Little Big League (1994)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

At face value, "Little Big League" is nothing more than a kiddie story. The plot (teen inherits baseball team from grandfather and becomes manager) is wacky, the characters are stereotypes ("for the team" vs. "out for money"), and the ending is almost exactly what you would expect.Yet, putting those "serious critiques" aside, this is, as a baseball fan, one of my favorite films of all-time! The reason? It is able to capture the kind of humor that baseball fans will seize upon as their own. Whether it be on-field tricks, clubhouse shenanigans, or the real-life "adventures" that players experience when not between the two white lines, all those areas are spot-on in their portrayal of the lighter side of America's pastime.The way I perceive this movie is as a nice little compliment to the Kevin Costner baseball persona. Whereas Costner (in films like "Field of Dreams" and "For The Love Of The Game") re- creates the almost religious-like passion for the game of baseball that many fans have, this film does a similar deed...but from the comedic perspective. For nearly every character that steps in front of the camera, you could (at some point in history) find a real-life major league counterpart.Thus, if you are a fan of baseball (especially the Minnesota Twins!) and are able to put your cynicism aside for about an hour and a half, this film will completely charm you with its hilarious antics and great baseball message (even if it is dripping in schmaltz).

If the story of Andrew Scheinman's Little Big League were ever to come true, and an eleven-year-old boy through some circumstance managed to inherit a baseball team and the stadium they play in, the results would likely look similar to this film. That's certainly saying something, given the fact that Little Big League is a PG- rated film set in the 1990's, and one would ostensibly assume it would be full of mediocre comedic value and redundant gags about an eleven-year-old, well, inheriting a baseball team and their stadium.Through miraculously gifted and careful writing by Gregory K. Pincus, and sensitive but firm direction by Scheinman, Little Big League surprises with its level of competence and maturity about this cockamamie idea. It takes itself about as seriously as its eleven-year-old protagonist takes the game of baseball, and not in the way where groans are induced, and doesn't settle for cheap humor that is forgotten as soon as the credits roll. It takes a fantasy and sketches it in reality, providing a "what if?" tale almost believable enough to encourage young kids and fill them with optimism about them owning their favorite sports team.The film concerns Billy Heywood (Luke Edwards), who lives with his single-mother Jenny (Ashley Crow) and possesses an infinity and vast understanding of baseball. The love for the game is pushed along in an encouraging manner by Thomas Heywood (Jason Robards), Billy's grandfather who owns the Minnesota Twins team and their ballpark. When his grandfather dies, Billy views a filmed will that turns the team and ballpark over to him, despite his young age and lack of business experience. Billy replies to this by saying in a heartbreaking tone, "I'd rather have my grandfather."It isn't long before Billy becomes the center of attention, at school, in public, and in the neighborhood, as the youngest team owner in the history of sports. Billy must manage to bring the average Minnesota Twins up to commendable playoff level, connecting with Twins players Lou Collins (Timothy Busfield) and Jerry Johnson (Duane Davis), his personal idol, while also learning more about the game than he thought he could by viewing it up close. The downside to all of this is, inevitably, as the owner, Billy must make tough managerial decisions, and through that makes the mistakes that even the adult owners do. However, in a motivational speech that avoids the trappings of sentimentality, talks about how even when the chips are down that a player shouldn't lose their direction. "Who cares?," he replies when the ideas of striking out or making an error are suggested, and all is forgiven if the love of the game can still be embraced by its players. After all, "baseball was made for kids; it's the grownups who screwed it up," Billy states at one point in the film.Little Big League was released in the summer of 1994, about a year after another baseball film for kids hit the scene, Rookie of the Year. The latter received a great deal of recognition and financial success, while Little Big League found itself more-or-less eclipsed by an overblown genre and a more serious story, failing to resonate with an audience until years after its release. This is an understandable shame, as while both Little Big League and Rookie of the Year bear narratives that occasionally intersect or merge in my mind, the latter is far more littered with crude humor and mawkishness that fails to impress on the thematic level of its successor.There may not be a lot in Little Big League for a lot of adults, who miss the numbers crunching and the business look at baseball, but there is a serene little spark of magic that shines through the film and its ideas about a kid taking a boatload of responsibility all at once and handling it to the best of his abilities. It's a quietly positive film, but a boldly realistic one all the more, which makes it a commendable exercise in a tired genre.Starring: Luke Edwards, Ashley Crow,, Timothy Busfield, John Ashton, and Kevin Dunn. Directed by: Andrew Scheinman.

Little Big League was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Growing up in Minnesota I thought it was the coolest thing that there was a movie about our Twins, and a good movie at that. Being a baseball player is every kids' dream, and owning one would be the next best thing. This movie, unlike some sports films, accurately shows the game of baseball and what it is like on and off the field. The acting is fairly good and the characters and story line are not one dimensional and boring like some kid's movies. It is humorous but can be very serious at times. Watching it makes me feel young again and reminds me of my love for baseball. Little Big League is a movie that both kids and adults can enjoy.

Light family comedy, fun and well done. All the actors and pro ballplayers were obviously having a great time making this movie, and that adds to the charm. Solid performances from John Ashton (Beverly Hills Cop), Wolfgang Bodison (A Few Good Men), and Tim Busfield (Byrds of Paradise). Along with a great supporting cast, they trump the corny jokes and enliven the fantasy plot.---------------------------------------- Why does IMDb make us write 10 lines?I thought that was an accurate, succinct review.Need I say more?