Major League II (1994)

I don't know why there's so many negative reviews for this film when I think it's just as good as the original and in some respects, even better. Major League II is a logical progression from the original with the team losing their focus and enjoying the spoils of fame. A lot of what happens is this film happened to the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies after they won the World Series. This movie is blasted for predictable, clichéd writing when there was just as much in the first one. At least this movie doesn't have the maudlin Randy Newman songs and dreadful romance between Tom Berenger and Rene Russo. It makes sense to have Charlie Sheen be the focus this time as his story is more interesting than Tom Berenger as the focus in the original. The new characters are all worthwhile and interesting, especially David Keith as the formidable Parkman and Randy Quaid as the irate fan who won't go away. There were enough changes in this film to make it a little different but still keep it like the original. And who doesn't get excited when you hear Wild Thing at the end when Rick Vaughan has even more at stake this time to strike someone out? Don't believe all the negativity regarding this film. It's a very enjoyable, worthwhile sequel that I feel is criminally underpraised while the original may be a tad overcelebrated.

Not nearly as funny as Major League this is still a decent enough sequel. To9m Berenger is back as the almost washed up catcher and team leader. Charlie Sheen is back as Wild Thing, the heat throwing pitcher. Unfortunately he has become extremely corporate in his actions and his image. This is due to a marketing ploy to increase his marketability quotient. Towards the end he returns to reality and to his successful on field persona dumping the agent and her requirements. I really like the character of the manager played by Gammons. I don't know if it is just his voice and mustache but his presence his powerful. Alison Doody is back as the ogre of an owner and does it well. David Keith has a almost minor role as an irascible mercenary slugger. He gets his comeuppance when Sheen strikes him out to win the game. Dennis Haysbert is very good as the voodoo worshiping (?), superstitious, and now a pacifistic do gooder who gives it up when he realizes it doesn't work for him. Omar Epps replaces Wesley Snipes and while I like both actors Snipes was better as Willie Mays Hayes. The appearance of Tanaka is a nice touch and his samurai(?) principles eventually brings Cerrano out of his funk.

And I mean really stupid humor. By no means does this realistically portray baseball, nor does it make any sense at all in real life. It's just stupidly funny. In movies like this, I personally don't really care how good the acting is or how corny the plot is (cheesy romance, ridiculous comebacks, etc) so long as it remains interesting. Yes, most people would know what's going to happen from the beginning. It's what happens when getting there that's funny. While not a must-see movie, if you like comedy and you don't have much else to do, I would recommend watching it. If you prefer witty humor or more winding plots (a la Seinfeld) or developed characters, this is definitely not good for you. This might be even better for baseball fans. A very nice movie to unwind with.Disclaimer: I have not seen the first one. I highly suspect that I would be annoyed by this one if I was a big fan of the first one before watching this.

Okay, I admit this film isn't quite as good as the original. But aside from that, it really isn't as bad as it's being made out to be.In my opinion, the biggest flaw was that it was supposed to be the `very' next year, but in reality the movie was filmed five years later. This really showed with some of the characters. Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) was a rookie in the first film, but he's obviously not a kid anymore in this one. When Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) first stepped out of the taxi at the beginning of this movie, he looked so much older that it was stunning. And Margaret Whitton (Rachel Phelps) had aged so much and gained enough weight that I literally didn't even recognize her at first. All of this just took a while to get accustomed to, not to mention Willie Mays Hayes now being played by a different character. They just casually slipped that in there like we weren't supposed to notice, but I never really could accept this as being the same character that I loved so much in the first film.As far as the comedy, it's a bit more slap-stick than the original. The character of Rube Baker (played by Eric Bruskotter) is likeable, but borderline goofy. Also, Roger Dorn's character (played by Corbin Bernsen) has transformed from an egotistical bad-boy to a wimpy cry-baby. I had trouble believing that was the same character as well.But all of that aside, I still liked this film pretty well. It just took me a while to adjust to the changes. I enjoyed it better the second time I watched it, once the initial shock had worn off.