Plot: What’s it about?
“Yo bartender! Jobu needs a refill!”
Baseball movies are, by and large (wait for it) hit or miss. Taking a trip back to 1989 we find the comedy Major League coming out just one month before Kevin Costner’s “spiritual” Field of Dreams and just a year after Costner’s raunchier Bull Durham. It’d be another decade before Costner’s next baseball movie – For Love of the Game. I mention these films because if you’re a fan of baseball, odds are there’ll be one for you. Major League didn’t pave the way for films of this nature. It’s essentially The Bad News Bears a decade and half later albeit geared more towards adult. But at the heart of it was, and still is, baseball. Writer/Director David S. Ward who won an Academy Award for 1973’s The Sting, was at the heart of this one. A longtime fan of the Indians, and at the time were among the worst teams in the sport. So, what do you get when you assemble a team so bad that it’s meant to literally run the team out of its home town? Does that question require an answer? Let’s play ball!
Rachel Phelps (Margret Whitton) has just lost her husband and has found herself the new owner of the Cleveland Indians. She’s received an offer to move the team to Miami where she’ll live a life of luxury. To do this the team will have to have attendance fall. And in order to do that she’s got to assemble a team so bad that it can happen. Enter the cast of characters: Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) a former All-Star whose knees have seen better days, Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) an ex-convict who can’t control his fastball, Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes), a literal walk-on who can’t hit, but can run, Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), who can crush the ball but has trouble with the curve and finally Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen), a ladies man who’s more interested in his future than his present. Team manager Lou Brown’s (James Gammon) job is to wrangle the team to victory despite having some obvious setbacks. There’s an obligatory romantic side to this with Jake’s former flame, Lynn (Rene Russo) that manages to fit in nicely with the plot.
Major League works because it’s just plain fun. It’s become a staple of my viewing that I watch every year prior to opening day. I do the same with Happy Gilmore the night before the Masters starts. Call me crazy if you must. I like my sports movies. A lot has happened since the release of the film. For one the Indians are no more – they’re now the Cleveland Guardians (“Indians” was deemed too racist) and although we’ve still got the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks and Florida State Seminoles (the Washington Redskins suffered the same fate and are now called the “Commanders”) the Indians took the hit. Oh well. This, for me, is a rite of passage every Spring. I love baseball. Always have. Always will. And I love this movie. It gets better with age.
Of note, if you’re trying to faithfully re-create Cerrano’s locker (and who isn’t?) – it’s become easier thanks to this officially-licensed replica of Jobu. You’re welcome.
Video: How’s it look?
There are three main reasons as to why this new 4K version supersedes it’s Blu-ray predecessor:
- Original Aspect Ratio – The previous Blu-ray was shown in an open matte 1.78:1 image which did fill the screen, but it wasn’t the proper aspect ratio. This new 4K version does present the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
- Detail/Clarity – As evidenced by several of the screen shots below, there’s a major uptick in detail and overall image clarity. The second and third screen shots expemplify this. Note the detail on the shirt where the design is more prevalent. The individual bulbs on the sign can now be seen as opposed to the Blu-ray where it’s just a blob of inconsistent black with blotches.
- Color Depth – The opening sequence looks much better. The cold and grey statue now has a much warmer appearance. Gone are the pixelated greyish clouds and have been replaced by whiter ones along with blue skies. Even the backgrounds of some of the scenes have a more natural look and feel to them.
Simply put, Major League has never looked this good. Granted, technology has come a long way since this film was last released, but the bump in image quality and colors alone should be more than enough to merit a purchase. Of note, these were taken with my phone and I stitched them together in Photoshop. Regardless, this should give a good indication as what to expect video-wise.
Audio: How’s it sound?
We find the same Dolby TrueHD mix that was present on the previously-relased Blu-ray. Major League won’t be one that’ll wake the neighbors but it does have its share of good moments, audio-wise. The highlight of the movie in terms of sound has to be the “Wild Thing” routine during the final game. The crowd resonates through the speakers making you feel like you’re right there. Dialogue is otherwise very well-balanced and surrounds are present, just not that much. It’s a decent mix and one that will please fans of the film, for sure.
Supplements: What are the extras?
We’ve got some fancy new packaging as well as a new 4K image, but sadly the supplements are the same as they have been since the “Wild Thing Edition” came out in 2005. I will say that it was nice to have all of these
- Audio Commentary – We get a moderately informative commentary by director/writer David Ward and producer Chris Chesser who give some insight into the cast while drinking their margaritas. Yes, they actually announce that they’re drinking margaritas and during several spots you can hear them stirring them. Pretty funny, actually. I’ve seen the movie so many times, that it was nice to hear a commentary track by these two.
- My Kinda Team: Making Major League – This one takes a look at some of the key players and personalities that made the movie work. There are a few new interviews, but the entire cast isn’t present.
- A Major League Look at Major League – We get some interviews with some (at the time) “current” Cleveland Indians players who reflect on the film and its impact on them as players.
- Bob Uecker: Just a Bit Outside – As you might of guessed, this focuses on the man himself. How he was cast for the part and a pretty lengthy interview with him circa 2005.
- A Tour of Cerrano’s Locker – We have a one minute feature with Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert) done in character as he gives us a tour of his locker. Oh and one thing to note: someone stole Jobu, the source of Cerrano’s power. Someone literally stole the prop from Paramount and this is mentioned on the commentary track. If you know his whereabouts, let them know. We all pray for his safe return.
- Alternate Ending with Filmmaker Introduction – Shown in sub-par video quality, we see this alternate ending with Rachel Phelps (Margret Whitton) who, we learn, has actually been rooting for the team the entire time. This didn’t fly with test audiences and they wanted her to be the cold, heartless bitch she was during the rest of the film. Time has shown that this was the correct choice.
The Bottom Line
Out of the thousands of films I’ve seen over the decades, this one holds up. I’ve always been a fan of baseball and this one just strikes all the right chords. Paramount’s new 4K offering ups the ante with the best-looking picture this film has ever seen and some fancy packaging. The audio and supplements are the same, but for ay fan of this film, this is the version to get. I’m generally not a fan of steelbooks, but this one does work. There’s also a set of magnets that stick to the back of the locker.
