Is it incredibly sappy? Admittedly, yes. Do they inexplicably screw up some of the historical details? Frustratingly so. Does it nostalgically idealize an era that was in many ways far less than ideal? Of course.
Even with all of its faults though, it remains my favorite movie. Why exactly? Well, you have to consider the backstory of my first viewing of the movie.
One day in the spring of 1989, I got into an argument with my dad. I’ll spare you the details, but three important things stand out:
- It’s cause: I was a stupid, head-strong 17-year old boy.
- It’s content: I said something incredibly hurtful to him.
- It’s result: For the first time in my life, I saw my father cry. And I was directly responsible for it happening.
Thankfully, I apologized almost immediately, forgiveness was offered and accepted, and we fully reconciled right there on the spot. Literally just one week later though, I went to see a movie. It was about a baseball fanatic who, as a stupid, head-strong 17-year old, had said something incredibly hurtful to his father, and was haunted by the fact that he never had the opportunity to apologize to him. Obviously, it hit close to home and stirred up all kinds of feelings. It still does today. And that is why, even though I realize that it’s not *the best* film ever, it is (and likely will forever be) my favorite movie.
