Customer Reviews

Major League: Back to the Minors

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

People think Major League, and they think Rick "The Wild Thing" Vaughn, Willie "Mays" Hayes and Pedro Cerrano. This film has nothing to do with those Indians teams from 1 & 2, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

I think they should have just simply renamed the film. There's nothing wrong with having a different name for a film with a few of the same characters such as Roger Dorn, Pedro Cerrano and Taka Tanaka.

This movie comes out with some good baseball knowledge for both on the field and off the field stuff. Pops McGee and Doc who's fastballs couldn't kill a fly if it hit is straight on are great examples of what you see in the minors. Guys with heart who just aren't good enough to make it to the Bigs. Then there's the prima donna top prospect "Downtown" Anderson who thinks he's the next Ken Griffey Jr.

This film is meant to be fun, it's not supposed to be Bull Durham. It delivers what it wanted to deliver...entertainment. Especially for the baseball fan who doesn't want to see a monkey or a 10 year become a major leaguer. Although Little Big League is underrated as well, but that's a different story.

I would give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars if it were possible, but we can't vote like that here, so I rounded it up.

MAJOR LEAGUE: BACK TO THE MINORS is one of those "let's cheer for the underdogs who are up against the nasty ego boys!". And for that, it's a delightful comedy with some great moments. It's not like an AIRPLANE spoof, but it does have some great comedic touches.
Scott Bakula as Gus, the guy who always wanted to make it to the big leagues, is recruited by irrepressible Corbin Bernsen to coach his farm team, The Buzz. Gus is reluctant, but after some persuasion by his lovely girl friend Jensen Daggett, he takes it on. Of course, the team is full of misfits, guys with talents but no one has bothered to show them how to use them: for instance, their ace hittere (Walt Goggins) is a smart-mouthed, self-centered home run hitter--but he can't hit anything else. The catcher Rube (the delightful Erik Bruskotter) throws his catches over the wall; the outfielder, Pops Morgan, has gotten out of shape and needs to play first base; their pitcher is a cool dude who has one pitch--the fastball that everybody expects and hits out of the park; and another pitcher who pitches so slow, he doesn't even register on the speedometer! Fortunately, Dennis Haysbert and Takaaki Ishibashi are back from the second movie, and they add not only some good hitting, but some wacky humor.
Ted McGinley as the twin's pompous, selfloving manager, proves again how underappreciated he is. Although having on a hit on TV's Hope and Faith, McGinley's never achieved the status he could have as the good looking, if disgusting, pretty boy! He's great in this one. Add Bob Uecker's hilarious commentary and the big game, you get what you expect: the underdogs come out on top!
I enjoyed this movie; it made me laugh and cheer!

the Major league series is a good series and this is a good movie. I thought it was dumb though how they where with the Indians and now they are with the Twins but I guess the Indians are better now and cost more money to get their rights. This movie had a very low budget and you can tell but they do a great job even so. this isn't going to be the best movie ever but if you want a good movie to watch watch this one

I was a big fan of Major League, but was somewhat disappointed in Major League II, and as a result didn't buy Major League III for more than a year. I'm sorry about that, because it turned out to be as good as or better than any in terms of its story and execution, and casting.

In the first Major League, we got a first class baseball story of unlikely heroes, which held up well even though I thought the personal lives of some of the players was stressed a little too much. In Major League II, which is still entertaining, I think the chemistry suffered because of this and other continuity issues. For instance, Wesley Snipes, the base stealing pheenom, was replaced by another actor, yet we are supposed to believe he's the same person. Doesn't quite work. Also, the love interest focus switched from Tom Berenger to Charlie Sheen, and we are supposed to know all about (and root for) a former girlfriend we have never seen before, and whose existence wasn't even hinted at in the first film. And finally, the chemistry suffered a little more because the feud between the owner and the players was reintroduced in an unlikely way (why would she buy the team back if she wanted to get out of Cleveland so bad in the first film?). Still the second film was enjoyable and worth having, even with these issues.

So, I expected a lower budget, poorer result with Major League III, and boy, I was wrong. New characters and a new situations develop, and it all seems appropriate and fresh and the acting is top notch; the cast plays like a team and the script moves forward like a well-oiled machine. The music and photography are excellent and the action is in general spontaneous and very fun (like when the villan manager of the Twins hits himself in the head with a richocheting baseball). All the new characters carry off their roles extremely well, and all in all I think you should NOT skip this one if you like the series at all.

Gus Cantrell,(Scott Bakula) washed up minor league pitcher is given the undertaking of managing the Twins minor league affiliate the Buzz. I said undertaking not job for a reason! But Gus utilizes former teammates and previous movie cast members talents to turn this team from laughingstock to laudatory. This movie gives great laughs. The ace relief pitcher cant be picked up on the teams radar gun because it only picks up speeds above 60. The shortstop and second baseman are identical twin brothers both named Luis. Taka Tinaka and Pedro Sorano the voodoo twins are reunited and provide ample laughs when they come to bat with black hoods over their heads and use pieces of wood they find as bats. The teams speedster is a former ballet dancer who curtseys for the crowd after scoring runs. Meanwhile, the plot centers around the team possibly being better than the major league team, and Gus's rivalry with the big club's manager, and possibly even being his replacement.

Down and out team takes on what should be a superior team, needs to learn new things and over come challenges to be successful. Shows the characters developing and overcoming to win the day.

Scott Bakula is the leading actor as a minor league ball player that has run his course, then an old friend wants him to manage a minor league team of the Twins. After some pause he takes on the position and immediately makes a difference. He has a young hot shot that is a little too anxious to get into the big league, this is his biggest challenge. In the midst of this, he has issue with the Twins Manager and makes several challenges against him.

I think the movie would have been better if Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen were in it, but the storyline was great. There were many comical scenes in the movie and if you saw the first two major leagues, you have to see this one.

I'll admit that the only reason I even considered watching this film is the fact that Kenny Johnson and Walton Goggins are in it. I'm a huge fan of The Shield and wanted to see the actors in more films. Was I very critical before I saw it? Yeah I was, how could you not be.

Like I said before, the movie is what it is. A goofy, often funny, movie that's almost entertaining the entire way through. Yes it's bad, but it's also enjoyable in that way. It's not trying to be a classic, it's trying to be a fun movie. And in that way I think it's very enjoyable.

Most fans of the other two major league films are very critical of this one. In my opinion, I really don't consider this a film in that trilogy. Yeah I know it shares the name of the other two, but it's just different. It's really just a film on it's own, and that's the way I think it should be seen as.

Enjoy this film with the entire family, does not have an "R" rating as the first movie and probably much closer to reality than the first one. Meaning, that a triple A team is probably stacked with more talent than those that were placed on the Indian's roster in the first movie to lose. The key to the movie is that you can watch it with your kids and enjoy some of the goofy antics that only occur in baseball. So treat this on its own merit. As a baseball movie it is up there with Sandlot, Angels in the Outfield and A League of Their Own.

I like this movie, I'm glad that 5 of the characters from the second one:
Roger Dorn(Corbin Bernsen) is the owner of the Twins and his team is bad.
Pedro Carrano(Dennis Haysbert) is back, does awesome, and is back to voo-doo after quitting Buddhism.
Taka Tanaka(Takaaki Ishibashi) is another good hitter like Cerrano.
Rube Baker(Eric Bruskotter) has his control problems back.
Harry Doyle(Bob Uecker) is back with more commentary.

New Faces:
Juan Lopez 1
Juan Lopez 2
Billy "Downtown" Anderson
Lance Pere
Craig "Pops" Morgan
Hog Ellis
Carlton "Doc" Windgate
Carlos Liston
Leonard Huff