Top-10: Our favorite baseball movies for the return of MLB this summer

For a week, MLB baseball has been back with all the action we’ve been hoping for and more for this first campaign after the initial COVID-19 crisis and the shortened version of MLB in 2020.

To stay in the mood, we wanted to dive back into our cinematographic memories by seeing a few classics. Since there are a lot (really a lot) of baseball movies, we’ve made a small selection for you to make your life easier. Our choices are sentimental and not based solely on baseball loyalty, for example. It’s a happy mix of good movies, comedies, family movies and fond memories.

Agree with our list? Share yours with us in the comments. We prefer to warn you, it’s difficult to put in order films that we love so much.

10 – A summer without runs or hits

We wanted to start our list with this little-known Quebec film directed by Francis Leclerc. With a young Pierre-Luc Funk, the film takes up a bit of the codes of American youth films as an alternative team is formed after the failure of the young man to qualify for the team in his neighborhood.

The bit of nostalgia and the shadow of the Expos on Quebec at the end of the 60s is very interesting to revisit. The film dates from 2008 and hasn’t aged a bit in our opinion.

9 – The Rookie

We’re talking about a Disney movie here, so take some and leave it. But, The Rookie, it’s a story that quickly charmed us and Dennis Quaid and very convincing in his role as a high school teacher with an arm of fire.

We must forget the realism, of course, but do not sulk your pleasure in front of the lighter aspect of the film.

8 – The Bad News Bears

A pretty vulgar 1976 classic, but it’s the kind of movie that might make you realize why Walter Matthau was a simply adored actor in America.

Maybe watch out for family viewings, the swear words get in the way quite a bit, but it’s a nice foray into another era and the kids are still so entertaining.

7 – A League of Their Own

It’s less the baseball aspect that charmed us with La ligue en petticoats than its impeccable narrative construction.

The story of this women’s league is masterfully led by a very talented cast and we want to believe all of this story despite its obvious largesse.

6-Major League

Here, it’s a purely sentimental choice since Major League rocked our youth.

In hindsight, the jokes are often average and they don’t pass the test of time. Except that Wild Thing still electrifies us as much and the rhythm of the film makes it remain very entertaining despite its temporal flaws.

5 – Bull Durham

A story of love, baseball and two actors at the top of their game. Yes, baseball is a backstory in Bull Durham and the love triangle between Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins is at the center of it all, but it’s done so well.

4 – The Natural

Robert Redford and the story of the talented player who comes out of nowhere, we just can’t get tired.

It’s a less popular film than some of the others at the top of our list, but the baseball here is central to the narrative and Redford smashes the screen. With his Wonderboy stick, his exploits marked us on the screen.

3 – Moneyball

The film is still recent, but the revival of the book of the same name is nevertheless faithful to its subject (despite some dramatization) and the performance of Brad Pitt in the role of Billy Bean is worth the detour.

Also, the baseball aspect of the film is very interesting and the wall of statistics behind the A’s strategy is no obstacle to a very interesting story. The strength of Moneyball is that there is something for everyone, from neophytes to MLB experts.

2 – The Sandlot

The ultimate film of our youth, Le petit champ gave us the baseball bug at the time.

It’s a film based in a time that is not ours, but the raw love of baseball and summer pleasures is universal and crosses the ages.

In addition to being a landmark baseball film, it is also a film about adolescence that we can watch today without feeling too much of a gap between generations. « You’re Killin’ Me Smalls » still remains in our head too often.

1 – Field of Dreams

Are you really surprised? Kevin Costner is the king of the baseball movie and Field of Dreams, for many reasons, is a timeless classic that we revisit very often.

The visit of the Black Sox in 1919 and the whole plot of the film, it goes so much further than a simple baseball film. A story of family, tradition and the importance of pursuing your dreams and ambitions.

You also have to tell yourself, cursed that we would like land like that on all the farms in Quebec.