Solidrariol
Am I Missing Something?
TrueHello
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Jenna Walter
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Roxie
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
SamPamBam
Considering the cast and the talent involved with this, a terrible disappointment, could have been so much better if only the director had gotten control of james earl, made him act instead of ham it up, and fire whoever cut it and put someone in who understood continuity.
Generally a sorry excuse for a production-and for that there is no excuse.
howardeisman
This film got great reviews when it came out, but I had to go to a African-American neighborhood theater to see it. That was only where it was being shown. It was not marketed for a general (prodominently white) audience. I believe that it has been overlooked since for the same reason: it is believed to be a movie about African-Americans which can be appreciated only by African-Americans.This is far from the case. It is a movie about individuals trying to do the work they love while being frustrated by irrational human attitudes and biases. It is a movie about adapting to the perception that your world is changing and the change will be good for others, but not be good for you. It is as good a movie ever made about finding your goals and persisting in reaching them, even as the value of the goal recedes before you.And it is hilarious. It is done with sly humor as well as laugh-out-loud wild humor.
robin-220
This offbeat little film tells the story of a team at the tail-end of the Negro Leagues and their struggle to fight the corrupt ownership of the league. It is similar in tone to "A League of Their Own" but came earlier and is less glossy and, in my opinion, more fun. There are some good points made in it about racism and the athlete as commodity, but the film doesn't take itself too seriously and is never preachy or heavy-handed. It's an easy-going film which is great fun to watch. The cast is fantastic--Billy Dee Williams was never smoother or more charming, James Earl Jones appears to be having the time of his life, and the supporting cast is full of young versions of actors who went on on to bigger things. If you are used to seeing Jones only as a grand elder statesman of acting, check out this film where he plays his role with a lot of humor and energy and a sexy twinkle in his eye.
Coxer99
Highly entertaining film about a renegade black baseball team that breaks through barriers in 1939, when black ball players where shunned out of white controlled leagues. Williams stands out as their razzle-dazzle leader. The almost black cast that also features Jones, Pryor and Tony Burton are superb.