Family · Comedy · Drama
American
1976 · Directed by Michael Ritchie · 102 min
A washed-up former minor-league pitcher, who cleans swimming pools and drinks steadily, is paid to coach a Little League team made up of the worst players in a competitive California suburb. The film is a sports comedy with a sour streak and a surprisingly serious interest in how adults treat children.
Why it matters in cinema history
A characteristic New Hollywood comedy: it brings the era's scepticism toward authority and success into a genre that had been sentimental, and it spawned the modern rowdy underdog sports film.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a comedy about adults using children to settle their own needs, not simply as a story about baseball.
Save this film, rate it and keep your notes.
Free, no ads. Your journal, your lists, a Cine Guide that remembers you.
Create your free space
