Angels in the Outfield (1994)

The early 90's saw the rise of what is now called the "Disney Renaissance". As wonderful as these animated movies are for all us movie fans, it has overshadowed another successful Disney genre that was popular at the time: the family sports film. It was all kicked off in 1992 with "The Mighty Ducks" and then came "Cool Runnings" the following year. The year 1994 gave us the sequel to "The Mighty Ducks" and "Angels in the Outfield". As with all these Disney sports film, "Angels in the Outfield" is very sentimental for me. Even as an adult, the film is still very funny. It is obvious that the filmmakers looked to "Major League" for inspiration. The film does have a heart but it appeals more to kids. Despite this, the show has something for the whole family to enjoy.

Children can easily sympathize with Roger and J.P. as two foster kids. We are also introduced to a MLB manager who has fallen from glory and it is not for being put in charge of a losing baseball team. Once the angels show up, it is not just the baseball team that is remade. Knox becomes a better manager because he goes from having faith in Roger to having real faith in his players. The first scene that showcases the genuine change that Knox is undergoing is when Mel Clark "gets an angel". It finally clicks in Knox's head that Roger is not crazy but is telling the truth. This is followed by the favor he does for the kids after winning three games in a row. For Roger and J.P., they find meaning and love in their lives. What truly makes this film special though is its comedy. There are too many funny moments to name them all but there are two characters who are the source of most of the comedy: David and Bass. David is at the receiving end of all the slapstick while Bass' eccentricities and lack of intelligence split my sides. I guess Bass wouldn't be as funny without Garcia and Martinez to take advantage of him. As for "Nacho-Butt", he becomes entertaining when he is put on babysitter duty. His best-delivered line is, "It's those kids. They're evil." Another favourite line of mine in the film is "Go back to Cincinnati!!" I am willing to go so far as to say that "Angels in the Outfield" has the best sports montage outside of a "Rocky" movie because it has the right mixture of storytelling and comedy. While other sports movies are a lot better than this show, their montages are either serious or solely comedic. For the montage in "Angels in the Outfield", its gags are nicely balanced with the progressing story. This creates a variety that does wonders for the entertainment value. David continues the fight to protect his wardrobe and the triple play is capped off with a hilarious, creative move. My favorite part of the montage is the look of the opposing players when their own pitcher throws the ball in their bench. The biggest reason why I like the montage so much is the use of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". The song itself does most of the work so this is a smart decision by the filmmakers. The montage opens with an instrumental version and concludes with a vocal version. The latter is almost impossible not to sing along to.

The whole movie itself is entertaining because of the balance of comedy with heart. While the overall balance is not as perfect as its montage, it is still enough for me. Two things happen as we approach the climax to test our protagonists. First, Roger can't attend the second-last big game of the season and what's worse, his father releases custody. The resulting team loss is handled quite well by the new Knox. For once he is humble, especially when he admits that maybe he doesn't even have what it takes without divine help. When Knox finds out what happened to Roger, he goes even more out of his way because Knox sees Roger going down the same bad path he took. Roger has lost all faith because the angels came to help the team but he lost his father anyways. The second test finds Knox in trouble when J.P. accidentally spills the beans. While this does help Roger regain his faith, the controversy could cost Knox his job even after coming so far with the team. After looking at memorbilia at home, Knox decides to denounce the story but can't go through with it when Roger and J.P. show up to the press conference. Ranch pushes the controversial question in his quest to bring down his rival but what he doesn't count on is Maggie speaking the words that Knox can't speak as the team manager. Then we see just how much change has happened with Knox and his team when they stand in defense of him. To most of them, it doesn't matter if anything miraculous is going on but they believe that whatever is going on can take them all the way. The relationship between Knox and Mel Clark has done a 180-degree turn. Before they wanted nothing to do with each other but they have come a long way once Clark gets his game back with the help of the angels. In the final game of the season, Knox wants Clark to play the whole game. When it becomes apparent that Clark is tiring, Knox hopes for an angel up until he can no longer wait. Even Clark knows that he should be pulled from the game. Then Roger and Knox together help Clark with his last ever pitch of his career by teaching him the theme of the entire movie: "It could happen" but you got to believe. The ending of the movie also teaches this theme because belief may not have given Roger the exact family he prayed for but it got him a new and better kind of family.

There are so many future stars in this show that it would surprise anyone who remembers this movie from their childhood. Firstly, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Roger. I probably would have forgotten myself that he was in this childhood movie of mine had it not been for his unique name. I was not a fan of the TV show "3rd Rock from the Sun" but his role in Disney's "Treasure Planet" in 2002 helped to return him to my consciousness. The same can be said when he showed up as an adult in both "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Inception". Next are two future Oscar-winners: Matthew McConaughey as Ben Williams the outfielder and Adrien Brody as Danny Hemmerling "who is known...for his glove but definitely not for his bat." I only just recognized Brody as I read the cast list on the occasion of writing this blog. Finally, there is Neal McDonough as Bass. His future career became so opposite from his first ever film role in "Angels in the Outfield". For example, he later appeared in such films as "Minority Report", "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Captain America" in more macho roles. "Angels in the Outfield" was also my first movie with Danny Glover but I knew Brenda Fricker from "Home Alone 2" and Christopher Lloyd was already a childhood hero of mine. My dad used to watch "Who's the Boss?" on TV so I knew Tony Danza from that. Both Lloyd and Danza worked together in TV's "Taxi" so their only brief scene together towards the end of the movie is noteworthy. Before this film, Canadian director William Dear made "Harry and the Hendersons". A few years after "Angels in the Outfield", he would direct "Wild America" so I have seen a few of his works but my favourite is obviously this film.

In the late 90's, the only noteworthy Disney sports film for me was "D3: The Mighty Ducks" so "Angels in the Outfield" in my opinion concluded this era of original Disney sports movies as we knew them in the early 90's. Another era of Disney sports films was thankfully kicked off in 2000 by "Remember the Titans". Some childhood movies of mine are not as good when I revisit them but that was not the case with "Angels in the Outfield". Certain aspects captivated my attention as a child but as an adult, I value the comedy a lot. I would hope that certain aspects of this show still have a place in pop culture. It may not be so but I still would like to believe that.

4 Stars out of 5