Major League (Wild Thing Edition) [Blu-ray]

The DVD has no special features (what else do you expect from Paramount?), but the picture and sound are good.

Movie: 6/5
DVD: 4/5
Overall: 5/5


A Grand Slam!   January 1, 2006
Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, Charlie Sheen, and Wesley Snipes star in this fun film about the woeful Cleveland Indians baseball team and how a group of misfits and castoffs came together to make the Indians pennant winners again.

Berenger stars as Jake Taylor, a former all-star catcher who has been toiling in the Mexican league. He gets a call from the Indians GM to come to spring training to be the team captain and help mentor the younger players. These players include Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes), a speedy outfielder who can only hit pop flys, Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), a flame-throwing pitcher fresh out of the California penal league who possesses a blazing fastball but has no control, and Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), a hard-hitting Cuban who defected for religious freedom. He can crush fastballs, but nothing else. He also has a shrine in his locker with an idol named Jobu. Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) is a high-priced third baseman who cares more about his investment portfolio than he does about baseball.

Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitten) has inherited the Indians after the death of her owner-husband. A former showgirl, she is determined to move the team to Miami, where she will cash in on several perks from the city. But to do this, the team's attendance must fall below a certain level. Determined to get what she wants, she begins taking things away from the team, such as whirlpools, and even their private plane. Soon the team is travelling to games by bus. However, the team has Lou Brown (James Gammon) as their manager. He is determined to make the Indians winners, regardless of what Rachel does.

The season starts off slowly for the team, and they are in their traditional last place position. But the GM lets Lou in on Rachel's scheme, and things begin to change. The players realize that the only option they have other than becoming free agents or being released is to win it all. And that's what they set out to do.

I'm a big baseball movie fan, and this movie is one of my all-time favorites. The story is excellent (being a Cubs fan, I'm glad the producers didn't pick them as their team to use), and the acting is tremendous. The choice of Bob Uecker as Indians announcer Harry Doyle was a stroke of genius. His announcing and one-liners really add a great dimension to the film. Rene Russo does a good job as Jake's on again, off again girlfriend Lynn Wells. Its fun to watch their ups and downs throughout the movie. There's even a take-off on the then-popular "do you know us?" American Express Card commercials.

I give this teriffic movie my highest recommendation. Watch and see how a bunch of no-names and has-beens bond together for one magical season to become winners.


Major League hits a grand slam   September 2, 2000
retrowens (Alabama, USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I finally saw "Major League" and now I see why it's so popular. A woman (Rachel Phelps) who just wants to move the Cleveland Indians to Miami so she can get richer recruits what she thinks are the worst possible players and coaches that she can in order for the Indians to come in dead last. Included on the team is a clever coach (Tom Berenger), a blazing pitcher (Charlie Sheen), and a great athlete (Wesley Snipes), among others. Once the baseball team finds out about Mrs. Whitton's (Rachel Phelps) evil plan, they set a goal to win the whole thing. But it won't be easy because Cleveland hasn't even won the pennant in over 30 years.

"Major League" is a great all-around movie. It's funny, it has an intriguing plot, and it features a great performance from all the baseball stars. If you like comedy movies that will make you laugh and do more than just keep you interested, I recommend getting "Major League."


The Way a TRUE Sports Movie Should Be Done!!!   August 8, 2004
Valjean (Salem, Ma United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

If you are like myself, you are just about sick of sports movies in which the sports action takes a backseat to some smarmy romantic subplot or otherwise irrelevant study in character development. Okay, that worked in Bull Durham, but for the most part I question why movies like "For the Love of the Game" and "Summer Catch" even have to involve baseball or ball players. Maybe it's just a trick to sucker people into thinking that they're going to see a sports movie.

Major League is impressive on three levels. First, the actors are brilliant (even those relegated to smaller roles). Second, the plot is mainly baseball action, baseball action and more baseball action. Third, it's hilarious and makes you feel good. I watch it almost every summer, and for a comedy to lend itself to repeated viewings is a rare thing indeed.

Plot Synopsis: Rachael Phelps, the ex-showgirl heiress to the Cleveland Indians Baseball franchise finds a loophole in the team's contract with the city saying that the team can leave the city if attendance is low enough. With her eyes set on moving the team to Miami, she proceeds to put together a team that is sure to lose. Of course, they win!

Simple and sweet, Major League is a well-balanced movie that will entertain both sports enthusiasts as well as people who don't even know the first thing about baseball. Lots of baseball action, one simple (but well-crafted) romantic subplot, and a cast of hilarious and fun-to-look-at characters make this one of the most engaging comedy movies of all time.

On another note, the screen presence of every actor and actress in this movie is phenomenal. Sheen, Beringer, Corbin, Rene Russo and Wesley Snipes all in the same movie acting at the top of thier game. Even those minor characters like Cerrano, Bob Ucker and the old veteran pitcher are acting thier hearts out here. It's literally an All-Star team of great actors!

Anyway, I don't think I could justify the movie with an abbreviated review. If you are a sports fan that like a good comedy - get this movie.




still one of my favorites! Very funny   July 18, 2003
Joe Sherry (Minnesota)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Major League is one of my favorite comedies and one of my favorite baseball movies. The fact that it is a baseball comedy only makes things better. The premise is that the Cleveland Indians have a new owner and she wants to move the team to Miami (because of the perks she'll get). To do this, the attendance for the season has to dip below a certain number (800,000 I believe). So, she gets rid of most of the regular players and invites a bunch of has-been and never-was players to training camp. She tries to build a team designed to lose, and come in dead last.

Much is made of the fact that the Indians have not won a pennant in over 30 years and nobody expects them to do well. The team is stocked with over the hill players like Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger): a washed up catcher with bad knees who they found playing in the Mexican league, Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen): the third baseman who is scared of being hit by the ball; and players that never were stars like Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen): a pitcher with no control serving time in prison for stealing a car, and Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes): the centerfielder with blazing speed but can't hit, and Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert): a voodoo practicing slugger who can't hit a curveball.

With this misfit team, we go through Spring Training and the regular season. As the season progresses the team starts playing better than the owner had hoped so she keeps taking away essentials like the team plane, the hot tub, hot water, and others. The team plays even better until the whole plot is revealed by the General Manager of the franchise. This gives the Indians the fire they need to be a contender and make a run for the post season (since this might be the only chance these players get).

Major League is an incredibly funny movie and remains one of my favorites. I laugh at all the places I used to and I find the mix of baseball and humor in this movie to be nearly perfect. One thing to note is that there is a lot of swearing in this movie and repeated use of the "F" word, so if that is the sort of thing that bothers you: you have been warned. Otherwise, this is one of the best baseball movie and is a blast to watch and watch again.