The Kokomo Post Rewinds: Sports Movies Edition
By DAN WEST
The Kokomo Post staff
Nostalgia can be a heck of a thing, but do the movies we loved as kids really hold up? Is “Space Jam” really my favorite movie, or have I just not watched it since I was 10? In The Kokomo Post Rewinds, I’ll check out movies and shows from decades past and see if they hold up to today’s scrutiny. This week’s theme: sports movies!
“Space Jam”
Up first is the highest-grossing basketball movie in history. This 1996 film gave us Michael Jordan playing basketball alongside Billy Murray and Newman from “Seinfeld” to save the Looney Tunes from being enslaved by an alien amusement park owner. That sentence is the most concise way I could think to describe this movie; it is absolutely bonkers in a way that blew my 10-year-old mind. Featuring the first appearance of Lola Bunny and a soundtrack that went six times platinum, I sat down for this movie expecting a masterpiece.
The Verdict: What’s exciting about this movie is that it never tried to be anything other than what it was: a nonsense Nike commercial barely disguised as a movie. It’s ridiculous, almost all of the acting is flat (minus Bill Murray, Wayne Knight and a surprisingly fresh performance from Charles Barkley), and the plot is paper thin. Make no mistake, this is not a good movie, but it’s incredibly fun. This movie was never going to be “Citizen Kane,” and expecting it to be is a mistake.
RATING: 3 slap bracelets and a side ponytail out of 5; No official trailer for the sequel has been released, but you can catch a teaser for it here grouped with other 2021 releases on HBO Max.
“A League Of Their Own”
In the middle spot on this sports-filled lineup is the Tom Hanks/Geena Davis baseball classic. This movie is a fictionalized account of a group of real women who formed a professional baseball league during World War 2 when Major League Baseball was shut down. The story follows two sisters as they take the nation by storm. You have this movie to thank for every time someone has yelled “there’s no crying in baseball.” This movie has a special place in my heart as part of it was filmed in a town where I’ve spent a lot of time, Evansville.
The Verdict: This movie is so much fun. The acting is incredible, which shouldn’t be a surprise with the cast and the comedic timing is flawless. This movie is so good it made baseball interesting. This movie is fun, it’s quotable, and it absolutely stands up to the test of time. I’m not going to say more, because there’s no need to.
RATING: 5 sleepovers with too much Surge to sleep out of 5 - Unfortunately there isn’t a trailer for the upcoming Amazon series, but you can head here to check out the iconic (and hilarious) “there’s no crying in baseball” scene from the movie.
“The Mighty Ducks”
Rounding out this week’s list is the children’s hockey franchise that launched several careers including “SNL” heavyweight Kenan Thompson and “Dawson’s Creek” sweetheart Joshua Jackson. This first installment stars Emilio Estevez as Gordon Bombay, a hotshot lawyer and former childhood hockey star taking a ragtag team of misfits from the bottom of their league all the way to the finals of the state championship. I’ve always been a hockey fan, and I have this series to thank for that.
The Verdict: I broke down and watched all three of these movies because I couldn’t help myself. They’re great fun, combining childish goofy jokes with some very impressive hockey. What I did forget before diving in is how DARK the first movie is. The entire franchise starts when a workaholic lawyer gets caught drinking and driving and starts coaching as part of his court-ordered community service. It gets goofy from there, but that beginning definitely doesn’t have the Disney feel we’re all used to. Still, once the movies start focusing on hockey and kid-friendly hijinks, these movies really shine.
RATING: 4 David Letterman Late Night monologues out of 5 - Check out the trailer for the sequel series, Mighty Ducks: Game Changers here, due on Disney Plus March 26, 2021.
