Nostalgia Review of Little Big League (1994)

Recently, my eleven-year-old son and I sat down to watch Little Big League. I was a little concerned too much pf the material would feel dated, given that this kids movie premiered 31 years ago. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it holds up, and was even more excited that my son was glued to the screen from start to finish.

There are a number of reasons why Little Big League is successful. First, it knows its audience. This is a perfect fantasy for young boys who play little league and wonder what it would be like to step into a position of authority. It has its share of big name cameos (Ken Griffey Jr. is featured prominently), is generally knowledgeable about baseball, and contains humor throughout. It’s nowhere near as intelligent as Bull Durham and doesn’t have the heart shown throughout A League of their Own, but it holds its own against a parade of mid-90s baseball flicks aimed at young kids, a list that includes the The Sandlot and Rookie of the Year.

The basic plot is simple enough. Billy Heywood (Luke Edwards) loves baseball and has a close relationship with his grandfather (screen legend Jason Robards), who happens to own the Minnesota Twins. However, after the owner dies about twenty minutes in, it is revealed that he has left the Twins to his only grandson, Billy. The news shocks his friends, his mom (played by Ashley Crow, who ironically in real life is the mother of Cubs rising star, Pete Crow Armstrong), and the Twins crusty manager, played with the appropriate amount of snarl by Dennis Farina. Billy’s decision to fire the manager and step into the role himself anchors the rest of the movie.

As manager, Billy takes the role seriously. There’s a great scene in which John Ashton (Taggart from Beverly Hills Cop) challenges Billy on situations and tendencies, before realizing that the middle school student actually knows more than he does. I wish there had been more legitimate strategy discussed throughout, although the movie gets mileage from a number of silly scenarios, including using the hidden ball trick in a must-win game to reach the post-season. The Twins players take a while to warm up to the idea of taking instruction from a kid, but he eventually wins them over by bonding over water balloon tossing and the now legendary title, Night Nurses from Jersey.

Look, I never said Little Big League was an Oscar contender. But it does have an innocent charm that carries it across the finish line.

The movie offers a plethora of recognizable faces, but no stars (except for the aging Robards). In addition to Farina and Ashton, we get appearances from Jonathan Silverman (best remembered for Weekend at Bernie's) as a goofy pitcher, Corporal Dawson from A Few Good Men, the Dad from Transformers, and Timothy Busfield, who plays Lou Collins, Minnesota's best player and a much nicer guy than he was in a more memorable baseball classic, Field of Dreams. Although how much nicer is debatable – Collins does start dating Billy’s mom around the halfway point, a funny development that messes with the young manager’s confidence.

I’m not sure why certain movies linger in our minds. For me, I’m sure it has to do with seeing Little Big League as a young teen just a few year’s older than our hero. It’s the epitome of a B+ entertainment, although it probably could’ve been an A with more focus on the day-to-day business of baseball. It does earn points for being one of the earlier baseball movies to address that aspect of the sport. I still feel bad when Billy cuts Jerry, his favorite player, and tries to defend the move by explaining that he wouldn't trade his baseball cards for much better players. I also appreciate that the filmmaking team chose the original Rocky approach to end the story. Seeing this Twins squad win the world series would have stretched credibility beyond the point of no return.

At the end of the day, Little Big League is a fun movie for both kids and adults. I would recommend it to anyone with a 9 to 12-year-old sitting at home, waiting anxiously for the MLB playoffs to arrive.

Note: From time to time, I will be reviewing sports movies, a fun way to combine two of my favorite hobbies. Let me know what you think in the comments, and, if you have specific titles you want to read about, shout them out. Thanks for reading.