MAJOR LEAGUE 2
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 2.9
Date Released: 3/30/94 Running Length: 1:48 Rated: PG (Language)
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Omar Epps, David Keith,
Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, Bob Uecker
Director: David Ward
Producer: James G. Robinson
Screenplay: R. J. Stewart
Music: Michael Colombier
Released by Warner Brothers
I expect a certain number of contrivances in a baseball movie, especially one that's not meant to be taken seriously, but nothing prepared me for the sheer avalanche of formulas and cliches that fill the screen in MAJOR LEAGUE 2. It's enough to make any movie-goer, baseball fan or not, gnash their teeth in frustration. The situation would have been tolerable if the film was funny, but the writers apparently forgot to include the jokes.
It's a year after the events of the original MAJOR LEAGUE. Following a Cinderella-style division win, the Cleveland Indians were bounced in four from the American League Championship Series to face a winter of "waiting for next year." When Spring Training finally arrives, all the old faces are back, although most of them have new attitudes. Hard-throwing Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), the "Wild Thing", has cleaned up his image and lost ten mph off his fastball. Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), the veteran catcher, walks with a limp and his gimpy leg threatens to keep him off the roster. Willie Mays Hayes (Omar Epps replacing Wesley Snipes) has decided to give up speed for power. Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), the team's top home run hitter, has become a kinder, gentler soul. And Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) has turned in his uniform for a suit - and the Indians' ownership.
The first MAJOR LEAGUE was an often-amusing motion picture that remained reasonably faithful to the sport from which it took its name. I was expecting something similar for the sequel, and was therefore appalled by the result. MAJOR LEAGUE 2 is one of the worst-scripted movies of the year. Not only is the screenplay littered with one-dimensional types and stock situations (many of which repeat things from the original), but the comedy is flat and the portrayal of baseball is idiotic.
Much of the humor of MAJOR LEAGUE came from subtle send-ups of the various baseball mannerisms of a group of oddball players. The sequel exchanges the amusing for the absurd. Little care has been paid to the intelligence of the audience, and at no time is this more obvious than during the final scene. The "strategy" used to get the big out, so obviously the product of unimaginative minds, is both counter to the basic logic of the game and ridiculous for the context in which it is presented.
There are two clever scenes in this film, both of which are parodies. The first is a sendup of low-grade action flicks, with Willie Mays Hayes and Jesse Ventura teaming up in BLACK THUNDER, WHITE LIGHTNING. The second presents "Wild Thing" Vaughn's attempts to do one of those "sophisticated" Right Guard commercials. Combined, this pair of sequences totals about four minutes, less than 5% of the movie's running time.
The editing is also a serious problem. Whoever pieced together the final print of MAJOR LEAGUE 2, did so without regard for tone or pacing. The choppiness of this movie is distracting, and impossible not to notice. Large chunks of the story appear to have been excised, and the film jumps from scene to scene with little concern for what went before or what comes after.
Does Bob Uecker have to be so annoying? Do Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger have to be so lifeless? Does Margaret Whitton's Rachel Phelps have to go so unbelievably over-the-top? And why doesn't Corbin Bernsen take some acting lessons?
MAJOR LEAGUE 2 strikes out on three pitches and, as such, isn't worthy of any more play-by-play. See a real baseball game instead. Even if your favorite team loses, the experience will be more entertaining than sitting through this turkey.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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