Cooperstown (1993)

Absolutely Fantastic

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

(I checked "spoiler" just in case, but I don't think I give away anything major.) I am not a baseball fan, but I loved this movie when it was first telecast, although I never got to see the film in its entirety due to the vagaries of TBS's broadcasting schedule; one night I caught the first 75 minutes of it, but no ending; another night I caught the final hour so I at least knew how it came out! Alan Arkin is crusty, cantankerous Harry Willette, a former baseball player who has not spoken to his former teammate and best buddy Raymond Maricle since Ray was traded to another team and Harry suspected him of cluing in the new team about his special pitch, therefore a crucial game was lost that would have sent Harry's team to the World Series. When Harry finds out Raymond is being inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, he is enraged and sets on an odyssey across country—but not before he finds out Raymond has died. For the remainder of the film, as Harry makes a picaresque journey to places in his past to pick up memorabilia, with his wife's nephew and a baseball-fanatic young woman in tow, Raymond's ghost accompanies Harry and flashbacks to their friendship are shown. This is a slow-moving, sweet and funny film about grudges, friendship, and forgiveness. Arkin, Graham Green as Raymond, Charles Haid as a vituperative ballplayer, Anne Wedgeworth as a former girlfriend, and Hope Lange as Harry's long-suffering wife are all superb. I searched for a copy of this wonderful film for years so I could finally see it complete, and finally found it in a Region 4 (Australian) DVD. Thank God for region-free players! This should be available in the US for all baseball fans.

Alan Arkin and Graham Greene are terrific in this poignant, funny look at friendship, regret and unrealized dreams played out against a background of baseball as it was before multimillion-dollar contracts and prima donna stars. Baseball scout and retired pitcher Harry Willette may not seem too lovable at first (cantankerous might be a better description), but it's a measure of Arkin's talent that the better we come to know him, the more we care about him and where he is in life. Greene offers a deadpan and laconic portrayal of Harry's deceased best friend and former catcher, Raymond Maracle, and delivers some of the best laughs. The other supporting roles -- from Josh Charles as Harry's nephew to Ann Wedgeworth as a faded baseball groupie and director Charles Haid in a small, explosive cameo as an old nemesis -- are perfectly cast and beautifully played. All in all, a baseball road trip well worth taking.

A retired pitcher (Alan Arkin) finds out his long time battery mate was elected to the Hall of Fame, but died just before finding out. The movie is Arkin coming to terms with his regrets of the past, and driving to Cooperstown, but with the ghost of Greene in the car with him. Along the way come his great nephew who practises meditation, and a girl they pick up along the way who is fanatical about baseball. The movie touches on the plight of the non-white baseball player, the "Zen" of the game, and the regrets and grudges people keep between each other.Unfortunately, the movie had way too many silly moments and forced situations, that one best beware that this is not Field of Dreams. The pacing is glacier-like at times as well. Just a Sunday afternoon time waster kind of movie, nothing more.

This movie is a must-see, not just for baseball fans; but for every movie fan. There is a wide range of emotions that the characters go through; and, as such, you will go through all the same emotions while watching it. The chemistry between Josh Charles and Maria Pitillo is very touching, and as their relationship develops, you really root for them to get together. And the way that the grandfather-character talks to the ghost of his Indian catcher is a lot like Sam Beckett talking to Al Calavicci on "Quantum Leap." So, if you liked that show, you'll like this movie. If you ever get to see it, that is. I first saw this movie on cable five years ago; and every month, I scour the TV Guide looking to see if it will be playing again. Alas, it hardly ever is. But I will be quite happy when it does.