#15
#14
#13
#12
#11
#10
#9
#8
#7
#6
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1
15 Best Baseball Movies of All-Time Preview
#15 Million Dollar Arm
Although the storyline of this movie is pretty genuine (considering it is based on a true story) there were multiple times where I caught myself slipping in and out of sleep, which is unusual for me while watching a baseball movie. J.B. Bernstein, a big-time sports agent is the main character in this movie, who comes off as very arrogant and single-minded. He looks to find athletes from India to represent by creating a contest called “Million Dollar Arm.” The rules of the contest consist of finding two Indian athletes that can throw a baseball with speed and accuracy. They win money in addition to being coached in America to become real baseball prospects.
Bernstein ultimately plucks two teenagers from a small Indian village and throws them into the Unites States to learn the complicated game of baseball. These kids barely know how to speak English and are very overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells of America, yet they bow down to Bernstein.
Then comes along Bernstein’s neighbor, Brenda (the only female in this movie, by the way). She is the only person who even seems to care about the well-being of the two outcasts. She finally knocks some sense into Bernstein, telling him he is treating the foreign boys like a business deal.
After the first try-out goes disastrous, you can pretty much predict the ending. The kids are given a few more try-outs (which is pretty rare in baseball), which go very well and they are both offered a contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Overall, this film is very mediocre at best, with a mainstream story-line and a so-called “happy” ending.
#14 42
This is more of a serious movie than anything. When this movie first came out I was dying to see it, but honestly it was nothing special. Another biographical sports movie, like Million Dollar Arm, 42 slides in at #14, not for its lack of content, but for its lack of humor. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this movie and it has a great meaning behind it. I just don’t think it can compare to the remaining thirteen movies that are packed with humor and wit. This is a great informational movie with a great story line about the legendary Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey and the integration of Major League Baseball.
I’ll admit that the movie does do a great job of portraying the emotion of diversity in the United States at the time. Robinson was truly an inspiration to all, still being honored today on April 15 when the whole league wears #42 on their backs.
It was a very authentic movie, which some do appreciate. It was also very powerful, but not in the humorous way in which most enjoy. It was powerful in a motivational way.
Like I said before, I enjoyed this movie but it was a little too old-fashioned for this generation. Although it is an important event to know about in sports history, the movie was a little slow. The movie is very moving and inspirational, but it wasn’t a grand slam for me, which is why it deserves to be so low on the list.
#13 Hardball
This movie painted a bigger message about humanity rather than baseball. Baseball just happened to be involved in it. It’s mainly about a degenerate dude that agrees to coach a Little League team from the projects in Chicago. In return, a friend of his gives him a loan. There is a fair share of humor in this film but as I said before, its bigger picture focuses on humanity and racism. Unfortunately, throughout the movie we barely get to know any of the characters besides maybe two of the kids and obviously the main characters played by Keanu Reeves and Diane Lane.
Oh, and people might remember the funny rendition of Notorious B.I.G.’s tune of Big Poppa.
The movie tends to drag on a bit, getting a little boring at times. And let me tell you, this is not a movie for a young kid, unless they already know the four-letter “f” word. That word is dropped many times from the mouths of young kids in this movie. This movie also portrays young kids surrounded by drug use and gang violence. So if you’re an adult looking for a fun baseball movie for your kids to watch, this is not the one but it might fool you as it is rated PG-13 instead of R.
#12 The Natural
This is probably the most drawn out baseball movie I’ve ever seen, which is why it is ranked #12. The storyline of this movie is okay, but not great. It is stitched together and is a little confusing at times. The only thing making it a pretty decent film to even add to the list is the compelling story. But, because it is so long and drawn out, it loses the audience’s attention quickly.
The story is about Roy Hobbs who dreams of becoming a baseball star. Major League scouts are impressed by him and give him a chance but is shot by Harriet Bird. Years later, Hobbs is determined to return to pro baseball and joins the last place team in the league. He ultimately works his way up to becoming one of the best players in the league.
Overall, I was not too impressed with this movie. Like I said, the storyline is great and very intriguing, but the way the movie was actually executed does not really get the job done for me, which is very disappointing because I was expecting this one to actually be in the top five.
#11 Money Ball
This movie is coming in towards the middle of the pack. The reason for that is because this movie isn’t absolutely terrible, but I don’t think it entirely has to do with baseball. This is a movie about analytics, statistics, and intuition with baseball in the background. I first saw this movie in a high school economics class. That has to tell you something. The movie is extremely deep, but not in the baseball-like way that most viewers wished it was. It is advertising that baseball is business, which may or may not be true, depending on the way one see’s baseball. Fans love it as a game, but others may see it as a job, which really kind of kills the mood, in my opinion.
Besides being forced to watch it in my economics class, what really reeled me in was that Brad Pitt was the star, playing A’s general manager Billy Beane.
Honestly, they had some pretty popular names thrown into this movie such as, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Kerris Dorsey. The actor/actress name drops could be why it might have been so popular. But, in my opinion, it’s a middle-of-the-pack kind of business…oops, I mean baseball movie that might be worth watching if you’re a numbers nerd.
#10 Rookie of the Year
One of the goofiest baseball movies I have ever seen. Period. This movie is so unrealistic, which makes it so funny. I slated this movie at #10 because it wasn’t the worst, but it definitely wasn’t the best. I do give it praise for its humor. This is definitely a sports movie that brings the whole family together. Henry Rowengartner is a 12-year-old Little Leaguer. He is the worst Little Leaguer, but somehow finds his way into the Major Leagues pitching for the Chicago Cubs, who are trying to turn their depressing season around???
After a mysterious broken arm/shoulder that tightened his tendons in his throwing arm, he now can pitch the ball at about 100 mph. Crazy right? But it’s fitting for the Cubs to sign a 12-year-old inexperienced kid just because he can throw in the triple digits. The movie is very cliché and ends how you probably think it’s going to end;
SPOILER: The Cubs come back from an abysmal season and win the pennant.
It’s not the best movie and it’s mainly for kids, but it is packed with some humor if you want a good laugh. For teens and adults, it might bring flashbacks to their Little League days picking dandelions and grass in right field for hours on end.
#9 Bad News Bears
An instant classic.
This movie is hilarious and a great watch for any Friday or Saturday night. The kids in the movie are hilarious. But they aren’t normal kids. They are obnoxious and hysterical and just not good at baseball. These kids are uncoordinated and come from various different backgrounds. On a positive note, this is an up-and-coming movie for any young girl who dreams of playing baseball. One of the main characters, Amanda, a 12-year-old girl who has an arm.
This gets the rating of a single digit because of its comedy. It can’t be considered in the top 5 because of the plot. The story line is just like any other baseball film involving a Little League. They are the worst team in the league and they just keep getting better and better as the movie progresses on. The team is portrayed as the “underdogs,” just like in every other movie. Although, the characters are not what one would expect in a kid’s movie. The coach of the team, Morris Buttermaker, is not by any means a role model like a typical coach should be, which makes the movie even more interesting with the characters they chose.
Overall, this movie is a classic baseball movie, but I can’t say it eclipses the top 5 by any means.
#8 The Rookie
The Rookie is also considered a classic baseball movie that most people have seen, even if they aren’t baseball fans. Jimmy Morris fulfills his childhood dream of playing in the Majors. He works his way into the minors, but a shoulder injury prevents him for finishing his career and forces him to focus on new things in his life. He marries his wife, Lorrie and has three kids. He becomes a science teacher and baseball coach at the local high school. The team is struggling and Jimmy gives them a nice pep talk. The team responds back with their own challenge to Jimmy. If the team wins the playoffs, Jimmy must try out for the majors again.
Of course, we all know that the team ends up winning the playoffs, so Jimmy has to hold up his end of the deal and try out for a Major League team. He goes to an open tryout hosted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He is the epitome of a family man, having to bring his children to the tryouts with him. But he soon blows everyone away with his fastball and quickly gets signed and works his way up.
This is more of a feel-good family movie than anything else. Jimmy realizes that once he makes his lifelong dream come true, that he already had everything he ever needed: a great family. Like I said, this is also another classic baseball movie that most people have seen, which is why it makes the top 10, but the cliché of it all is the reason why it comes in at #8.
#7 Major League
Ah, Major League. The rated R baseball film that includes lots of foul language, but this is definitely the funniest baseball movie out on the market. The Cleveland Indians get a new owner and her plans are for the team to move to a warmer climate, such as Florida, with a new stadium. In order to make this big move, the team must lose very, very badly. So, naturally, she puts together the worst team possible. This movie is not like your typical baseball movie, because the team actually WANTS to be bad.
But, just like every other ending (UGH again), the team figures themselves out and actually start to win.
As we get closer to #1, this movie has to be one of my favorites just because of the humor. I think the storyline is pretty solid, besides the cliché ending that is similar to all of the other movies that have been reviewed. This is definitely the type of movie that you can watch more than once and still enjoy it.
The movie was also a hit (no pun intended) because two sequels have been created after it. The other two are called Major League II and Back to the Minors, so if you love the original Major League, you should really check out the next two that follow it!
The 15 Best Sports Movies of All-Time 