A League of Their Own
National Film Registry
As America's stock of athletic young men is depleted during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker Walter Harvey. Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan on their way to fame.
What critics thought
Penny Marshall's crowd-pleaser landed well with critics, who found it warmer and more substantive than its breezy surface suggested — a sports comedy that earns its sentimentality through character rather than spectacle. The ensemble cast drew consistent praise, though some reviewers felt the film was too light to fully capitalize on its feminist undertones, keeping the more pointed social commentary safely in the margins.
“Though big of budget, A League of Their Own is one of the year's most cheerful, most relaxed, most easily enjoyable comedies. It's a serious film that's lighter than air, a very funny movie that manages to score a few points for feminism in passing.”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
“The movie has a real bittersweet charm. The baseball sequences, we've seen before. What's fresh are the personalities of the players, the gradual unfolding of their coach and the way this early chapter of women's liberation fit into the hidebound traditions of professional baseball.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Sport
Cast & Crew
DirectorPenny Marshall
StarringTom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell
ComposerHans Zimmer
A League of Their Own
National Film Registry
As America's stock of athletic young men is depleted during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker Walter Harvey. Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan on their way to fame.
What critics thought
Penny Marshall's crowd-pleaser landed well with critics, who found it warmer and more substantive than its breezy surface suggested — a sports comedy that earns its sentimentality through character rather than spectacle. The ensemble cast drew consistent praise, though some reviewers felt the film was too light to fully capitalize on its feminist undertones, keeping the more pointed social commentary safely in the margins.
“Though big of budget, A League of Their Own is one of the year's most cheerful, most relaxed, most easily enjoyable comedies. It's a serious film that's lighter than air, a very funny movie that manages to score a few points for feminism in passing.”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
“The movie has a real bittersweet charm. The baseball sequences, we've seen before. What's fresh are the personalities of the players, the gradual unfolding of their coach and the way this early chapter of women's liberation fit into the hidebound traditions of professional baseball.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Sport
Cast & Crew
DirectorPenny Marshall
StarringTom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell
ComposerHans Zimmer