When I had the idea of starting this blog I always knew there would be a few films that I really wouldn't want to watch, and Disney's 1994 remake of the 1951 film Angels in the Outfield is one of them.
But, after seeing this on youtube, I decided to bite the bullet and get it out of the way early.
I've no idea why this film was even given a release in the UK: it's about baseball, so the game sequences are near impossible to follow for anyone not well-versed in the sport; is heavily-laden with the kind of religious overtones that I'd imagine only a US audience could appreciate; and is so sickly-sweet it would make most people's teeth hurt.
Even more inexplicably, UK cinemas got this release a year after the US, which is why it appeared during my time as a projectionist in 1995.
As it transpired, the film was not a success in the UK. I recall it lasting only a week, maybe two at most, at the cinema I worked in, before it was shipped off to be tried in another market.
I remember too that there were times I would peer into the auditorium from the projection booth, and see no one in there. One of the idiosyncrasies of cinema management is that, if a film is scheduled to start at a specific time, it has to start then. We couldn't make a decision to save on effort, electricity & other costs by not running a film, just in case someone turned up late & wanted to see it.
So, on it would go, regardless of whether anyone was watching it or not.
As the opening credits roll we see a number of very familiar names tucked away in small print, clearly in early, and tiny, supporting roles. The stars here though are Danny Glover and, former co-stars from the sitcom Taxi, Christopher Lloyd & ("Hold me closer") Tony Danza.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Roger, and his friend is JP, played by a lad named Milton Davis Jr, who, I don't think it's too harsh to say, and on the basis of his performance in this film, was never going to be as successful as his more well-known co-star.
There follows the first of many scenes of possibly the most blatant exposition I've ever come across in a film: as they cycle the two boys crowbar references to their being in a foster home, and cycle past someone with a radio that tells us the local baseball team, the conveniently named Angels, are on a 14 game losing streak & in last place.
The boys arrive at their foster home where we meet their carer, Maggie, Brenda Fricker, one of three - THREE!! - Oscar-winners in this film, in one of her post-My Left Foot, Hollywood roles.
Roger's father is also at the house, and is clearly a wrong 'un: he has a motorbike, wears a leather jacket, is smoking a cigarette, has long greasy hair & a beard. The only thing missing here is a short burst of "Bad to the Bone" on the soundtrack.It took me a moment to realise that this floppy-haired greaser was the film's second "big name in an early role": none other than Dermot Mulroney.
It's now Dad's turn to do the exposition: he confirms that Roger is an Angels fan, he's leaving to go "north" (although it isn't explained if this is Canada, Alaska or just the next town), things might have been different if Roger's mother "hadn't died", and he needs to sign some paperwork, alluding to the fact that he doesn't want to remain as Roger's legal guardian.
Roger asks when they'll ever be a family again, and, here's the critical bit that sets wheels in motion, Dad responds with "I'd say when the Angels win the pennant", before leaving.
We cut to Roger & JP up a tree, with binoculars, watching the Angels play the Toronto Blue Jays.
And it's here we see our third "big name in an early role" as Williams, one of the team's outfielders, the second of the film's three Oscar winners: Matthew McConaughey. THE Matthew McConaughey.
We get some idea of how incapable the Angels are when Williams & another player race to catch a ball, but collide instead, allowing the Blue Jays to get a run. Or something.
I've no idea how baseball works, sorry.
We also meet the team's coach, George Knox, played by the film's star & one of its few recognisable faces of the time: Danny Glover. Knox decides to take the pitcher off, which starts a fight involving the entire team.
I'll admit to cracking a smile at this point as the Blue Jays race to join in, only to be called back by their coach with the words "it's not our fight".
Maybe you had to be there.
More exposition follows as we cut to the commentary box where the lead commentator, Ranch Wilder mentions the team owner Hank Murphy must be "out of his mind" to persist with Knox as coach & states he could do better. It's revealed by his co-commentator that Wilder is an ex-player & a failed former coach himself.
Cut to the locker room as the disappointed players file in, they've lost again. Amongst their number we see the film's fourth "big name in an early role", the third of the film's Oscar winners: Adrien Brody as Hemmerling.
We also see one of the film's other stars: Tony Danza as the veteran pitcher Clark, puffing on a cigarette, sitting in a bath. More exposition as the talk turns to his long term injured pitching arm.
Knox then enters, furious, kicks over some stuff, knocking out the film's fifth "big name in an early role", Neal McDonough, as Bass, the team's slow-witted reserve pitcher.
Knox tells the players they're to turn up early the following day for extra training, and we then go straight to that day's training, where Knox & owner Murphy spout some more exposition, this time about Knox's days of coaching Cincinnati, where he'd been a success, although the pennant had always eluded him.
Knox is taken by the team's new PR man, David Montagne (the late comic Taylor Negron, to my eyes he's one of those "hey, it's that guy" faces) to be interviewed by Wilder. Wilder goads Knox about the team's lack of success to such a degree that Knox punches him out.
We're back at the foster home, where we meet the 3rd boy in the household, Miguel, who bullies JP constantly. The boys go to bed, and at the insistence of Maggie are made to say their prayers. Remembering the words of his no-good father Roger prays for a family & asks that god help The Angels to win the pennant. High above in the sky a star twinkles...
Knox is in in Murphy's office for some further exposition: when they were both players on rival teams Wilder deliberately injured Knox, ending his career.
As I stated before, I know nothing about baseball: do they play games every day? Because it certainly seems to be the case in this film. While Knox & Murphy talk we also cut to Roger & JP walking into the stadium to watch the day's game. Miguel isn't with them, he's away meeting with a potential permanent foster family.
Walking out for the game Knox & Clark confront one another for yet more exposition: Clark wants to know if he'll ever be selected to play, Knox tells him he won't as he doesn't approve of Clark's over-reliance on "pain pills" (presumably for the arm injury that we heard about earlier). We learn that Clark had played for Knox at Cincinnati, but had been traded to The Angels. Knox had never expected he'd be coaching him again.
Clark then starts coughing, which, as any film viewer knows, is always a portent of something serious...
The game gets underway with a comedic take on the US national anthem, most of The Angels either don't know the words, or can't hold a tune; then we see the first pitch, from Bass. It's terrible. In cricketing terms it's what we'd call a wide.
Meanwhile, we're introduced to the man that IMDB calls "Hairy Man" - a boozy, obese, belligerent spectator who sits himself right next to Roger & JP, despite the stadium being sparsely populated with spectators. I realise he's there for comic effect, but this seems quite creepy to me.
We also briefly see Wilder in the commentary box, now nursing a bruise.
The game continues & The Angels are under-performing, as usual, when an opposition batter hits a likely home run. As the crowd mutter their disapproval Roger (and only Roger) sees an angel appear behind Williams & lift him to make the catch.
Another angel then materialises next to Roger - it's Christopher Lloyd as Al, so named because he steals an LA Dodgers hat from another spectator & re-configures the design.
Al explains that only Roger can see the angels, and they're there to help, as requested.
An Angels batter steps up to the plate, accompanied by an angel. Hang on... weren't they fielding only a second ago? Again, I'm no baseball expert, but this seems like a fast turn-around between innings.
The angel assists the batter to score a home run, smashing his bat & bursting the ball in the process. Somehow, these two actions, Williams' catch & the home run, mean that The Angels have won the game.
Roger then delivers the line "There are angels in the outfield". I do like it when a film's title is said during the course of the film.
JP wins the chance to to have his photo taken with Knox, but gives his winning ticket to Roger, citing that he "doesn't talk to strangers". So Roger gets to meet Knox & tells him how the angels assisted in the win. Knox is sceptical but later speaks to Williams, who can't explain how he took his catch, and the batter, who admits he felt like someone was swinging with him..
Meanwhile Roger speaks to Maggie about angels and she admits she believes in them.
The next day Knox appears at the foster home to deliver the photograph & to ask Roger for more info about the angels. As he waits for Roger he talks to Maggie who offers yet more exposition: Roger is a ward of the state, his bad upbringing has "given him a good handle on reality", he's not prone to flights of fancy etc. and so on.
When Roger arrives Knox offers him & JP prime seats by the dugout for the next game, against the Oakland Athletics.
It's game day again, and, thanks to the win in the previous game, there's a bigger crowd than usual. Wilder is in the commentary box, smoking heavily - there is a lot of smoking in this film, unusual for a kids' film, even for 1994, I'd have thought.
Wilder has a pair of binoculars and is ogling some female fans - again, unusual for a kids' film, but I suspect the writers really wanted to drive home the point that Wilder is not a pleasant man.
Roger & JP are with Montagne in their new seats, Montagne keeps getting splashed with food & drink, much to his annoyance as he's rather OCD about his suit.
It's worth mentioning that, at some point in the film, there's a throwaway comment from Maggie to the effect that she doesn't go to baseball games, so she's never seen at any of them. My guess is that the baseball scenes were all filmed before or after Brenda Fricker'ss scenes were shot, and she wasn't available for them. It's quite jarring that her two charges are constantly at baseball matches, gaining favour with the team's coach & players, spending time in the locker rooms etc. while she's nowhere to be seen.
Back to the game, Al re-appears to tell Roger that he can't tell anyone about the angels, but they'll be at today's game. It's a bit late for that now, as he's already mentioned it to a few people, but that's alright. Apparently. Knox & JP can continue to be told about them.
Roger calls over Knox to tell him the angels will be helping again, and they devise a signal whereby Roger can tell Roger when the angels appear; he's going to stand up & flap his arms.
The game gets underway and, once again, The Angels are terrible. After some family-appropriate "cussing" Al appears again to tell Roger that Knox & the players should watch their language. Roger flaps, Knox walks over, gets his instructions & passes it on to the disbelieving players.
Their reaction is one of the few moments I laughed at during this film.
An angel appears behind Hemmerling (Adrien Brody), massaging his shoulders. Roger tells Knox to put him into bat, rather than the team's best hitter. It's the final play of the game, so Knox is unsure, but decides to have faith in Roger and do it.
Up steps Hemmerling, who strikes twice - cue booing from the crowd, including our old friend "Hairy Man".
Hemmerling swings again & hits the ball with the lightest of taps. The angels then take over, moving the ball around to prevent the Oakland players from getting their hands on it. Hemmerling scores a home run, and the Angels have won their second game in a row.
Knox tells Montagne to look after the boys, get them everything they want, as he's come to realise that, perhaps, Roger is telling the truth...
Knox then takes the boys home. More exposition as Roger tells him that JP won't get in cars as he used to have to live in one with his mother. So Knox drives them home in the team bus. For the first time we see JP warm to Knox, and a mellowing in Knox too.
Roger & JP learn from Maggie that Miguel has gone to a permanent foster home. More exposition as Maggie reminds everyone that she's only a temporary foster parent.
It's game day again.
The Angels are readying to play the Detroit Tigers when an angel appears next to Clark, the permanently-injured pitcher. Roger tells Knox, who reluctantly throws him the ball, much to the annoyance of the crowd & Wilder, who points out that Clark hasn't pitched this decade.Nice work if you can get it, I suppose.
Clark warms up & he's rusty, very rusty. As he pitches his first ball in anger, though, an angel appears and moves the ball faster, straight to the catcher. His pitching is great, no one gets a hit & The Angels win again.
Wilder is angry & perplexed, while Knox drops phrases to the press that he had "faith" and "belief" etc.
Knox tells the boys they can have anything they want so we cut to him coaching the neighbourhood kids in a baseball game, where he reveals himself to be great with kids.
There's a bit where one boy, having never played before, hits the ball & gets told to "Go Home!", so runs home. Everyone laughs. No one thinks to call him back. Poor kid.
Next follows a hugely overlong montage of The Angels winning games, Roger flaps his arms, Knox nods & smiles, angels intervene to ensure victory, "Hairy Man" gets hit with a ball... This all seems to last about an hour, with the upshot being that The Angels rise to first place, with only two games left to play, both against the second-placed Chicago White Sox.
Meanwhile, Maggie tells Roger that he has a court hearing with his father, that afternoon, at the same time as the first of the two games against the Chicago White Sox.
As Roger waits for his no-good father to sign away all his parental responsibilities The Angels are losing their first game in months. Knox & JP try their hardest to look for angels, but can't see them at all.
After the hearing & the game both boys are in tears, Roger being consoled by Maggie, JP by Knox.
Knox explains to JP that maybe the team can't win without the angels' help, Wilder overhears & an evil glint appears in his eye. He approaches JP as Knox leaves to get changed.
Knox & JP arrive at Maggie's and she tells Knox about Roger's day. Knox takes Roger for a heart-to-heart, and tells him his upbringing wasn't that different to Roger's: he never knew his father.
Knox stays for dinner, but it's clear that his talk hasn't had the desired effect on Roger; when JP looks up at the crescent moon and refers to it as "God's thumbnail", Roger announces that "There is no God".
Knox says aloud what the audience are all thinking: "The boy who sees angels doesn't believe?".
The next day Roger & JP are reading the newspaper, the story is out about Knox believing in angels & using Roger for advice.
Further pointless exposition follows as it's revealed that when The Angels play elsewhere Knox remains in telephones contact with Roger who can still see the angels whilst watching the games on TV.
I get the feeling a scene or two might have been cut, possibly from the earlier montage of games, showing this happening, which would've been far preferable to yet more clunky dialogue.
Knox is told by Murphy that he has to tell the media there are no such things as angels. This is all getting a bit "Saint Peter" as we cross to a press conference. Maggie & the boys enter to the mutterings of the press pack, "It's the kid" etc.
Knox begins by saying he can't explain how the players have improved. "call it faith, call it angels...".
Wilder stands up, smirking, to ask Knox if he believes Roger can see angels. Knox pauses, and Maggie interjects to say that if Roger were to admit he could see angels, they'd all laugh, "but no one laughs when a footballer drops to one knee to thank God, or a Pitcher crosses himself" - She has a point.
Clark stands up to say that he believes... in George Knox. The rest of the players follow in a "Captain, my Captain" moment. Faith restored, Murphy announces that if there are angels at the game, he hopes they're on their side.
And so we come to the last game of the season: The Angels v The White Sox. Roger voices concerns to JP & Knox that he can't see any angels, when Al appears, to explain that there'll be no divine intervention today, "Championships have to be won on the field" he says. So, it's perfectly acceptable for his invisible friends to cheat to enable an under-performing team to get to a pennant winning position at the top of the table, ahead of more capable & deserving teams, but they'll avoid any tampering in the final game.
Is this really the lesson that Disney wanted their young audiences to take from this film?
Al goes on to explain that he's only there to keep watch on Clark, whom, it's now revealed, only has six months to live. Remember that, in one scene, near the start of the film, Clark had a cough? And smoked, even when in the bath? Now we see the reason why.
Al tells Roger to concentrate on his own life, as he expects "big things" from him, and will "always be watching". That's some great way to terrify a boy as he's about to hit puberty!
The game continues, there's a lot of dialogue about runs & balls & other stuff. I literally have no idea what's going on.
Clark goes in to pitch, coughing as he does so. That cough has suddenly got a whole lot worse & it's affecting his pitching. Knowing that Clark has no divine intervention to assist him Knox readies another pitcher.
One of Clark's more inept pitches is hit for an inevitable home run, a carbon copy of the hit from an earlier game that caused Williams & another player to clash heads. This time Williams stops the run; we see similar things happen a few more times, even without the help of the angels it's clear that somehow the players have improved dramatically.
Clark pitches again & hits the batter, causing every player on a base to move forward one, and up steps "Hit or Die" Kesey.
There's much slo-mo chewing and spitting as Clark & Kesey face off. Wilder is on hand to point out that, with the bases loaded, only one hit will win the game, and the championship, for the White Sox.
The first pitch is a foul.
The second pitch is a ball.
The third pitch is another ball.
Knox looks anxiously at Roger, there are still no angels.
The fourth pitch is a foul.
Knox steps out to speak to Clark, with everyone thinking he's going to be replaced. Clark admits that he's got nothing left, he's breathing heavily and is clearly exhausted.
Away in the background Roger starts flapping his arms, his signal that the angels have arrived, even though they're not. Knox tells Clark that the angels are with him.
Soon the entire stadium are flapping, even Montagne (now dressed head-to-toe in Angels' merch) and "Hairy Man", instilling Clark with the belief he needs.
In the commentary booth, Wilder is furious.
Clark pitches, Kesey hits, but Clark catches it. In cricketing parlance this is a caught-and-bowled.
Against the odds, but with the assistance of a bunch of cheating angels, The Angels have won the pennant.
Knox celebrates with Clark, and tells him he did it all by himself.
Up in the commentary box Murphy walks in to tell Wilder he's fired. Not fired for exposing Knox as a believer of angels who takes advice from a boy before the biggest game in the team's history, but afterwards. Why did Murphy wait?
Knox takes the boys home, where Maggie (still not bothering to attend any games, despite how important this particular games was) tells Roger that his social worker called with news about finding him a permanent home. JP hears the news and runs off in tears.
Knox then explains it was him that contacted social services and he wants to adopt Roger. Roger says he won't leave JP, to which Knox says he's adopting JP too. Strange that neither Maggie or Knox saw fit to mention this straightaway: "Roger, you're being adopted... oh, you too JP".
The boys & Knox hug, and as they do Al appears at the window. This time JP sees him, much to his amazement.
Al looks to the camera and says, rather ominously I thought, "We're always watching...".
And so we come to the end, the stars in the sky do a baseball routine, like an old Windows 95 screensaver, & the credits roll.
A truly strange film, maybe US audiences loved the mix of sport & religion, but this was a bizarre release for UK audiences that I'd suppose to not be as religious, and the baseball scenes & dialogue are confusing to anyone not familiar with the game.
The script is absolutely appalling: religiosity thrust to the forefront, way too much exposition, and strangely, hardly any female characters: Maggie has a handful of scenes but, as mentioned earlier, she's conspicuously absent in any baseball scenes, and serves only to offer opinion about angels, and to provide a lot of the aforementioned clunky exposition; there's an unnamed female supporting character in the commentary team (IMDB gives her name as Carolyn, but I don't recall her name being mentioned in the film at all); and there are two female supporting roles as the social worker & judge in Roger's court case scene, but neither have more than a few words of dialogue.
Even the 1951 original had more female characters than this.
Would it have killed the scriptwriters to have beefed up Maggie's role, or for the director to ensure that she attended at least the final baseball match?
Could they not have made the social worker's role larger, and thereby do away with some of Maggie's exposition?
Could they have given Carolyn in the commentary team more to do than just roll her eyes at Wilder's exclamations?
Looking at it, I think some roles could have easily been switched for female characters, such as Murphy the team's owner (the film Major League, starring Rene Russo as a baseball team owner, was 4 years before this), Montagne, the PR/Marketing person (although that would've deprived the cast of its sole character from the LGBT community), or even Roger's negligent parent.
What this film does have going for it, though, is some excellent casting: a host of recognisable faces, and Oscar winners, in early roles shows that the casting director, Pam Dixon, has an incredible eye for talent. It'd be interesting to see if this film was a one-off, or whether other films she's worked on elicit the same amount of surprise as I had watching this, as supporting characters are introduced.
One last thing: according to IMDB this film spawned two sequels: 1997's Angels in the Endzone & Angels in the Infield from 2000. While this film in the series does carry a certain amount of nostalgia for me, I don't think I'll be in any hurry to watch them.
Fin.
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