3. Angels in the Outfield 1994: Mel Clark's Last Pitch
Like
D2: The Mighty Ducks, this is another film Disney called their A-team in for. Nothing about it is small time. Perhaps they knew extra attention (cough, money) was needed so that the film's special effects wouldn't look cheap. Nonetheless, they pulled out all the stops: great score, good writing, and solid acting. Of course, this time (as in
Space Jam) kids technically weren't the ones playing the game, but the main conflict of the film is centered around an adolescent. A young pre-hipster Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Roger, a kid in foster care who is the Anaheim Angels' biggest fan. When he isn't sitting in trees, spying on their games with his best friend J.P. (Milton Davis Jr.) he pines hopelessly for the love and attention from his deadbeat dad (played by Dermont Mulroney). According to dear old dad, their chances of being a family again is about as likely as the Angels winning the pennant. Mulroney sure knows how to crush a kid; the Angels are the worst team in baseball. Roger completely misses (or ignores) the sarcasm, and prays instead. He prays that God will help out the Angels so that they can win the pennant so he and his dad can be together. Does God care about sports? It's up for debate (especially since Tim Tebow came to prominence). I don't know if He does or not, but I think its safe to say He's in the people business. To quote Magneto, "I've always thought of God as a teacher; a bringer of light, wisdom, and understanding." To that I would add hope. So while sports may be trivial to the Man Upstairs, the hope that sports can inspire probably makes it of interest at least. Plus, Roger doesn't want the team to win for selfish reasons, like winning a pool at work, but because he wants a father in his life. Well, as they say, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Soon enough, angels (the celestial beings) show up on the scene and begin helping the Angel players. In a number of fun scenes, we see the angels turning the favor of the game toward the Anaheim Angels: swinging with the pitchers, hitting with the hitters, and fielding with the fielders. As it turns out, a small dose of success does the Angels (the players) well. They start to trust in their abilities, hope for the best, and work harder to come together as a team. Hope was the one thing, besides talent, that the Angels were sorely in need of, especially Mel Clark. Mel is the Angels' over-the-hill pitcher. A superstar from yesteryear who blew out his arm and now warms the bench, foolishly hoping he'll get another chance. He tried every form of rehabilitation for his arm, but nothing worked. Perhaps he never considered having an angel play with him. You'd be surprised how quickly that'll improve your game. With some celestial help, he makes a huge comeback and helps lead the team in the final game of the season where the division pennant is on the line. Of course, this is a no-fly zone for the angels. Al, the angels' leader, played by a hilarious Christopher Lloyd, explains to Roger that it's against the rules for angels to help out in championship-type situations (way to up the stakes, Disney). So the team, and most importantly Mel, is left to fend for themselves. It all comes down the the final pitch, where a very tired Mel Clark musters whatever strength he has left to finish the job. What he really needs, however, is a big dose of hope, which Roger, the team of angels, and all the fans in the audience rise to the occasion to give him. It's a beautiful scene (in context) and makes for a heart-pounding finale. With its strong message of hope, belief, and faith
Angels in the Outfield has rightly earned the distinction of not only one of the greatest kid's sports films of the 90's, but one of the greatest baseball films of all time. You can keep your
Field of Dreams,
Bull Durham and
Major Leagues while I head out to the outfield and watch and archangel field line drives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHVXnkXcdvQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZPk7lHoxsI