Madonna Movie:

				Salesrank: 223600
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Penny Marshall's popular 1992 comedy sheds light on a little-known chapter of American sports history with its story of a struggling team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league was formed when the recruiting of soldiers during World War II resulted in a shortage of men's baseball teams. The AAGPBL continued after the war (until 1954), and Marshall's movie depicts the league in full swing, beginning when a savvy baseball scout (Jon Lovitz) finds a pair of promising new players in small-town Oregonian sisters (Geena Davis, Lori Petty). The sisters are signed to play for the Rockford Peaches near Chicago, whose new manager (Tom Hanks) is a former home-run king who wrecked his career with alcoholism. They're all a bunch of underdogs, and Marshall (with a witty script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) does a fine job of establishing a colorful team of supporting players including Madonna and (in her movie debut) Rosie O'Donnell. It's a conventional Hollywood sports story (Marshall's never been one to take dramatic risks), but the stellar cast is delightful, and the movie's filled with memorable moments, witty dialogue, and agreeable sentiment. And just remember: there's no crying in baseball! --Jeff Shannon

A League of Their Own [Region 2] Reviews:
Excellent movie
2008-09-14 - This movie is one of the best movie of the last 20 years. It's funny, moving & provides a fun way to learn about an interesting and frequently forgotten part of history history! Tom Hanks & Geena Davis are wonderful in this movie. Madonna & Rosie O'Donell will surprise you!

"This used to be my childhood dream..."
2008-09-13 - A League of Their Own directed by Penny Marshall isn't a perfect comedy or sports film but it's good enough thanks to the talented cast. Tom Hanks is perfectly appropriate for this kind of film, he is an alcoholic manager of an all-women baseball team. Geena Davis and Lori Petty play sisters who very much love each other but are highly competitive. And how can you not love Madonna, her song This Used to be my Playground is played at the end of the film. Give this film a viewing sometime, enjoy!

love it, one of my favorite movies, I wanted it on dvd
2008-08-31 - adults, kids, the whole family will get a kick out of this movie. I have seen it maybe 6 or 7 times. I could watch it twice in a row. You can't lose.

Thank you, Penny Marshall.
2008-08-30 - This film will always remain high on my list of all-time favourite movies. Having watched this film hundreds (okay, maybe just dozens) of times growing up, I am so glad to finally own the Special Edition DVD copy, far better than my now worn out VHS copy.

A League of their Own embodies every aspect of a great film - it is hilarious at times, sad and touching at others, has great characters, a great story, a fantastic soundtrack (hearing Madonna's "This Used to Be My Playground" at the end makes me tear up every time), and touches on an American past that should never be forgotten, making me nostalgic for a time in which I've never even lived. It is so much more than simply a film about baseball - it is a reminder of how important the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was, for the girls involved, and for all Americans, who had something comforting to turn to while WWII was on. And what a great cast, from the major stars to the hundreds of real baseball-playing extras. You really couldn't ask for much more of a film.

The Special Edition DVD has a few extras that any fan of the film would thoroughly enjoy, the highlights being a documentary with cast interviews, and an audio commentary featuring some cast members and director, Penny Marshall.

I can't imagine how great it must have been for those involved with the film to be able to recreate this fantastic piece of American history, but I am grateful to Penny Marshall for capturing it on film for us all to witness.

Perfect balance of entertainment and sentiment
2008-03-30 - Being Australian, baseball is not a big thing for me, and my understanding of the game is pretty much not-at-all! I was actually initially drawn to the movie for another reason.

I've always been fascinated with anything and everything to do with the WWII era, and was looking forward to a different angle to the tried-and-tested 'blokey' army flick. Along came A League of Their Own that told the story of a certain group of women back at home while their men fought across the oceans. The fact that it starred my favourite actress/actor Geena Davis and Tom Hanks, not to mention my ultimate favourite star ever - Madonna - was just an added bonus!!!

As previous reviews have said, the casting in this film is simply fantastic. From the high-wattage top-billing to the lesser-known but just-as-superb supporting cast, you immediately warm to the characters and feel like you're there in war-time America, taking that journey with them.

Geena Davis, with her striking beauty and modest charm looks like she was made for that era of graceful, strong-willed women; Lori Petty as her spunky little sister 'Kit' is just 'on fire' all the way through - you feel her frustration and angst as she is constantly overshadowed by everyone's rapture with 'Dottie'; Tom Hanks is both exasperating and hilarious as 'has-been' baseball superstar and alco Jimmy Dugan; Madonna looks stunning and gives a stand-out performance as 'All The Way Mae' - and magic is created in her scenes with friend Rosie O'Donnell - they bounce off of each other impeccably.

Penny Marshall does a beautiful job of taking us back in time to that era of uncertainty, doing the best you can with what you've got and strength through adversity. None more so than the scene with the 'telegram.' I challenge anyone not to share the suspense and impending dread as Jimmy reluctantly but stoically moves his way around his team to be the bearer of extremely bad news, and then be moved to their very core when it is discovered whose husband has been killed serving his country. No matter how many hundreds of times I see this movie (it is one of my all time faves), and know exactly what's about to happen and when, her pain and grief ALWAYS overwhelms me and continues right through the next scene (I don't want to give away details like names in case you haven't seen it yourself yet!)

It would have been easy for this story to be bogged down by schmaltz and 'girl-power' or even baseball technicalities, but Penny Marshall is careful not to allow this to happen. What results is just the right balance between entertainment and sentiment.

Love baseball? Love the WWII era? Love a well-told story with in-depth, likeable characters (especially if it's partly based on a true story)? Are you a big fan of Geena, Tom, Madonna...or even Rosie? If you've answered yes to any of the above, do yourself a HUGE favour and check this fantastic film out.