A League of Their Own is what I would consider a quintessential 90s movie, one that everyone needs to see at least once. That won’t be possible because it’s a movie that you can watch over and over again. Plus, it features an all-star cast, from Tom Hanks to Geena Davis to Madonna.
It was a tall order to begin with for Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson, adapting a classic sports comedy into a reimagined streaming series. They stepped up to the plate and took some big swings, which resulted in a homerun. It pays respect to the original film and breathes new life by highlighting the queer community of the 1940s.
A League of Their Own Review
Queer women and men have existed for a long time, even during times where it was considered illegal. I can’t think of the last time I saw it represented so much during this time period. I especially appreciated the queer representation for black women, which I don’t think I’ve seen in a film or series set during the 1940s before.
Abbi Jacobson wore a lot of hats in this series, not only starring but co-creating and executive producing. It’s a big undertaking and she was certainly up to the task. Jacobson’s character Carson takes on the Geena Davis role, even playing the same position as Davis played in the film. Carson is a woman who is trying to figure out who she is as a person; her husband Charlie (played by Patrick J. Adams) is away fighting in WWII and she takes her shot joining the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
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This leads to her exploring her sexuality as she enters a relationship with Greta, played by D’Arcy Carden. The two of them not only have great chemistry comedically, but also romantically. Greta knows exactly who she is and what she wants, and the two characters have their ups and downs. Carson also gets help learning about her sexuality from the pitcher Lupe, played by Roberta Colindrez. Unlike Greta who is feminine, Lupe is a more masculine queer woman and though she and Carson have their differences, they come together in the end for the Rockford Peaches.
The character who has a parallel journey with Carson is Max, played by Chanté Adams. As a black woman in the 1940s who wants to play baseball, she has her challenges more than anyone else. She isn’t welcome to play in the All-American Girls League because she’s black and she can’t play on the desegregated team because she’s a woman. She also has quite an experience with her family as well, which I completely didn’t expect but truly appreciated in terms of representation.
Overall, the series does a great job of respecting the original film while making a name for itself. It features a great cast and guest stars, especially Nick Offerman as Casey “Dove” Porter and Rosie O’Donnell as Vi; O’Donnell also starred in the original film. The baseball work is fantastic and electric, even more so than the film. I would recommend watching the series when it hits Prime Video tomorrow, as well as watching the original film if for some reason you haven’t yet!
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