A League of Their Own (1992)

A movie about sister relationships

A league of their own is a story about women playing baseball while the men are away at war. The movie focuses on two players that are sisters, Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis/Anne Cartwright) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty/Kathleen Butler). These two sisters play for a local softball team and are scouted to play professional while the men are away at war. Dottie doesn't want to leave home and play baseball she is happy at home waiting for her husband to return from the war, Kit on the other hand is very excited and anxious to leave home.

The entire movie is about the focus on these two sisters and their differences. Kit is forever finding herself in her sister, Dottie's shadow, but Dottie doesn't care as much about the game as Kit does. Kit and Dottie find themselves on different teams because of the competition and family disputes, and face off in the World Series. The winning play comes down to Kit running for home base while Dottie tries to get Kit out, because Kit's determination of the game is stronger Kit slams into her sister and wins the game.

The movie focuses on these two characters and their complex sibling relationship. The movie portrays Dottie as a better player than Kit but she doesn't have the heart for it, Dottie's only care is her husband and mentions a few times throughout the film that she just wants to be home with him. Kit has a drive to get away from her home, and to not be compared to her sister anymore. Even though Kit and Dottie see things differently the movie shows that siblings can have a complex relationship.

This movie reminded me of the Spitfire Grill, a movie about a girl joining a "family", she was perceived to be different and she was trying to earn their acceptance. Like the woman in the Spitfire Grill, Kit knew she was different than her sister and wasn't traditional like Dottie. Kit was forever trying to establish her own name, and be herself not a shadow. Percy in the Spitfire Grill was trying to be herself, even though she wasn't a traditionalist like the locals and was having a hard time trying to establish herself from this pre-conceived idea that the locals had about her.

This movie starts out showing Dottie as an older woman preparing to go to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where they will recognize the Women in Baseball, and then the movie begins a flashback as Dottie remembers how she joined with her sister and how the first league was played. The movie had great bright lighting, and soft colors on the uniform and throughout while in the 40's. Other references were made that made it realistic for the time, like the woman radio announcer speaking about the women being drug from their homes and children to play baseball and she told Mr. Harvey that "like your candy you are nuts". The rules that were enforced on the ladies that played baseball also represented the time that it was set in. The women were not allowed to smoke, have men around, and had to take classes on how to be more lady like. The movie did a good job of bringing in authentic time characteristics.

This movie shows just one aspect of how the women in the 40's had to fill in for the men while they were away at war, but the plot of the movie really focused on the two sisters and their relationship.