Best Baseball Film Matchups

There's never been a bad baseball film. Ever. I swear. But when you pair them up competitively, which films come out on top?


Bull Durham vs. Field of Dreams
Both Kevin Costner films will make any top ten list of sports films, but which one is tops? If you're playing Field of Dreams, I will watch. It was nominated for Oscar's Best Picture. However, when choosing the purest baseball movie, Bull Durham is truest to "the Church of Baseball" and perhaps the most fun all around. 

The first film about baseball in the minor leagues isn't just romantic and funny, it changed the focus of sports movies for years to come. In the words of Bob Costas, Bull Durham "gave us the romance of baseball without the violins." Winner: Bull Durham.

The Bad News Bears vs. Sandlot

This is the showdown that I'd like to see filmed today. 1976's Bad News Bear crew versus 1993's Sandlot team. Why can't someone make this? You're killing me, Smalls. The Sandlot simply owes too much to the former to take a win here. The pennant goes to: Walter Matthau and The Bad News Bears.

42 vs. 61*
In a matchup of stories, Jackie Robinson's integration of MLB (42) versus Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's quest to beat Babe Ruth's single-season home record (*61), Robinson's tale is obviously ahead in the count. So is the production. The combo of director Brian Thomas Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) and actor Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) as Robinson is a winning lineup.

61* touts director and noted baseball fan Billy Crystal and Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) as Roger Maris and Thomas Jane (Hung) as Mickey Mantle. Crystal's love of baseball and eye for the small details of the sport can be felt in every scene. You can't go wrong with either film, but I'd give Robinson's story the edge. Winner: 42.

Cobb vs. Pride of the Yankees
In the battle of the b'ball biopics, we have heavy hitters Tommy Lee Jones (Ty Cobb) and Gary Cooper (Lou Gherig). Gherig was much more likable than Cobb and so is his film — which also has Babe Ruth as Babe Ruth. No joke. Winner: Pride of the Yankees.

Moneyball vs. Million Dollar Arm

In the battle of true stories of behind-the-scenes baseball, Jon Hamm's Disney film comes up short. Brad PItt's film is money. Who would have thought that Michael Lewis’ 2003 nonfiction book about the math of baseball could be major league entertainment? Apparently, the top screenwriting team of Aaron Sorkin and Steven Aaillian did. As well as director Bennet Miller (Capote, Foxcatcher) and the shiniest star in Hollywood too. Pitt may have won the Oscar this year for Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, but this is his all-star best performance. Winner: Moneyball.

The Rookie vs. Rookie of the Year
When you're looking for a family film with hijinks and heart, go with Dennis Quaid's 2002 film directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blindside, The Highwaymen, The Founder) not the popular 1993 comedy. This is the most one-sided matchup on the list. Winner: The Rookie.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame vs. Damn Yankees

In a musical matchup, you'd think 1949's hit MGM musical with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Esther Williams would have knocked it out of the park, but there's not a lot of baseball there. In fact, Kelly and Sinatra's characters spend more time as vaudeville performers (their other job) than on the field. And the team is a fictitious one, the Chicago Wolves.

On the flipside, Gwen Verdon does her damndest to wow you in every scene, and the story revolves around a real damn team, the Washington Senators (and a matchup with the New York Yankees). Winner: In the musical match up, you can't beat Damn Yankees.

The men of Eight Men Out vs. the women of A League of Their Own

Eight Men Out is an eighties gem that needs to be seen. It features a pre-Say Anything partnering of John Cusak and John Mahoney and a pre-Major League Charlie Sheen. But how does one compare the darkness of Shoeless Joe and the bribe-taking 1919 Chicago White Sox team with the sunniness of The Rockford Peaches and opening day for All-American Girls Professional Baseball League? There's no darkness in baseball! Winner: A League of Their Own.

Awards: The only baseball films to be nominated for Oscars' Best Picture are: The Pride of the Yankees, Field of Dreams, and Moneyball. None have won.

The Ten Buck Review: All are worth your ten bucks.

Greyhound

Greyhound is a World War II thriller adapted from The Good Shepherd, a 1955 novel by famed naval fiction writer C.S. Forester. Adapted by none other than its star Tom Hanks. 

It's an adventure that was meant to open in theaters June of 2020 but has headed to Apple+ TV instead. Yes, you heard all that correct. Tom Hanks, America's Captain, has come to save us from a summer without new movies.

Hanks drives this terse thriller with a steady hand. The film is a brisk 91 minutes so it's essential that we are on board with the familiar Hanks as a heroic leader within the first few minutes. The action does not stop.

Director Aaron Schneider (Get Low) serves up a straightforward naval film with a simple mission. U.S. Navy Commander Ernie Krause (Hanks) leads an international convoy of 37 Allied ships across the treacherous Black Pit of the North Atlantic while being pursued by German U-boats (and his insecurity of inexperience).

The film, with its dynamic display of rough seas, was clearly meant for the big screen, giving viewers a hint of what a mission of this sort might have felt like. Similarly, the U-boats are mostly hidden to the viewer, creating the greatest unseen movie villain this side of Jaws.

Hanks anchors this film and lets us know everything we need to know about the commander with just simple gestures. He's amazing. While I appreciated the simplicity of a war film with one mission versus a convoluted epic, the same way I found 1911 perfect, I do wish the film had been a little longer to explore the other characters on board.

In a nutshell: This is a straightforward naval film and a real fresh treat for WWII-film lovers, but don't expect any romance or humor. Do expect a masterful, minimalist performance by Hanks.

Award potential: The Academy is recognizing TV releases this one unique year. However, the sturdy Hanks has reached the point in his career where he's not nominated. Don't expect any FX nods either. As amazing as the Atlantic comes to life, there are a few scenes of TV-quality CGI that should have been movie-quality. Its TV release will make it difficult for sound awards.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks. (Or a month's subscription to Apple+.)