La mujer del bateador

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.

The premise for this movie wasn't bad: Major leaguer finds love with a rock singer in route to a home run record season. Problem is, the two lead characters, especially the male lead, are totally unsympathetic! The male lead is such a boorish ass that I found myself rooting against him most of the movie. I was hoping Debbie, the female lead, would run off with Randy Quaid! If you have a choice between watching this movie or sliding down a huge cheese grater, well, I might choose the latter. : )

Baseball player meets rockstar - they marry and have difficulty adjusting to each other's different lives. Not only was I very disappointed when I saw this film, but I actually felt robbed of two hours of my life. I get angry when I think about the time I wasted watching this movie. Judging by cast and crew, it should've been a halfway decent movie. Not in the least... ranks as one of the worst I've ever seen. Not romantic, not comedic...not an honest or unique moment in this whole film. Bull Durham is a much better example of romance/baseball movie... Slapshot is also a better sports/comedy movie, with a subplot about the difficulty of being married to a professional player.

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.

Weak film with no real point at all. Neil Simon's lack of depth is infuriating. The performances are all dull and flat, while the editing looks amateur and thrown together.