You know that debate about whether Die Hard should be considered a Christmas movie?
As tired as that discussion is, it does raise a relevant point. A movie can reference a subject or employ it for symbolic purposes without actually being about that topic.
While there are many great movies with baseball-driven plots, or “baseball movies,” there are also worthwhile films with non-baseball stories that feature baseball-related set pieces and dialogue.
If you’re a baseball fan battling boredom in quarantine but reluctant to watch Bull Durham or Major League for the 100th time, be sure to check out the following films that I’ve classified by setting:
Boston
The Town
Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is the most celebrated Boston-based crime thriller, having won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. But although that picture (a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs) was a hit with both fans and critics, it’s not the only compelling crime saga that takes place in the Boston area.
One such film is The Town, the 2010 thriller directed by Ben Affleck. This movie about a group of bank robbers in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston is packed with pulse-pounding scenes, including a third-act heist at Fenway Park.
As it turns out, Fenway is the ideal location for a climactic showdown between Affleck’s gang of thieves and the police chasing them; the park’s narrow hallways create the illusion that the protagonists are trapped in a labyrinth.
In addition to helping Affleck ratchet up the tension, the use of a beloved landmark like Fenway lends the film an authentic Boston flavor.
Good Will Hunting
Before he was a big enough star to direct his own films, Ben Affleck collaborated with longtime friend Matt Damon on the screenplay for Good Will Hunting. Like The Town, Good Will Hunting makes reference to the Red Sox and their impact on Bostoners’ lives.
The baseball reference here comes in flashback form, during a therapy session with Robin Williams’s Sean Maguire and Damon’s eponymous Will Hunting. Will asks Maguire when he knew that his late wife was the one for him, and Maguire gives an exact date: October 21, 1975.
As the therapist explains, that was the day the Sox played the most important game in their history, Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.
Maguire had tickets to that game, the events of which he describes to his young patient. He never actually attended it, however, because he was at a bar having drinks with his future wife.
The exchange between the characters demonstrates their differing perspectives. While Maguire feels no regret for missing a historic baseball moment, Will is in complete shock.
“You missed Pudge Fisk’s home run to have a f**king drink with some lady you never met?”
“Yeah, but you should have seen her. She was a stunner.”
“I don’t care if Helen of Troy walked into the room, THAT’S GAME SIX!”
This scene remains seared in my memory, and not just because Damon makes Will’s disbelief so convincing. The interaction is a microcosm of the film as a whole: a character study that reveals intrinsic truths about its subjects through emotionally honest dialogue.
I adore this scene because it shows how people use sporting events to mark important moments in their lives. We’ll always remember where we were for certain events, whether it be Fisk’s home run or some other timeless feat.
Click here for a guide to the most watchable baseball movies, from the best family movie to the best tearjerker.
Los Angeles
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Reggie Jackson has quite a history with the Dodgers: first, he destroyed them with three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, then he tried to assassinate the Queen of England at Dodger Stadium in 1988.
Okay, that second part didn’t actually happen.
But the then-Angels outfielder did make a cameo appearance in the first Naked Gun film, which used Dodger Stadium as a stand-in for Anaheim Stadium. In the movie, Jackson is brainwashed into assassinating the Queen, though his plan is ultimately foiled by Leslie Nielsen’s Lieutenant Frank Drebin.
Jackson’s appearance and his role in the film’s finale gives The Naked Gun a fun baseball element, even if the film is rarely characterized as a baseball movie. The baseball-centric climax offers inspired bits of humor, like when Drebin goes undercover as an umpire and becomes so energized by making calls that he ends up breakdancing behind home plate.
When watching the film, be sure to notice all the famous broadcasters on hand to call the baseball action, a list that includes Mel Allen, Tim McCarver, Dick Vitale, Dick Enberg, and Curt Gowdy.
The Naked Gun is currently available on Netflix.
New York
Men in Black
Men in Black 3
The observation towers built for the 1964 World’s Fair strongly resemble spaceships. Director Barry Sonnenfeld wisely took advantage of that resemblance for a climactic scene in Men in Black, when agents J and K do battle against a “bug” from outer space at the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows.
Mets outfielder Bernard Gilkey plays himself in a scene where a spaceship flies over Shea Stadium. Gilkey’s reaction is priceless, and his bewildered expression even as a ball doinks him in the head is perhaps his signature moment in a Mets uniform.
The Mets also play a role in Men in Black 3. This third film in the series depicts the 1969 Mets championship as one of the most unlikely events in human history, a true miracle in every sense of the word. Sure, this movie is not nearly as well paced or engrossing as the original. But the recreation of 1969 Shea Stadium is close to flawless, as is Josh Brolin’s impression of a younger Tommy Lee Jones.
Chicago
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
If you had a whole day to do whatever you wanted, how would you spend it?
Many Chicagoans would say that they’d see a game at Wrigley Field. After all, the iconic ballpark has always been associated with daytime baseball. Even those with little interest in America’s pastime have flocked to Wrigley to knock back a few beers and root for the Cubbies.
Wrigley’s status as a popular daytime destination was depicted in the 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The titular protagonist and his friends play hooky and sneak off to Wrigley, where they gleefully take part in the ballpark experience.
The character of Cameron Frye, for example, gets a kick out of traditional baseball chatter like “Hey batter, batter…swing!”
This scene illustrates so many of baseball’s little joys: devouring ballpark food, catching foul balls, heckling the opposing team, and taking in some sunshine on a spring or summer day. Hearing Harry Caray call the game on TV also gives the scene some nostalgic appeal.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is currently available on Netflix
Searle’s Final Say
Baseball is a cultural touchstone in America, so it’s no surprise that Hollywood has embraced its cinematic qualities. Although I enjoy traditional baseball movies, I have also loved films that only feature a few baseball-related scenes. During this time of self-isolation, these films will bring us some comfort and levity that is currently missing from our lives.
