MovieChat Forums > Long Gone (1987) Discussion > Best Baseball movie ever

Best Baseball movie ever


Sorry if I don't consider Field of Dreams a true baseball movie. And I don't really like the silliness of The Natural. For my dollar, nothing beats this. Petersen is so much more believable than Costner in Bull Durham, and Mulroney is ten times the actor that Robbins is as the rook. And Madsen slays Sarandon as the _been around" gal with smarts. Not sure which one even came out first, but this is your best bet to watch an enjoyable baseball flick.

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Very underrated baseball movie. Still have Field of Dreams on top, but I'll take Long Gone over Bull Durham. Stud was cool as ice, Jamie was awesome as the Stud wannabe, and Dixie was twice as sexy as Sarandon was.

"When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master."

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This movie is my second favorite,the Sandlot as #1 and Eight Men Out #3, Sorry Field of Dreams is not a baseball movie. It is a movie with baseball in it. It's a touchie, feelie,oh I had bad daddy,and I jusy want to play catch movie. The only good from it is James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta.Lone Gone is great it features a rare speaking part for Teller ala Penn and Teller the Vegas magic act duo. I would love to have a Stogies Jersey, and of course my own Dixie Lee Box.

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I loved this movie, but haven't seen it in 15 years.

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I agree...one of my all time favorite movies! I first saw it when it came out on HBO (original). Not too long ago HBO aired it again and I was fortunate enough to slip in a VHS and get it on tape. When ever I have company and there's nothing else to watch, I slide in Long Gone and have never had a disappointed viewer.

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I'll bunt here and say it's one of the best ever...easily in the top four. The Costner movies tend to not have enough baseball in them...and while I love The Natural, there's some parts that are just too corny (The "Whammer")

Long Gone is a great movie because I believe they accomplised what they set out to do: Make a fun, lighthearted comedy about baseball and have a some very good sub-plots. I watched it when it first came out on HBO...then I went about 10 years before I found it on tape.

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I love this movie but to call the Whammer character corny is to lack something in the way of baseball knowledge. It was so obviously a Babe Ruth reference. If anything, it helps illustrate the personality of Hobbs. A flashy Babe Ruth/Barry Bonds style of player would have caught to much attention to slip through the system the way that Hobbs does. His character personna seems taylored after that of Gherig. He was quiet and reserved. Often he was forgotten by the press and largely history dispite his monsterous accolades. So the character dynamics were very realistic.

But the trick is to not look at each movie the same. Long Gone is meant to be a gritty dirty less than perfect world of baseball. Bull Durham is a look at baseball post hope. The Natural is the dream state look, allowing that there is always hope. Field Of Dreams is more of an outsiders look at baseball's ultimate meaning to our culture. To be honest, my favorite of all of Costner's baseball movies is For Love Of The Game. It's more of a story about someone clenching to what baseball was and hating being a part of what it's becoming. It also gives a nice new perspective into what life might be like as a baseball player.

But I digress, I love this film.

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Agree! Absoultely the GREATEST Baseball Movie ever made and one of my all-time favorite movies period. A great story that is very believable and with awesome characters you love and hate. This is a MUST movie for baseball fans and people in general who like a good movie with an excellent storyline. This movie needs to be released on DVD!!!!!!!

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Well, this is my SECOND favorite Baseball movie (behind EIGHT MEN OUT) .......... and is easily the most underrated sports movie of all-time. My only complaint (and it's a minor one -- NPI) is the Stogies' home uniform design -- 'looks more like a uniform a 1980s Minor League team would wear, rather than a 1950s squad.




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"to call the Whammer character corny is to lack something in the way of baseball knowledge. It was so obviously a Babe Ruth reference"

No *beep* Sherlock...OBVIOUSLY it's a Babe Ruth reference...hell, the guy even LOOKS like Babe Ruth. What's corny about it....is that they were SO obviously copying Babe Ruth when they were using fictitious names for all of the other players. A Ruth-like character would have been fine...but they used a guy who looked just like Ruth...and gave him a nickname that was so close to Ruth's nickname.

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We are in absolute accord. Major League was great, but Long Gone has Virginia Madsen in that tawdry National Anthem scene at the start. If all else fails as an evaluative measure, the song Red Hot in the Long Gone soundtrack is a tie breaker. "My gal is red hot, your gal ain't doodley squat."

Now who can argue with that?

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I agree Long Gone is the best ever - even wrote a comment saying so, like many others. Someone has just written a very negative comment - now, that's fine, I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I don't expect one movie to entertain *everyone*. But I think this person has gone down the list of all the positive comments (which is all of them) and methodically ticked off the "not useful" box for each one. I know the way the comments were rated a couple weeks ago, and it was impressive to see not only so many favorable writeups, but also so many supporting votes for the writeups. Frankly, that irks me. I think ratings of other people's comments should be based on the COMMENTS - it shouldn't be a proxy way of hitting back at the movie.

I'll have a bourbon and tomato juice.

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I'm only 24, but I quote from this movie all the time. My older brother and I taped it on HBO back in the day when it was out, and watched it *all* the time. My most-used line from it is when my buddies are playing catch with a baseball, football, whatever.
"I stretch, but I don't jump!."

More good quotes:
"Dixie Lee Boxx, girl nut roaster!!"
"Brown...you a *beep* No comprende senor!!"
"Hey, (i forget the name) drunk yet?"
"Damnit Junior quit whispering at me!!!"
"Hey Brown, you like white meat or dark meat? Don't matter, I eats em both. (Brown hits a line-drive straight back to Stud) Nah, gimme some of that white meat!!"

Thank god I have a authentic vhs copy of this classic!!!

Thank god I have an authentic copy of this classic!!!



Me fail English? That's unpossible.

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I hear my hormones talking to me!!

IMDBlack Man

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My husband and I quote from it all the time too:

"What he is, is....Venezuelan! Hell, he can't even speak English!"
(whining) "Junior and me can't be sports moguls."
"I catch, I *don't jump*!"

So many others...

I'll have a bourbon and tomato juice.

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I totally agree. Best baseball movie ever, with Peterson and Madsen at their best. I put it on my birthday list, and my wife bought a copy off of some seller through Amazon.com, but there was ANOTHER MOVIE inside the box ! I am so ticked off I can hardly get over it. I want to buy one on EBay so badly I can taste it, but I'll have to wait for the return process (so as not to offend my wife) to see if our $20 can be recovered... At least I found this site, where I can smile through everybody's similar feelings toward this movie.

"We're going to have to pray much harder!"

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It's def the best baseball movie ever.. Stud Cantrell is the balls..

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I agree with everyone here.It's a great movie. Stud Cantrell might be my favorite movie charactor ever. I have it on VHS and make sure I watch it about once a year. .

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i am a huge william petersen fan and this is one of like...4 of his movies that i havn't seen. so thanx for putting in some good words about it. i'm definately wanting to see it now and own it, but i can't find it. grr.

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I ever tell you about the time I struck out Ted Williams?

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Too bad he was such a punk A$$ father in FEAR!!

IMDBlack Man
"What Now? Lemme tell you what now..."

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[deleted]

I saw this movie several years ago. I agree with the consenus that it is on of the best, and probably the most underated, baseball movies of all time.

I didn't realize until coming to this site that it was an HBO movie. I assumed it was a hollywood "Big Screen" film.

I keep hoping that ESPN Classic will put in their Sunday night sports movie line up.

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PEACHES IN THE BIG LEAGUES!

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I bought a copy off of ebay. They are on there all the time.

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Defineatly the best baseball movie ever.

When Sud tells the oposing pitcher,
Listen I never said your sister has orange stains on her tits....they just taste that way

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I don't like baseball but loved this movie. Every baseball lover should see this and if you don't like baseball you should see it anyway. You may even want to watch a game or two. (not the MBL..bush league)

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i could not agree more. By far my favorite baseball movie ever. Good to see someone who just doesn't give the awnswer they are "Supposed" to.

I feel more secure knowing my brilliance and good taste does not shine alone.

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I'm in total agreement. This is my favorite baseball movie of all time. For The Love of The Game is a close second, but nothing can compare to the great Stud Cantrell - one of the all time high school phenoms! He had so many pro scouts trying to sign him that his daddy's porch collapsed!I watch this movie and find something new to like about it each time I watch it. Plus it has Virginia Madsen in it to boot!

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