Little Big League (1994)

“Here’s an easy one. Who was the first black player to play in the major leagues?” – Billy Heywood

“You want me to say Jackie Robinson, but I won’t. Fleet Walker for Toledo. I believe the year was 1884.” – Thomas Heywood

Number of Times Seen – 1 (1 Oct 2020)

Brief Synopsis – After his grandfather dies unexpectedly , a young kid inherits a baseball team.

My Take on it – This is a film that I have avoided ever since it came out despite the fact that I’m a HUGE baseball movie fan because the premise didn’t seem realistic enough to me.

I finally got around to seeing it and was quite surprised at how fascinating this idea actually is.

They find a way to give us a very different kind of perspective of how a baseball team (or any sports team for that matter) should be run.

The story actually gives us a very intriguing look at things.

The game scenes are resented really realistically and it all seems very genuine which helps things so much.

The film has both serious and comedic moments that are blended together really well.

There are even some very powerful elements in the film’s story that make the viewer ponder things for a while.

The cast of the film is very talented and it’s great seeing a young Luke Evans in the lead role.

The supporting cats is also great but Jason Robards stands out among them in a very small yet essential role.

Loved seeing some cameos by real ballplayers including the great Randy Johnson.

Bottom Line – Fascinating premise that works much better than one might expect. The story takes a hard look at what makes a good baseball team and gives us an interesting answer. The game scenes are done quite well and they find ways to add some very serious elements to the story that make one ponder things for a while. The cast is quite good and it’s fun seeing Evans in a lead role as a kid. The supporting cast is also great with Robards standing out among the rest even though his role is quite small despite it being integral to the plot. Great cameos by some very famous ballplayers. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The one game playoff between the Twins and Mariners lasted twelve innings. In 2009, during their last season at the Metrodome, the Twins actually played a one game playoff which would last twelve innings. Interestingly that was also a season during which the Twins owner (Carl Pohlad) died and left the team to family members. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)