Eine Klasse für sich

A League of their Own, another classic movie that I grew up with. I have to admit it, I'm a girl, I totally fell in love with this movie. But I'm one of the rare girls that loves baseball with a passion, I was raised in a very baseball oriented family, we live in Chicago, we kinda have to enjoy sports, lol. But growing up you wonder why baseball, football, basketball are more for the boys vs. the girls, girls can play but are not famous for it and if they are an athlete are accused of being manly. It's a tough world, but when I was 7 years old A League of their Own was released in theaters, my family saw this movie together and my life changed. Sounds silly, but this was the movie that reminded me to stay strong, at the time when women were expected to stay in the kitchen, as hard as they had to work for it, there was a women's baseball league during WWII. A League of their Own explores this hard but extremely fun time for the girls of the All American Baseball League.

When World War II threatens to shut down Major League Baseball, candy manufacturing magnate Walter Harvey decides to create a women's league to make money. Ira Lowenstein is put in charge of public relations and scout Ernie Capadino is sent out to recruit players. Capadino likes what he sees in catcher Dottie Hinson. She's a terrific hitter and he offers her a tryout, but the married woman is content where she is, working in a dairy and on the family farm in Oregon while her husband is away at war. He's less impressed with her younger sister, pitcher Kit Keller, who loves the game passionately but appears to be less talented. He finally lets her come along when she persuades Dottie to give it a try for her sake. When the trio arrive at the tryouts in Chicago, they meet Doris and Mae. They make it onto the team, The Peaches who are managed by drunkard former baseball great Jimmy Dugan. Jimmy initially treats the whole thing as a joke, leaving the managerial duties to Dottie. However, he takes over when he sees how hard and well his team plays. The league attracts little interest at first. With a Life magazine photographer in attendance, he asks them to do something spectacular. When a ball is popped up behind home plate, she catches it while doing splits; the resulting photograph makes the cover of the magazine. More and more people show up and the league becomes a huge success.

The acting is absolutely superb, we have actors on top of their game, Tom Hanks who delivers the memorable "There's no crying in baseball!" speech. Geena Davis who was a great heroine as the star of the league who just wants her husband home from the war but is hanging onto the league for her little sister's sake. Even Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are great together and have awesome chemistry as best friends Mae and Doris. This is one of those chick flicks that everyone has to see because it worked on every level. Penny Marshall truly brought out the pain these girls had to go through to be taken seriously. The ending always gets me in tears I have to admit, just knowing that these girls hung in there and stayed strong when everyone told them that girls couldn't play ball, let's hope that one day they'll have the opportunity again.

10/10

"A League of Their Own" tells a story that is rarely discussed in historical circles. The country is immersed in World War II and it is up to the women to keep professional baseball going. The film follows the sometimes rocky relationship between two sisters (Geena Davis and Lori Petty) who go from a small town in the midwest to the major leagues. Tom Hanks does outstanding work as the former player who now manages their team. Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are among the other girls on the team who keep Hanks on his toes. Penny Marshall's direction is very solid here and she tells the story with a dignified style and grace that works well on the silver screen. A very good comedy-drama from the early-1990s. 4 stars out of 5.

Like many others, I didn't know anything about a wartime female baseball league so the story was fascinating to me. The film is beautifully told and is very touching and funny. The plot follows the women who made up a professional girls' baseball league during the second world war when the guys went fightin'. And then of course the war is over, and the guys come back - then what happens to the women with their glimpse of independence and a life outside the kitchen?

There are lots of good character arcs, particularly the two sisters, Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty), and the washed up has-been, Jimmy Dugan, played by Tom Hanks with about 2 stone extra on him for the role.

The flashback structure works so well you can't imagine doing it any other way. All the actors do a great job, but for me, Lori Petty as Kit, Dottie's kid sister, steals the show. She is brilliant.

Watch out for occasional glimpses of Tea Leoni as a Racine hitter.

Apparently all the injuries seen were sustained by the actors themselves. You can believe it too - they really look like ball players. First-rate editing makes it genuinely exciting sport.

The film could have been a stinker - there are many cliches and it's pretty predictable, but it's handled with great sympathy and sentiment without treacle by Penny Marshall. Twists and subplots would have been out of place - this is a classic feelgood and entertains without dragging on.

I give this 7 out of 10. On a rainy afternoon it's great entertainment.

Despite the fact of this movie was exhibited on screens in 1992 or 93, I've just saw it on TV in my country only a few days ago. In fact, it isn't the first time it is exhibited, but for one reason or other I've never had seen it. And I've to say that "A League Of Their Own" really touched me. In my country, unlike other Latinamerican like Venezuela, Puerto Rico and -- if I'm not wrong -- Cuba, baseball isn't a popular game, like soccer or tennis. It's played only in some clubs by American citizens or Chilean who lived in the U.S. and learned to play and love it. However, for me the ignorance of the baseball rules is not important, but the fact of that the subjects treated in this movie are universal: fight for a dream and achieve it, solidarity (how beautiful the scene when one of the players teaches to read the one who doesn't know, using a "little hot" short-novel), friendship, hope, dignity and the spirit of trying to be always better. From now on, this movie has become one of my favorites, with some other like "Steel Magnolias" and "Fried Green Tomatoes". Beautiful ones, inspiring, with no-violence and giving a positive message good for our spirits, no matter the zone of the world where you live because, like I've already said, its message is universal: the hope on reaching your dreams and be a better person. And I think that it's marvelous in a world like the present, that sometimes turns so hard to live in. I believe also that it isn't necessary to be American or have had friends or relatives involved in a terrible conflict like the 2nd W.W. to understand this movie. Finally, I'm sorry for my not good English and, if possible, I beg from someone who had had the patience to read this lines up to this point, some additional information about the female baseball league of the United States. I will appreciate it, really. And friendly greetings from Chile, proudly the world's southernmost country!!. (and very friendly with foreigners, too. Visit us, we're waiting for you!!)

An ex-baseball player reminisces on her time playing.

This is an enjoyable tearjerker and comedy with strong character moments.

'A League Of Their Own' has a good, albeit fictionalised, character-driven story about the formation of the All America Girls Professional Baseball League. The plot is driven by the friction between siblings Dottie and Kit, the humorous arc of manager Jimmy Dugan, and the struggle to sell female baseball to a wartime audience.

Geena Davis leads it well as Dottie and is plausible as a dutiful old-fashioned wife who is slightly conflicted because she's the best player in the league.

Lori Petty portrays Kit's inferiority complex so well she crosses the line to become annoying in some scenes, however it is an effective character arc.

Tom Hanks has the best material and makes the most of it with a hilarious portrayal of a cynical, aggressive, alcoholic manager, with enough humanity to get away with behaviour that most men could never.

All the support cast are great, particularly Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Rosie O'Donnell, Bitty Schram, and Tracy Reiner. I never believe for a second that Madonna is anyone other than Madonna in a baseball movie, but she is entertaining.

There are a number of emotional moments and you need a heart of stone not to appreciate some of them. The ones that connect with me involves a character leaving her father for the first time and another receiving the dreaded wartime telegram. By the end of the film though it feels to me like the writers overdo the sentimentality.

Technically it is as good as it can be when using actors to portray professional athletes. The cinematography and visual storytelling are strong throughout. The baseball scenes are very well edited. There are several decent montages that are expected in sports movies.

For me its a 7.5 but I round upwards.