Baseball is our national pastime and is a bonding point for countless fathers and sons. Heck, even many moms have taught their kids to throw a baseball.
But baseball has its seedier side. Steroids, chewing tobacco, groupies. These are among the child-unfriendly hazards that you’ll find in many baseball movies rated PG-13 or higher. Fortunately, there are several solid baseball films that even your five-year-old can watch without losing their innocence.
1. The Sandlot (1993)
The hands-down, undisputed, greatest-of-all-time baseball movie is The Sandlot. While movies like Major League and Field of Dreams have earned their distinctions as elite baseball films, not everyone can relate to being in the big leagues or building a baseball stadium for ghosts in the middle of a cornfield.
1. The Sandlot (1993)
Anyone who has played baseball can relate to impromptu pickup games on the local diamond, which is why The Sandlot is as timeless as Wendy Peffercorn. If you know, you know.
2. The Rookie (2018)
Remember when Disney used to make sports movies? From The Mighty Ducks to Remember the Titans and The Rookie, the Walt Disney Corporation used to churn out some sports-centric severe hits.
2. The Rookie (2018)
The Rookie had just the right amount of kid-adult banter and charm, two hallmarks of Disney sports movies. An improbable redemption story starring Dennis Quaid as a Texas high school baseball coach who gets an unlikely opportunity? It’s the baseball adventure your five-year-old did know they needed.
3. Field of Dreams (1989)
Corn. Baseball. Ghosts. Costner. It’s a formula simple enough for a five-year-old to grasp. Yet, Field of Dreams is entirely effective at tugging on your heartstrings, or should I say, tugging at your heart seams?
4. Little Big League (1994)
Nobody thought for a second that Little Big League would win an Oscar in 1995. However, the story of a 12-year-old who inherits a Major League Baseball franchise is one that every five-year-old baseball buff should see.
4. Little Big League (1994)
In fact, you might start to believe that a five-year-old wrote the plot of Little Big League, which is precisely why the movie is so fun.
5. Rookie of the Year (1993)
If the name Henry Rowengartner does not ring a bell, you still need to do your due diligence as a baseball-loving cinephile. What do you get when you mix Gary Busey with a catastrophically broken arm that heals abnormally, allowing a 12-year-old to throw a baseball at the speed of sound?
You get Rookie of the Year, buddy.
6. Angels in the Outfield (1994)
With a cast that includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Lloyd, Danny Glover, Adrien Brody, and Matthew McConaughey, how could you not watch this Disney classic? I’ll even do you a favor and withhold the spoiler about how the Angels ended up in the outfield.
7. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976)
So long as you don’t require your five-year-old to recite The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings, you are in for an uplifting baseball flick starring James Earl Jones, Richard Pryor, and Billy Dee Williams.
It’s a rare film about the Black Leagues and one that can be a smooth entry into baseball’s complicated history.
8. The Bad News Bears (1976)
The first version of “The Bad News Bears” is rated PG, suggesting it’s appropriate for most five-year-olds. Walter Matthau delivers an exceptional portrayal as the grumpy coach Morris Buttermaker in this cherished classic that has garnered praise from critics.
9. The Natural (1984)
A bat carved from the wood of a lightning-struck tree. A longshot hero dragging a baseball team from the dregs to glory. Robert Redford. The perfect wholesome, mythical baseball hero’s name: is Roy Hobbs.
9. The Natural (1984)
The Natural is perfectly suited to capture your five-year-old’s imagination. After watching The Natural, your kid will inevitably pursue a life dedicated to baseball, culminating in a fifteen-year professional career, multiple MVPs, and a lakeside mansion for his parents.
10. Million Dollar Arm (2014)
John Hamm ditches his Mad Men-era clothing to take on the role of a sports agent who journeys to India in search of a cricket prodigy destined for baseball greatness. This film exudes a delightful quirkiness, and given its connection with Disney in the world of sports cinema, it easily could have been much less entertaining.
10. Million Dollar Arm (2014)
They say an odd-bouncing baseball takes a bunny hop. With Disney and America’s pastime pairing up for a five-year-old-friendly baseball movie, though, how about we make “mouse hop” a thing? Or I’ll just show myself out.
Source: Reddit.
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