The cast is really perfect in this film, as is the progression from reviled team to hometown heroes. All of this progression is perfectly captured by Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) who delivers the performance of his life as the initially dispirited Indians sportscaster. He has a number of classic lines that play as well today as they did 20 years ago. My personal favorite occurs during an early game as Vaughn pitches a fastball a few feet from the batter, Doyle's call ‘That one was just a bit outside’ made me laugh again and again.
For some reason I remembered this film as one filled with slapstick and potty humor, I now realize I mistook it from any number of other baseball films. This movie is a great sports comedy, in fact I would say it is one of the best out there and it is great to see it on Blu-ray.
The Video
Presented in 1080p with a 1.85:1 aspect ration Major League looks good. It looks better then I thought considering it is a 20-year-old film made on a relatively small budget. It is certainly not a reference title as the film has a soft look that is very noticeable at times and black levels are very spotty. Film grain is present and there is some film damage that creeps up from time to time.
Having said that there are some good things about the transfer, in particular the color depth is quite solid. The movie is mostly shot during the day on bright fields with teams wearing uniforms with splashes of color. Thankfully the colors are very distinct, the grass is vibrant and sharp looking, and the key uniform colors stand out nicely. Flesh tone is well represented and by and large the overall image is sharp.
The Audio
The audio mix is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and is serviceable for the film at hand. Generally all audio is presented out of the front speakers but during games the surround mix is used effectively if muted. This is not an action film so there is very little use of the subwoofer, which is fine in context of this movie.
Dialogue is very clear and distinguishable which is really important in this film. Uecker’s play-by-play is always entertaining and comes through loud and clear at all times. While this mix has no fancy, stand-out moments it is capable and serves its purpose.
The Extras
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