Hold On

A League of Their Own (1992)

Rating: PG

Runtime: 128 minutes

Box Office (in today’s dollars): 182 million (approximately)

Characters: Dottie Hinson, Kit Keller, Jimmy Dugan, “All the Way” Mae Mordabito, Doris Murphy, Linda “Beans” Babbitt, Shirley Baker, “Mumbles” Brockman, Connie Calhoun, Neezer Dalton, Beverly Dixon, Vivian Ernst, Evelyn Gardner, Alice Gaspers, Ellen Sue Gotlander, Helen Haley, Marla Hooch, Betty “Spaghetti” Horn, Marbleann Wilkinson, Stillwell Gardner, Ernie Capadino, Miss Cuthburt, Ira Lowenstein, Walter Harvey, Bob Hinson

Favorite Quote: “There’s no crying in baseball!”

Favorite Scene: Jimmy Dugan’s pre-game 50+ second pee

Favorite Character: Dottie Hinson

Other need-to-see nineties movies directed by Penny Marshall: Awakenings

This was one of the movies that was playing when I first started working at a theater when I was in high school. I remember cleaning up popcorn and soda while Madonna was singing “This Used to Be My Playground” during the credits. I can’t believe that was 25 years ago!! Ok, the movie review: lots of characters to love. Younger sister Kit is fighting to get out of her sister’s shadow; Mae goes all the way from 2^nd base to home on a single to center, if you know what I mean; and there are ladies with nicknames like Beans, Mumbles, and Spaghetti. But my favorite character is Dottie Hinson. She is the heart and soul of the Rockford Peaches, and the perfect player to lead this team to the top of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.

And who is the manager of this team you ask?? Jimmy Dugan. A washed-up old baseball star whose pre-game speech is no more than a long trip to the urinal (favorite scene), who yells “there’s no crying in baseball!” at his players (favorite quote), and who gives great advice to kids: “avoid the clap.” There are many funny moments in this movie, but at its core, it is all about sisterly love (the opposite of my last movie reviewed, Boyz in the Hood, which was all about the love of your brothers). Oh, and did I mention the baseball action is great, and even Madonna is believable as a ballplayer??

There is a great debate on the ending of movie during game seven of the World Series. Spoiler alert: The Rockford Peaches vs. The Racine Belles. Dottie vs. Kit. Does Dottie let her sister win, or did she earn it?? I say she let her win. But others see it differently. I would ask Jon Lovitz’ character Ernie Capadino how he saw it, but he probably skipped the game to give his wife a little pickle tickle.

Next movie to review: Groundhog Day