Major League

"A comedy with bats and balls."

1989 1h 47m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 917

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“A comedy with bats and balls.”

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Cast

Tom Berenger
Jake Taylor
Charlie Sheen
Rick Vaughn
Corbin Bernsen
Roger Dorn
Margaret Whitton
Rachel Phelps
James Gammon
Lou Brown
Rene Russo
Lynn Wells
Wesley Snipes
Willie Mays Hayes
Charles Cyphers
Charlie Donovan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David S. Ward
Writers: David S. Ward
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Major League Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David S. Ward, shot by Reynaldo Villalobos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dennis M. Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen and Corbin Bernsen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A comedy with bats and balls.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David S. Ward directs. Reynaldo Villalobos behind the camera. James Newton Howard scores. Dennis M. Hill cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Major League Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by David S. Ward, shot by Reynaldo Villalobos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Dennis M. Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen and Corbin Bernsen carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A comedy with bats and balls.".
9IMDB entry: tt0097815 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "sports", "baseball", "sabotage", "sombrero".

The technical file

Cinematography: Reynaldo Villalobos
Original score: James Newton Howard
Editing: Dennis M. Hill
Production design: Jeffrey Howard
Costume design: Erica Edell Phillips
Makeup / hair: Peggy Teague
Stunt coordinator: Rick LeFevour
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $11,000,000
Box office: $75,000,000
Return: 682% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Major League (1989)

Part of

Major League Collection

The first Major League became a surprise hit and served as a springboard for the careers of Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes. An enjoyable comedy which made enough box office to result in two sequels.

Also by

David S. Ward

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-09-14
★ 7/10
These guys don't look to fking good! Cleveland Indian's owner Rachel Phelps puts together the worst baseball team she can find, the hope is that they finish plum last and she can then relocate the franchise to sunny Florida. However, once the assortment of oddball players get wind of the plan they find a collective goal to achieve, with hilarious results. Goofy? Well yes it is of course, but Major League has charm in abundance and with a pretty smart cast having fun, the result is a truly enjoyable and laugh filled piece of fluff. Refreshingly you don't have to have any knowledge or a love of baseball to enjoy this movie, it thrives on locker room mentality and crowd demented loyalty for the laughs, to which the pic delivers them at almost every turn. The assorted team members comprise such characters like a religious voodoo nutter and a wild child parolee - and those are the sane ones! The cast is made up of big names, Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo and Wesley Snipes are in tune and in it for laughs, and hopefully you will be as well. Upon its theatrical release it proved to be a popular crowd winner, so much so that (unfortunately) two desperately bad sequels were spawned, so do avoid those at all costs. Instead just settle for this one especially if you are in need of a pick me up. Wild Thing you make my heart sing, indeed. 7/10
The Movie Mob2022-11-26
★ 9/10
Major League proves anything can be fun and hilarious with the right collection of zany outlandish characters. Major League just makes me happy. It’s packed with quirky, eccentric characters, lots of ridiculous moments, sincere character development, and that iconic song, Wild Thing! This crazy team of misfit baseball players makes Major League as wonderful as it is. Tom Berenger’s weary veteran catcher balances a young Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes. Add in All-State Insurance’s own Dennis Haysbert as the volatile voodoo power hitter, Pedro Cerrano, and strong performances from Rene Russo, James Gammon, and Corbin Bernson, and Major League becomes one of the most iconic and hilarious sports movies of all time. Major League made me start to enjoy watching baseball at a young age and fills me with nostalgia and joy. Ok, I need to go watch it again right now.
GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 10/10
It came out when I was 9 and, honestly, all 9 year old boys love baseball movies. It's a law that transcends race, religion, and country of origin. Even in backwards countries like France, when they value soccer as a national popular sport, the 9 year old boys still love baseball movies. Even if they don't play it. Anyway, this was a love story to the Cleveland Indians. It stinks of it. You know, you just know that someone wrote the movie, directed it, whatever, just so that they could sit back and watch the Indians win. It's like baseball fan fiction, only unlike normal fan fiction, it's a pleasure to watch because baseball fan fiction is about the team winning and not about a Mary Sue taking all the glory. And then, to cover up the fact that it's baseball fan fiction, they made it into a comedy as if to tell the audience not to worry, they aren't going to take it seriously anyway. And I get where they are coming from, I had the exact same fantasies about the Cubs, most of my life, at least until I went to Europe and saw a soccer riot and got worried about what would happen if they did actually win... but it went off without a hitch didn't it? And now, honestly, it doesn't feel right. A part of me, the masochist in me, would almost rather have a movie like this made about my team, instead of seeing the real thing. Anyways, what it is, is baseball fan fiction, and base ball fan fiction is a lot better than most other things. Baseball period is a lot better than most other things. Its almost like a romantic comedy in a very weird way. So sit back, grab a beer, and enjoy. It's like watching a funny version of the real thing.