LITTLE BIG LEAGUE. Directed by Andrew Scheinman; written by Gregory K. Pineus and Adam Scheinman; produced by Mike Lobel for Castle Rock. Starring Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield and Ashley Crow. Rated PG.
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Little Big League is a real baseball fan's movie. It's better than last year's Rookie of the Year, which had a similar plot. And it's suitable for viewing by kids, unlike the otherwise entertaining Bull Durham and the first Major League. That makes it great summer entertainment.
It's got a ridiculous-sounding premise—Billy, (Edwards) a twelve-year-old, inherits the Minnesota Twins from his grandfather (Jason Robards, Jr.). So far, maybe not too ridiculous. But then he decides that the team's manager is doing a lousy job (as owners occasionally do) and that he could do better. Enter the major league's first minor manager.
Part of the reason that the silly plot works is the acting. Edwards is an appealing kid who can play both his age and a lot older, and do both well. He's in almost every scene of Little Big League, so the movie really succeeds or fails on his shoulders. Most of the time, it succeeds.
The supporting cast of the Twins team is another reason the movie clicks. Busfield is the talented, niceguy first baseman, who is Billy's first supporter among the players. He also develops a believable relationship with Billy's widow mom (Crow) that makes a nice counterpoint to the main story.
The rest of the team is made up of "types"—eccentric relief pitchers, prima donnas worried about their salaries, etc. But they're given enough to do that we get to know them. So when they inevitably come around to thinking that Billy is o.k., it's believable.
Good writing is the main reason, though, that Little Big League gets us to swallow its whopper of a plot. In a few deft scenes at the beginning of the movie, for example, we learn that Billy is a student of the game, with an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball rules, history, and strategies. So it's not too unbelievable that he makes a good manager.
The story bogs down somewhat during the inevitable "it's not fun anymore" section, when Billy starts taking himself too seriously. But that's a short part and both Billy, and the movie, are back on an even keel before long.
If you don't think much of baseball, you probably won't enjoy this movie, since it takes the sport seriously. The script includes some great inside jokes to be appreciated by the hard-core fans in the audience. And there are cameo appearances (that actually have something to do with the story, amazingly) by some past and present big-leaguers. More delight for the fans.
I left the theater wanting to head straight for the ballpark; I think you will, too.
July 20,1994