90s Movie Review - A League of Their Own

Director: Penny Marshall
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 1992
Starring: Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Anne Ramsay, Anne Cusack, Megan Cavanagh, Bitty Schram, David Strathairn, Jon Lovitz, Bill Pullman

Description: Two sisters (Geena Davis, Lori Petty) join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.

Review: “A League of Their Own” is a movie I grew up watching with my family. 

When World War II threatens to shut down Major League Baseball, a candy manufacturing magnate decides to create a women’s league to make money. Dottie Hinson is a terrific hitter and gets an offer to tryout, but she is content where she is. He younger sister, pitcher Kit, loves the game so passionately but is not as much of a talent. Kit gets to tryout, but only if Dottie comes too. Both women eventually go and get into the team, that is led by drunkard and former baseball player Jimmy Dugan. More and more people start showing up to the games and it becomes a huge success. 

I always found “A League of Their Own” so much fun to watch. It reaches a broad audience, because it mixes up things many people love: comedy, drama and sports. 

Tom Hanks is my favorite actor and he can’t do anything wrong in my eyes, but even non-fans have to admit that his portrayal of coach Jimmy Dugan is hilarious and very memorable. ‘There’s no crying in baseball!’ I also loved Geena Davis in her role. The rest of the acting is maybe not that fantastic, but the cast works really well together and they make it work. 

“A League of Their Own” is a fun film, a film that never bores. A definite favorite.

Rating: 5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 110: Evita

Director: Alan Parker
Genre: Drama/ Musical
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce

Description: The hit musical based on the life of Evita Duarte (Madonna), a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Perón (Jonathan Pryce), and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.

Review: Musicals are sort of my guilty pleasures. I don’t feel guilty for loving “Singin’ in the Rain” and “La La Land”, in my opinion the two best musicals ever made and two of my all-time favorite movies. If I loved “Evita” I would feel guilty, because it’s not a very good musical. And thankfully I don’t love it.
When the film starts, it’s all over the place. Shifting in timelines, from when Evita was young to her death and back. Very confusing and messy. The songs are good, the execution of them not so great. Madonna is just not the right choice for this role, I never believed her. I think the only I liked in this film was Antonio Banderas, who sort of tells the story.
Such an interesting story and the film is based on a very successful and strong stage musical. Just as a movie, it didn’t really work.

Rating: 2/ 5