Join us throughout baseball season for a cinema series filled with baseball classics, documentaries, and family films that examine, commemorate, and celebrate America’s love of the game.
July 9: The Natural
July 16: Bull Durham
July 23: A League of Their Own
July 30: Field of Dreams
With remarks from longtime film critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Carrie Rickey, fun baseball-themed giveaways, and more!
ABOUT THE FILMS
The Natural (USA, 1984, 134 minutes)
Roy Hobbs has always known what he wants to be: a baseball star. With his homemade bat Wonderboy at his side, he longs to escape the humdrum farm life he’s always known. Then a tragic night crushes his dream in one fell swoop. Years later, the now-old rookie emerges in the shadow of doubt. Will Roy finally be able to achieve his destiny? Based on the classic novel by Bernard Malamud, Robert Redford shines alongside Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, and Barbara Hershey. Rated: PG
Bull Durham (USA, 1988, 108 minutes)
What happens when an unschooled pitching phenom, his reluctant mentor, and a sultry and sage baseball groupie cross paths over the course of a minor league season? A movie classic that, one film critic said, “works equally as a love story, a baseball fable, and a comedy, while ignoring the clichés of each genre.” By turns funny and serious, philosophical and down-to-earth, Bull Durham proves that loving baseball is a metaphor for loving life. Sports Illustrated ranked it the #1 Greatest Sports Movie of All Time. Starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon. Rated: R
A League of Their Own (USA, 1992, 128 minutes)
It’s the 1940s and America’s young men are fighting in World War II. Baseball, our favorite pastime, is in trouble. Enter this beloved film based on the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Watch sparks fly as Coach Jimmy Dugan, a faded champ, tries to reign in his sassy players while battling his own shortcomings. Starring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell. Rated: PG
Field of Dreams (USA, 1989, 107 minutes)
When hardworking Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella starts hearing voices, he takes a life-altering leap of faith and transforms his cornfield into a baseball diamond. His journey gives him a second look at what it means to dream, reminding him that not everything is as it seems. “If you build it, he will come.” This enchanting, heart-warming film features Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, and Amy Madigan. Rated: PG
