"A League of Their Own" is a Great Film to Follow Memorial Day

A few weeks ago I made awkward eye contact with Geena Davis in Target and it reminded me of one of my favorite movies as a child,  A Leagueof Their Own.

The film was directed by Penny Marshall (the Laverne of Laverne & Shirley), and written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel based on a story by Kim Wilson and Kelly Candaele. It gives a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. It stars Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell.

Not only is this movie funny, it is a great representation of the strength of the female spirit and the amount of ambition and perseverance women have always been capable of. This film proves that the bond between a group of women can be the central part of a plot without anyone fighting over, or getting upset over, a man. Instead these women like so many of us today, are trying to prove what they are capable of.

One of my favorite aspects of this movie is the relationship between Geena Davis’s character, Dottie, and Tom Hanks character, Jimmy. Now, others may perceive it differently, but I’ve always respected that the film doesn’t make it romantic between them. Instead, Jimmy develops a respect for Dottie over the course of the film. He goes from being a drunk that thinks women playing baseball is a bad joke, to finally opening his eyes to see their potential and becomes the coach they need and a friend, not a romantic interest, to all the women on his team.

Too many films assume a woman will leave her husband if she meets someone else; that women always fall to temptation. But instead, this film shows that a woman can impact a man without being romantically involved with him.

That being said, the central conflict in the film is between the sisters, Dottie and Kit (Lori Petty). Dottie is a better player than Kit, but Kit is more ambitious, and full of a fiery passion for baseball. Kit is not only a woman in a society that tries to limit her, but she also feels overshadowed by her older sister, Dottie, who’s beautiful, married and a great baseball player.

In the end, it’s a film about self worth and the choice between having a career and raising a family. So if you’re looking for something funny and heartfelt to watch, and you have Netflix Instant, it’s a great choice (especially so close to Memorial Day).