drwingirlsinc Warning this review has spoilers!A wonderful film that revisits the days of women in professional baseball at the onset of World War II. Reluctantly, Dottie Hinson played by (Geena Davis) along with, sister Kit Keller played by (Lori Petty) are recruited and make the cut to join an All-American Girls Baseball League, alongside Mae Mordabito played by Madonna and Doris Murphy played by Rosie O'Donnell. Their team the Rockford Peaches is managed by former baseball great Jimmy Dugan played by (Tom Hanks). Throughout the film there are struggles with the complexity of human relationships and each character makes the most of their newly found roles as women baseball players during the war.Dottie struggles with the idea of attending a reunion of former players and her sister Kit, whom she hasn't seen in many years, at the first induction of women players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The motif that is represented in this film is a bus. Dottie returns to the Doubleday Field and reunion on a newer Greyhound Bus. After Dottie arrives she began to reminisce of the time that she spent as a Rockford Peach. The more modern music soundtrack that is playing transitions to the music of an old Columbia Movie-Scope clip that gives headway to what the baseball league is going through during the war efforts, Black and white film is also used to show how this portion of the film clip is a flashback. During their time as a Peach several of the women's husbands were away at war, including Dottie's, and women began playing professional baseball to keep the league going so it could help support the war. Although, Dottie did not want to leave her home in Oregon and her traditional role of a wife, she chose to leave home so that her sister Kit could have a chance to play in the league. With the use of invisible sound, the train whistle breaks the silent thoughts of Dottie when she decides to take Kit up on pleads to try out for the league. Kit had to work through the problem of low self-esteem, because the league did not want to recruit her without her sister. Kit was self-conflicted because Dottie was haled as the "better" sister, taller, faster, prettier, smarter, bossier and a better baseball player. Whereas, in the film Death at a Funeral brothers Aaron, the older brother, played by (Chris Rock) and Ryan, the younger brother, played by Martin Lawrence had a similar struggle with their relationship but the roles were reversed.During the era of the war, in the year of 1943 it was very nontraditional for women to be ball players. They were subjected to heavy scrutiny because they were taking on roles of men, by playing baseball and traveling from town to town on buses. Several of the players endured receiving telegrams telling the fate of their husbands in the war, Doris met a pair of new love interests and let her old relationship go, all the while of living in transition traveling from town to town on a bus. However, Dottie's husband returned from the war and she decided to leave the team to return to Oregon with her husband, because living the life of a professional ball player was too hard.Enduring the change of the times, relationships, love, marriage and losses being a woman playing professional baseball in 1943 was a very liberating but hard thing to do. "It's supposed to be hard, if it wasn't hard everyone would do it, the hard is what makes it great!" stated Jimmy Dugan as the team leaves for the first Women's World Series (Abbott, 1992).

mattkratz If you like feel-good sports movies, then you will love this movie. It features an all-woman baseball team after all the men are drafted into World War II. It features a perfect cast (especially Tom Hanks as the manager in his "comeback" role and Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, and Madonna), good characters, humor, drama, and sports action. I loved the bratty little kid and the urination scene, as well as all the game scenes. Unforgettable line:"There's no crying in baseball!" This is the type of movie you will want to watch over and over again and enjoy it each time! You will like each character,each scene, and just about everything about this movie. *** out of ****

callanvass Two sisters (Davis & Petty) help make the first ever professional baseball league. They make sure it's successful, but problems begin to commence. Manager Jimmy Duggan (Hanks) is a former star player that has a drinking problem and refuses to take the job seriously. Meanwhile, tension brews among the girls. This was a really good movie! I'm a guy, but I've always thought men and women should have equal rights. I'm not sexist and I try to not discriminate. They mirrored the time period precisely and I enjoyed the look of the field and the baseball uniforms. The baseball action is exciting as well. Some of the catches the girls made were very athletic. Geena Davis and Lori Petty are the heart of this movie! Their passion and intensity really made this movie. They were on the top of their games. Hanks is excellent as he always is, but he has tremendous support. Even Rosie O'Donnell is admittedly solid, and I can't stand her! Madonna adds star power. The ending is very heartwarming and made me smile. Baseball fans and movie fans in general shouldn't have much to complain about! It's exciting, engrossing, and riveting. Check it out!8/10

SnoopyStyle Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) is a married milkmaid on the Oregon family farm. It's WWII and the men are all over seas fighting the war including Dottie's husband. Scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) comes to find new talents. He's interested in Dottie but not her sister Kit Keller (Lori Petty). He only takes Kit after Dottie agrees to come. It's a slow start and the girls have the drunken ex-player Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) as their manager. Then Dottie becomes a star and the league begins to be successful. As Dottie gets bigger, Kit gets more jealous and angry at Dottie's shadow holding her back.Director Penny Marshall has created a very satisfying drama. It has some great moments and a few memorable lines. It can be a little bit corny at times but the top rate actors keeps it from going over the edge. Even the duo of Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell can't derail this. Tom Hanks and Geena Davis are simply wonderful providing a solid foundation. The baseball action is mostly just montages of action scenes except the big climatic finale. That's perfectly fine especially since it keeps the action moving. It's a great fun watch time after time.