Great read! Feel like I’m finding my fellow sports movie people here on Substack! There’s just something magical about a good baseball movie. Have you seen Eephus yet? I’ve heard great things. Need to review it as soon as I can catch it
Thanks for reading, James! I haven't seen that one yet, but it looks good. I'll get to it one of these days, but there are just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do!
I hear you! Sometimes I wonder if taking on the task of reviewing every sports movie ever was a stupid idea for my Substack, but I’m just rolling with it 😂 wish there were more hours in the day!
Great list Patrick! The debate is part of the fun of putting together these types of lists but it's hard to argue against your top three. Although I do hope you're rewatched Bull Durham as an adult, pretty sure you'll discover an entirely different movie.
Absolutely. Two things I can talk about all day are baseball and movies. And yes, Bull Durham definitely hits differently when you're in the age range of the intended audience! Thanks for going back into the archives to read this one.
If you’ve not seen it yet, I’d recommend Eight Men Out, about the 1919 Black Sox scandal. It makes a great doubleheader with Field of Dreams.
Speaking of FofD, have you read the book it was based on, “Shoeless Joe@ by W.P. Kinsella? The screenplay was reasonably faithful to the book, but if you know the movie well the differences will be of great interest.
But, geez, you’ve got to watch “The Natural”. (But, don’t read the Bernard Malamud story this was based on, please!). Yes, it has some very corny moments, and the whole premise requires you to suspend all your baseball realities completely, but that’s what movies do, isn’t it?
IMO, it is the supporting cast that makes the movie special. Glenn Close, Wilfred Brimley, Richard Farnsworth, and Darrin McGavin make the corny believable. The filmmaker (like in Eight Men Out) captures the period of the movie very well. I believe the baseball scenes were shot at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo.
The Natural is definitely on-deck for the next chance I have to sit down and watch a movie. Unless my wife vetoes it. This happens sometimes. In which case, the next time I have a chance to watch a movie by myself, the Natural is up.
I still need to watch Eight Men Out. I've heard nothing but good things, and I have read the book, which I really enjoyed.
I recently picked up a cheap copy of Shoeless Joe, but I haven't had time to sit down and read it yet. I know the Terrence Mann character is J.D. Salinger in the book, so I'm looking forward to that.
Hey Patrick, enjoyed your take on the movies. Do you happen to have a list of baseball movies? There are several that I haven't seen, but just can't think of the name of them. I'll try to Google a list of baseball movies. Always look forward to reading you're article on Thursday's. Thanks
Thanks, Ed. Glad you're on board. As for more movies beyond the three I highlighted, the ones that immediately spring to mind, some of which are also mentioned briefly in the article, are:
The Bad News Bears (the original, not the remake- I'm not saying the remake isn't good, I've just never seen it)
A League of Their Own
The Natural
Bull Durham
Rookie of the Year (more of a kids movie, but fun)
The Scout (not a great film by any means, but a personal favorite of mine)
For Love of the Game (I haven't seen this one, but Costner fans love it- I need to check it out)
Angels in the Outfield (never saw the original, the 90s version is more of a kids movie and not really one of my favorites, but a lot of people seem to like it)
Little Big League
Pride of the Yankees
Eight Men Out (I confess I haven't watched the movie, but the reviews are good and the book is phenomenal)
I'm sure there are lots of others I'm forgetting, but hopefully there's something in there you haven't seen before. Don't forget the popcorn!
Eh, once you start worrying too much about that, next thing you know you've got a long list of movies to watch and the article never gets written. Besides, even if The Natural had blown me away, it was unlikely to have the same kind of significance to me as the movies I've watched over and over throughout my life. I'm not saying it's impossible, but based on that alone, the odds of it cracking the top 3 for me were slim. And this way, it gives me the option of writing about The Natural at a later date, if I want to.
Great read! Feel like I’m finding my fellow sports movie people here on Substack! There’s just something magical about a good baseball movie. Have you seen Eephus yet? I’ve heard great things. Need to review it as soon as I can catch it
Thanks for reading, James! I haven't seen that one yet, but it looks good. I'll get to it one of these days, but there are just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do!
I hear you! Sometimes I wonder if taking on the task of reviewing every sports movie ever was a stupid idea for my Substack, but I’m just rolling with it 😂 wish there were more hours in the day!
Great list Patrick! The debate is part of the fun of putting together these types of lists but it's hard to argue against your top three. Although I do hope you're rewatched Bull Durham as an adult, pretty sure you'll discover an entirely different movie.
Absolutely. Two things I can talk about all day are baseball and movies. And yes, Bull Durham definitely hits differently when you're in the age range of the intended audience! Thanks for going back into the archives to read this one.
If you’ve not seen it yet, I’d recommend Eight Men Out, about the 1919 Black Sox scandal. It makes a great doubleheader with Field of Dreams.
Speaking of FofD, have you read the book it was based on, “Shoeless Joe@ by W.P. Kinsella? The screenplay was reasonably faithful to the book, but if you know the movie well the differences will be of great interest.
But, geez, you’ve got to watch “The Natural”. (But, don’t read the Bernard Malamud story this was based on, please!). Yes, it has some very corny moments, and the whole premise requires you to suspend all your baseball realities completely, but that’s what movies do, isn’t it?
IMO, it is the supporting cast that makes the movie special. Glenn Close, Wilfred Brimley, Richard Farnsworth, and Darrin McGavin make the corny believable. The filmmaker (like in Eight Men Out) captures the period of the movie very well. I believe the baseball scenes were shot at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo.
The Natural is definitely on-deck for the next chance I have to sit down and watch a movie. Unless my wife vetoes it. This happens sometimes. In which case, the next time I have a chance to watch a movie by myself, the Natural is up.
I still need to watch Eight Men Out. I've heard nothing but good things, and I have read the book, which I really enjoyed.
I recently picked up a cheap copy of Shoeless Joe, but I haven't had time to sit down and read it yet. I know the Terrence Mann character is J.D. Salinger in the book, so I'm looking forward to that.
And thanks for the heads up on the Malamud story!
Hey Patrick, enjoyed your take on the movies. Do you happen to have a list of baseball movies? There are several that I haven't seen, but just can't think of the name of them. I'll try to Google a list of baseball movies. Always look forward to reading you're article on Thursday's. Thanks
Thanks, Ed. Glad you're on board. As for more movies beyond the three I highlighted, the ones that immediately spring to mind, some of which are also mentioned briefly in the article, are:
The Bad News Bears (the original, not the remake- I'm not saying the remake isn't good, I've just never seen it)
A League of Their Own
The Natural
Bull Durham
Rookie of the Year (more of a kids movie, but fun)
The Scout (not a great film by any means, but a personal favorite of mine)
For Love of the Game (I haven't seen this one, but Costner fans love it- I need to check it out)
Angels in the Outfield (never saw the original, the 90s version is more of a kids movie and not really one of my favorites, but a lot of people seem to like it)
Little Big League
Pride of the Yankees
Eight Men Out (I confess I haven't watched the movie, but the reviews are good and the book is phenomenal)
I'm sure there are lots of others I'm forgetting, but hopefully there's something in there you haven't seen before. Don't forget the popcorn!
Why not watch The Natural and then see if it merits a spot?
Eh, once you start worrying too much about that, next thing you know you've got a long list of movies to watch and the article never gets written. Besides, even if The Natural had blown me away, it was unlikely to have the same kind of significance to me as the movies I've watched over and over throughout my life. I'm not saying it's impossible, but based on that alone, the odds of it cracking the top 3 for me were slim. And this way, it gives me the option of writing about The Natural at a later date, if I want to.