Die Frau des Profis

I would have thought with the creative talents of Neil Simon writing the script and Hal Ashby behind the camera The Slugger's Wife would have turned out a lot better. As a baseball film this one is maybe a single.

Playing the title role Rebecca DeMornay is an aspiring country singer for whom baseball player Michael O'Keefe falls big time. O'Keefe is a guy full of promise who never quite reached his potential. But when she's around O'Keefe starts hitting home runs with regularity, so much so that the Atlanta Braves vault into contention for the pennant and O'Keefe starts to threaten the record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961.

Soon O'Keefe insists he be at every game as his good luck charm. But DeMornay also has a career she's worked hard at.

This film might have been better but Michael O'Keefe acts like such an egotistical jerk it's hard to work up any sympathy for his problem. Is it his acting, Ashby's direction, or Simon's script. Take your pick.

Best acting in the film is from acclaimed director Martin Ritt who plays the Atlanta Braves manager. He has some interesting motivational techniques.

The Slugger's Wife will never be listed as a great baseball film.

This film advertises itself as a Baseball movie with a Love Story. The film fails at both attempts.

The Love story is boring and pointless as the characters simply go through the cliche'd story of falling in love, and then drifting apart.

But the real disaster here is the failure as a Baseball story. Somehow, we are supposed to believe that Michael O'Keefe is a credible Baseball Slugger? O'Keefe will forever be known as Danny Noonan from Caddychack. Unfortunately, this role did little to take that typecast off of him.

He's less than 200 pounds, with barely any muscle tone on his body, and he supposed to have been inspired by his love for Rebecca De Mornay to hit 62 Home Runs in a Season. The story starts off with the fact that he's a light-weight singles hitter. If you look at the four men in history who have hit over 60 home runs in a season, (Ruth, Maris, McGwire & Sosa) you will see that these men are rather large and muscular. O'keefe is neither.

However, the story gets even more ridiculous as O'Keefe nears the record. On the night before the final game, he is sitting on 61 Home runs, which has tied the record. So, what does he do? He goes out to the local dance club (where he first met De Mornay) with his buddies. On his way to the dance floor, one reporter from Sports Illustrated approaches him and asks him a few questions, than wishes him luck.

ONE REPORTER!?!?! He's on the verge of breaking the single season home run record, and he's out in a disco, and there's only one reporter asking him questions??? Even non-baseball fans can appreciate the amount of media coverage and fan reaction when guys like Maris, McGwire and Sosa neared the 60 mark. Those men were constantly hounded by fans and the media every night.

If you want a decent movie about baseball, that also details the accurate lifestyle of a player about to break the single season, see Billy Crystal's "61*".

Interesting enough story from Neil Simon, but by the time we get to the ninth inning...no hit. Something derailed this project early; mediocre script and below par acting. Michael O'Keefe plays Darryl Palmer, a member of the Atlanta Braves that is in a terrible hitting slump. He falls hard for a beautiful aspiring rock star played by Rebecca De Mornay. The romance inspires the slugger to start hitting away at a home run record. The championship is now riding on the slugger's success, but there is trouble brewing between the ballplayer and singer.

O'Keefe does a pretty good job of playing an arrogant, self centered ball player. On the other hand, De Mornay is nice to look at, but just does not fit the material she has to work with.

It is hard to believe that Simon, the acclaimed writer he is, did not give us at least one character we could really care about. Also in the cast are Randy Quaid, Lisa Langolis and Martin Ritt.

If you want a good baseball/romance movie try BULL DURHAM or FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME.

I showed this movie at my theater when it came out and had the chance to watch it many times. While not a perfect, or even a great movie, I think most people disliked it because they did not understand what the movie was. I'm not blaming that on the audiences, but it is still a reality. People tend to watch 'Slugger's Wife' expecting to see either a baseball movie or a love story. Both of those are just elements that Simon used to tell his story. Unlike what many people think, this IS another of Simon's autobiographic stories which uses the baseball as a metaphor for his life. This is about his relationship and marriage with Marsha Mason. The record-breaking number of hits is his own record with writing Broadway hits. His own self-centeredness is what caused the destruction of his marriage to Mason, the brilliant performer who succeeded on her own.

I actually enjoy the movie and wish that there had been an actual soundtrack put out for it... I love De Morney's singing and interpretations of the songs she does. Still, if you can see beneath the veneer of a baseball story and see it for the critical evaluation of Simon towards his own self, you might be able to see the brilliance of his story, even if it is imperfectly presented.

On paper it sounds great: Hal Ashby directing, Neil Simon writing, Michael O'Keefe coming off of three critically acclaimed films, and Rebecca DeMornay coming off Risky Business. But in practice, the movie simply isn't watchable. Bad dialogue, bad acting, atrocious musical interludes; and this is just in the first 20 minutes. Randy Quaid and Martin Ritt appear in thankless roles. Even the baseball sequences are pedestrian. There is nothing redeemable in this production even from a cult perspective. Second-Hand Hearts and Lookin' to Get Out were not great but at least they were coherent. If you are a fan of Ashby's 70's work and are interested in his 80's stuff, I suggest you just watch 8 Million Ways to Die and the concert films.