Tuesday, October 11, 2005

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is a lot like A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

teaMMatt is so pleased to announce "___ Is A Lot Like A League of Their Own." In this new feature, I am not interested in telling you whether Movie X is good or bad; I am interested in telling you about movies that favorably compare to perhaps the best value you'll get for $3 and two hours, ALoTO. Because I'm not trying to play critic, all of these movies are movies I liked and am passing on to you. The way you're most likely to want to see it--and I think you will agree--is by identifying Movie X's components to those shared with ALoTO.

So to lay down some framework, teaMMatt isolates those components that make A League of Their Own the world's most enjoyable movie. Ever.

  1. ICONS IN THE CAST: It's no secret that ALoTO has a stellar roster. Joining Lori Petty are Tom Hanks, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Lovitz, Bill Pullman, Penny Marshall (director), Madonna, and Geena Davis. The teaMMatt-selected ICONS are the last two. Madonna and Geena Davis are two mega-icons acting in the same movie--often in the same scene!--sometimes even having lines TOGETHER! I know; I came too. It would be idle to hope that Julianne Moore, Gael Garcia Bernal, Angelica Huston, or Bebe Neuwirth will appear in every movie, so sometimes "icon" will cover not necessarily a regularly called-upon favorite of teaMMatt, but at least someone we can all really sink our teeth into. Ex.: Ileanna Douglas, Kathy Najimy, that guy from Freaks and Geeks.
  2. SOMETHING THAT MADE ME AT LEAST A LITTLE VERKLEMPT: In ALoTO, there's no "a little" about it. When Geena Davis drops that ball in the final game against the Racine Belles, I sob. There's only one motif in movies that makes me cry: two people who started as foes putting their differences aside and donning each other respect. Geena Davis could have held on to that ball for a Rockford Peach victory, but out of love for sister Lori Petty, she drops it...on purpose. "Though we have disagreed in the past, Kit, I care about you and hope to work together to build a positive future for us."
  3. AT SOME POINT, I SAID, "AWW, DAMN ": In other words, something a little gut-wrenching. Maybe it was sad; maybe it hit an intellectual chord. Sometimes, it might even make me want to look away, though I know that by watching, I will grow. In ALoTO, it's that pre-game locker room scene where Betty Spaghetti (And get this! For these characters' names, I'm not googling or re-watching or anything; I totally have them remebered from 1992. Snap.) learns her husband was killed in the line of duty for his country. The close second is Lori Petty learning she's been traded, throwing a baseball through the window, and "BITCH!"-ing Geena Davis.
  4. COULD PUT IT ON MY FRIENDSTER FAVES: So basically, it's a movie that A.) I'm not ashamed at the level at which I like it (To Wong Foo...), B.) isn't obnoxiously popular, where people like it to be hip (Donnie Darko), yet C.) makes people think, "gosh, Matt is such an intriguing character with quirks I am anxious to explore!" (Splash).

In closing, it's a fine piece of work that--wait for it--scores a home run upon every viewing.

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