Major League 4K 1989 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

"Major League" is a classic sports comedy film released in 1989, directed by David S. Ward. Set in the world of Major League Baseball, the movie follows the misfit players of the Cleveland Indians as they strive to overcome their differences and achieve success on the field.

The plot revolves around the team's new owner, Rachel Phelps (played by Margaret Whitton), who is determined to move the Indians to Miami for financial gain. In order to sabotage the team's performance and justify the relocation, Phelps assembles a roster of eccentric and untalented players, including the aging catcher Jake Taylor (played by Tom Berenger), the rebellious pitcher Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn (played by Charlie Sheen), and the arrogant third baseman Roger Dorn (played by Corbin Bernsen).

Despite their lack of chemistry and the odds stacked against them, the Indians begin to defy expectations and win games, much to Phelps' frustration. Along the way, they must contend with internal conflicts, rivalries with other teams, and personal struggles both on and off the field.

"Major League" is celebrated for its sharp wit, memorable characters, and hilarious moments, including Vaughn's iconic entrance to the song "Wild Thing" by The Troggs. The film's blend of comedy, romance, and underdog sports story has made it a beloved classic among audiences, spawning two sequels and cementing its place in the pantheon of sports cinema.

Review 4K Movie

Major League was six years too early in its prophecy for success for the Cleveland Indians. I'm old enough to remember when they had a good team back in the Fifties. When I was just a small kid, large Municipal Stadium known without affection as mistake on the lake used to have 70,000 plus crowds because the Indians had such players as Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Joe Gordon, and Satchel Paige. But when that team went bad, the larger the stadium and they had the largest in baseball looked all the more empty.

Terry Pluto wrote a book on the history of the Indians failure called The Curse Of Colavito. In 1959 the Indians finished a respectable second to the White Sox in the pennant race that year with Casey Stengel's Yankees having an inexplicable bad season and a distant third. Rocky Colavito led the American League in home runs and he was the most popular fellow in Cleveland. He became one of a select group of Major Leaguers that year to hit four home-runs in one game. And he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for the batting champion, Harvey Kuenn. It was never the same for Cleveland.

Which takes us to the futile Indians of 1989 as futile in real life as they start on screen. The team comes into the possession of a new owner former showgirl Margaret Whitton. Her contract with the city specifies that if the team attendance dips below 700,000 for the season, she can move the team and she wants the warm sun of Miami instead of winters on the Cuyahoga River.

Building a winning team in baseball is a lot harder than what you see in Major League. But this collection of goofballs, misfits, and has beens actually get mad enough and start winning.

Major League has a nice collection of players playing ballplayers like veteran catcher Tom Berenger, narcissistic third baseman Corbin Bernsen, juvenile delinquent rookie pitcher Charlie Sheen known as Wild Thing for his lack of control, Wesley Snipes as center-fielder Willie Mays Hayes and Dennis Haysbert as a Santeria observing power hitter. It is the American League so Haysbert probably is the designated hitter. My favorite in the film is veteran manager James Gammon who pulls this collection together for a winning team.

Major League is a film for baseball and film fans it so nicely blends the interests. As for the Cleveland Indians when Municipal Stadium closed down and they got a new ballpark in Jacobs Field, they actually won a couple of pennants in 1995 and 1997. Of course the process to build the Indians wasn't half as entertaining as Major League is.