Long Gone

This is the most underrated baseball movie. It not only has believable baseball scenes but the accuracy of the era is on the money. It shadows the Florida State League in the 1950's, following an imaginary team(Tampico Stogies). It shows that baseball creates a humility that brings people together, no matter what color or religious background.

How this movie only warranted an HBO premiere and not a theatrical run is astounding. Before "Bull Durham" or "Major League," "Long Gone" is the ultimate tale of "down on their luck baseball team turns things around." I know, it's been done a dozen times, but I love this movie.

Yes, the clichés are all there: "coulda been a star" fading veteran, his love interest, the doe-eyed rookie, the guy who can't get a break, the losing streak, and all that, but this film still works. The dialogue is crisp, the characters are very sharp, and the 1950s setting of the movie is great, shades of a simpler time when base ball was just a "boys game" like the main character Stud Cantrell (played by CSI's William Peterson) says, where "you hit the ball, you run like hell."

The movie touches on real issues from the time as well: premarital sex, racism, and the the like, but never gets preachy. And the ending to the "big game" is one of the more unique I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of them). The soundtrack is great, featuring gospel, honky-tonk, and some classic Hank Williams.

It's not Shakespeare, just a fun romp with a great cast and a great story. Highly recommended!

This is a very good baseball/comedy. A past his prime player/manager(William L. Peterson)takes a low budget minor league team, the Tampico Stogies, from the cellar to the top of their league. Peterson still hopes of getting called to the 'bigs' while his team is being energized by the play of a rookie 'phenom'(Dermot Mulroney). Then there is the homer run hitting(Lary Riley)that has to pretend to be Puerto Rican instead of black. The owners want to secretly sell the team. And then there is the drop dead gorgeous groupie(Virginia Madsen)that is one hell of a distraction.

Supporting cast includes: Panchito Gomez, David Lanston Smyrl and Henry Gibson. If you liked BULL DURHAM or MAJOR LEAGUE, you can't help but like this movie. Step up to the plate and take a cut!

Baseball fans can't help but enjoy this film. It's an old story, about a team of losers who make it into a pennant race, but unlike other variations on this theme, it's thoroughly believable. The team takes off when they acquire two new players - a youngster straight off the farm who's a terrific second baseman, and a gifted black catcher whose arrival stirs controversy in the Klan-influenced small town. There are the usual behind-the-scenes machinations one expects, but the film is great in presenting a lot of ballpark scenes, and the final game of the season is played with growing suspense and excitement. The actors are all great, especially Virginia Madsen as Dixie Lee, a woman who looks trashy but quickly shows she's got more guts and integrity than 50 "nice" girls put together. Another performance to note is that of Teller in an unusual speaking role as the sneaky Hale Buchman Jr.; he and Henry Gibson as his father do a great job as the proprietors of a seedy department store and owners of the local team - "sports moguls" as they see themselves. There is a lot to like in this little film.

I saw this movie back when it originally came out on HBO. I Love it! It has it all as far as I am concerned. The actors did such a great job with their characters, Peterson as "Stud" and Madsen as "Dixie" are hilarious. If you can find this movie please check it out, it really is a gem.