5
There isn't much question that A League of Their Own is a popular movie. Anyone looking at the reviews here will see phrases like "great fun" and "feel good" used to describe it.
There is a lot to like. Seeing the women's professional baseball league come to life is the sort of thing we need more of like other parts of history that have been forgotten. The competitive but loving relationship between Geena Davis as Dottie and Lori Petty as Kit is one of the best sister acts to come out of any Hollywood movie. Their closeness as well as their rivalry is a big part of the soul of A League of Their Own.
Not many people mention Megan Cavanagh as Marla Hooch and her father played by Eddie Jones. When it looks like Marla is going to get turned down for tryouts, the elder Hooch steps in to take the blame. He pleads with Jon Lovitz, saying that it was his fault for raising Marla like a boy and that his daughter shouldn't have to suffer because he didn't know any better as a father. This is easily the most touching scene in A League of Their Own, but it doesn't get much attention because it's not funny and because someone is actually standing up for the character that is in the movie for laughs.
Marla is one of the issues with the movie. Most people don't think too hard about why they laugh at a character whose not-so-glamorous looks are emphasized. Jon Lovitz as the baseball scout is appalled when he gets a good look at her. Later, when the players go for makeovers, the only suggestion the consultant can give for Marla is to play "lots of night games".
Marla being not as attractive as the other girls is a running joke in the movie which reinforces the notion that the men who ran the women's league had the right idea. Ernie, the talent scout played by Jon Lovitz, actually comes out and says to Kit early on that "we want girls who are easy on the eyes". When A League of Their Own focuses on Marla's average looks, it's giving the answer as to why the baseball owners and promoters wanted beauty queens as players. The message is pretty clear: if you're not good-looking, the best you can hope for is to be the object of ridicule.
The movie gives Marla a love interest, but that feels tacked on as an afterthought. Her beau is less of a character than Bill Pullman is and serves as a contrivance to show how even unattractive people can find love. Giving Marla a happy ending is the consolation she receives for being the butt of the jokes in this movie.
The sports aspect of A League of Their Own is handled pretty well for the most part. Penny Marshall said she wanted girls who could play baseball to be in the movie and that shows. Geena Davis and Lori Petty look at home on the diamond while Rosie O'Donnell shows some good form when fielding.
It's too bad that the big ending is loaded with clichés. The biggest star has to leave before the big series only to turn up again at the eleventh hour. The series is a back-and-forth affair which gets drawn out to a full seven games. The main rivalry becomes a factor when everything is on the line.
The final showdown is unfortunately very predictable for anyone who pays attention to the characters' story arcs. I had to watch this movie over the course of a couple of days because of my schedule, but I was still able to guess how the big game would end. The beginning of the movie sets things up, so if you remember what happened there then you'll see the end coming from a mile away.
A League of Their Own is one of the very few sports movies from the 20th century that focuses on women. For that, it deserves all the credit in the world. It has some glaring issues, however, that really should be looked at more closely.