it's my kind of movie.
But there is one thing that has always bothered me. Now whether Dottie dropped the ball on purpose in the final play, we may never know - we tend to think she did mainly because she owned Kit in every aspect of life and could make that play with her eyes closed, but we will never be certain. That is not my concern, however.
What rubs me the wrong way is that to this day, February 21, 2012, Kit still hasn't touched home plate. She comes racing in like a wrecking ball, slams into Dottie, and goes flying through the air, never once coming into contact with the plate, thus, never scoring the championship-winning run. Could you imagine how frustrated Dottie would be if the ump made the right call? "God Kit, I put it on a platter for you and you still manage to mess it up!" Still can't believe Jimmy Dugan didn't argue that one.
MOVIE RANTS
Dottie Henson was my first love.
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