The Winning Season

I just want to say that I love this movie. But I also want to say that it's a movie not be taken seriously. It's a fantasy. It's a baseball fantasy. Just like "Field of Dreams." As a pseudo baseball historian, I appreciate the details given to the baseball uniforms, the player's gloves and catcher's equipment and both team's stadiums. I also like how the stadiums were depicted in a neighborhood setting with the surrounding industries, which in 1909, they were. I admit that the movie does try to convey a message that takes awhile to get across. But once it does, it all makes sense and it makes you smile if you can forgive the historical inaccuracies.

This movie won't go down in history as a all-time great, but it will always be one of my favorites.

THe film was overly sentimental and over dramatic. Moreover, in spite of the lavish attention to period baseball with the appearance of CGI stadiums along with period uniforms and gloves, it seems to me that they failed to understand a simple fact of baseball. In the final game of the World Series, played in Detroit, the main character, Joe, runs out on the field to play defense for the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates to start the game. The visiting team always bats first and the home team takes the field first. A gross error of judgment. I also agree with the other poster about the huge numbers of homers and long balls being out of place in the game of that era.

I thought this was an excellent movie for families to enjoy together.It is one of hope and excitement of imagination and of life.The direction and the cinematography was really beautifully captured and the era of the early 1900's were shown so realistically. The story follows young Joe Shosak,who is a poor and frustrated 9 year old baseball player and son who just can't seem to find any luck on the field and off.His big break comes in shape of a vintage baseball card of Honus Wagner , mysteriously he is sucked back in time and is in the body of a 25 year old version of himself and winds up face to face with Wagner and his Pirates at the World Series, Pittsburgh 1908.He then befriends and begins to follow Honus and his boys,he meets a devilish Ty Cobb and is faced with many exciting and comedic situations. The acting was genuine by all the cast.Matthew Modine is a great Wagner,playing him with a wink and smile,his love interest is played charmingly by Kristen Davis,and I especially enjoyed the endearing performance of Ryan Hollyman as the nervous pitcher. I would strongly recommend this movie to all who enjoy baseball and good old fashion family movies.

I'm a Pittsburgher with an above average knowledge of the Pirate history and Honus Wagner. Many things about the movie were well done. The recreation of Forbes Field, though imperfect, was better than expected. The portrayal of Wagner seemed to be generally on the mark. The protrayal of Cobb, on the other hand, seemed patentely unfair and overstated like I suspect most modrern-day portrayals of Cobb are. Let's face it though, this movie is above all a kids fantasy as is the book upon which it is based. The story in the book holds together better in my opinion. All that being said I will purchase it for my collection should it ever be released as a DVD.

This is the best new baseball movie I've seen in ages,Big (Tom Hanks) crossed with Field of Dreams and 8 Men Out....The reproduction of the way life was turn of the century Pittsburgh was excellent and looked as real as if you were there...The actors who were cast as the ball players & especially the portrayal of Honus Wagner by Matthew Modine and Ty Cobb by William Lee Scott were incredible....The movie has a feel good ending,a kid overcoming adversity on the ball field,problems at home with his family,discovering he's grown up & gone back in time,a little love story for the ladies,this movie just absolutely has it all!!!!!A Great movie for the entire family.....