A League of Their Own (1992)

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⭐8/10

This is a movie based on a true story where Major League Baseball was suspended during WWII, and so to give the American people something to watch, they made a women's league. This primarily follows two sisters from rural Oregon as they join a team and travel the country. 

I should first say that this movie is very funny. It's a 90s movie that parodies the sexism of the 40s, and while I think there are plenty of jokes that aren't funny to a modern audience, there are also some outrageous things coming out of people's mouths. I would say this movie is primarily a comedy, especially for the first half, and made me laugh a ton. 

I also thought this movie had a deft touch when it came to these portrayals, not trying to portray these women as modern progressives, but what progressive women were like during that era. It's hard to say what this would look like if made today, but with how touchy all of this is, it wouldn't have looked like this. I appreciated that this movie truly felt like it took place in the 40s, giving thought to how these women would have actually talked and acted. 

It was pretty fun to watch. In a lot of ways it plays out like a standard sports movie, complete with a montage of wins and a photo finish for the championship, but in real time it doesn't feel super standard. Again, I love the little details that they get right on this movie, especially compared to F1 which seems like it was written by, well, filmmakers, and not somebody who has a real connection to the sport. It's a pretty good baseball movie and I think baseball fans would agree. 

Jess makes me watch a lot of these to complete my indoctrination, and this turned out to be one of my favorites. It's directed and led by women and I think it has some valuable history lessons, but is also fun on its own. I think there are some pretty glaring flaws worth mentioning. I thought Tom Hank's character was bizarre and without any redeeming qualities, and I also thought that the first and last fifteen minutes were begging to be cut. But otherwise this felt like a girl-power movie that is more interested in telling a compelling story rather than preaching a sermon. 

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