Major League: Back to the Minors
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| Major League: Back to the Minors | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster for Major League: Back to the Minors |
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| Directed by | John Warren |
| Produced by | Gary Barber, James G. Robinson, Bill Todman, Jr. Michael Rachmil |
| Written by | David S. Ward, John Warren |
| Starring | Scott Bakula Corbin Bernsen Ted McGinley Dennis Haysbert |
| Music by | Robert Folk Ken Tamplin |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | April 19, 1998 |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Major League: Back to the Minors is a 1998 movie, distributed by Warner Bros., directed and written by John Warren, with David S. Ward taking the co-writer duties. It is the third film in the Major League series.
The movie features a mostly new cast, with only Dennis Haysbert, Bob Uecker, Corbin Bernsen, Eric Bruskotter and Takaaki Ishibashi reprising their roles from Major League II. The film also marks a shift in the series, as the featured team is no longer the Cleveland Indians, but the Minnesota Twins and their fictional minor league affiliate.
Tagline: They're Just Nine Players Short of a Dream Team.
[edit] Plot
Gus Cantrell (Scott Bakula) is an aging minor league pitcher who planned on retiring. However, old friend Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) recruits him as the manager of the Buzz,in the movie they are from South Carolina, of Salt Lake City, a western PCL AAA team associated with the Minnesota Twins. The new players include Lance "The Dance" Pere (Kenny Johnson), a former ballet dancer; Frank "Pops" Morgan (Thom Barry), an aging veteran who Cantrell elects as team leader; Hog Ellis (Judson Mills), a pitcher with a killer fastball; Billy "Downtown" Anderson (Walton Goggins), a natural home run hitter; and Carlton "Doc" Windgate (Peter Mackenzie), a relief pitcher who also acts as team psychiatrist.
After clashing with snobby Twins manager Leonard Huff (Ted McGinley), Gus is having dinner with Maggie Reynolds (Jensen Dagget), who happens to be his girlfriend, along with Mr. Dorn and Mr. Huff. During dinner, Gus gets challenged by Mr. Huff to have the Buzz play against Huff's Twins at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in an exhibition game. After the game ends in a tie, Mr. Huff was mad at the Twins for almost losing to the Buzz and decides to bring Billy "Downtown" Anderson up from the minor league Buzz to the Twins, despite that fact that he's not yet ready for the majors.
While "Downtown" is with the Twins, he struggles with his hitting and the Buzz have trouble winning without him. Gus manages to get "Downtown" back to the Buzz, where he improves his hitting and they win their division. Afterwards, he challenges the Twins to an exhibition game at Buzz Stadium, which serves as the film's climax.
[edit] Reception
The movie was considered by many to be more of a flop than Major League II, mostly because of the film's new cast. Many critics and moviegoers alike were ashamed with the weak script, poor acting, and subpar editing.
