Penny Marshall’s “A League of Their Own” brings a lot to the plate, including impeccable research, a tense relationship between sisters and their coach, a freewheeling sense of fun, and a true love of the game. Focusing on Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis), a tough tomboy catcher with a pitching arm and a love of baseball, the film follows her from dairy farm nobody to darling of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. It’s up to the ladies of the AAGPBL to keep spirits high as World War II rages and the U.S. turns to the league to keep baseball fever alive.
Dottie has an intense rivalry with her younger sister, Kit Keller (Lori Petty), that ultimately puts them on opposing teams. It all comes to a head in the ending of “A League of Their Own,” as Dottie’s Rockford Peaches are pitted against Kit’s Racine Belles in the World Series, with the battle coming down to skill, nerve, and chutzpah. Also along for the ride is an irascible Tom Hanks as the slightly-foul major league washout and team coach Jimmy “Avoid the Clap” Dugan, and Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna as Mutt-and-Jeff best friends Doris and Mae.
Marshall directs the film with verve, liveliness, and a clear adoration for the sport. The women on each team did most of their own playing and came away with the bruises (some of them caught on film) to prove it. As a character study, a baseball tale, or a time capsule of a slice of forgotten wartime history, “A League of their Own” is tops.
