Major League (1989)
Directed by David S. Ward
When Rachel Phelps inherits the Cleveland Indians from her deceased husband, she's determined to move the team to a warmer climate—but only a losing season will make that possible, which should be easy given the misfits she's hired. Rachel is sure her dream will come true, but she underestimates their will to succeed.
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What critics compared Major League to
Someone crammed "Major League"-style sports cliches into a more nuanced story about baseball and progress - and then tried to fit a Brad Pitt star vehicle inside of that.
So, the film fits nicely into the realm of The Bad News Bears or Major League, of underdogs who shock the world.
It combines Major League with the revenge-of-the nerds dynamic of The Social Network, which was also co-scripted by Sorkin.
For a moment the film looks like it is heading into Bad News Bears and Major League territory as it appears a bunch of unwanted misfits are to be the core of the new look team.
It seems absurd on its face to convert Lewis’ tale of front-office wrangling into a sports movie, but Bennett Miller’s shrewd adaptation, scripted by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, turns it into Major League for stats wonks.
“Coach Carter” isn’t flawless by any means, but thanks to a solid performance from Samuel L. Jackson and some entertaining basketball action sprinkled throughout, the movie earns its place alongside more recent sports films like “ Friday Night Lights ” as a must-have for any fan of classics like “Hoosiers,” “ Major League ” and “Rudy.”
Usually, this plot is used for sports comedies (“The Bad News Bears,” “The Mighty Ducks,” “Major League,” etc., etc. etc.) but it serves the purpose here as well.