A League of Their Own (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Among quite a few gems in 1992 cinema, A League of Their Own stood out. The fictional tale of the very true All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), Penny Marshall delivered an unexpectedly beloved comedy. Stunningly straightforward and extremely entertaining, the film was immediately embraced by audiences and even now is a film that’s in the Library of Congress! As a definite A League of Their Ownfan since first seeing this as a wide-eyed 7-year-old, I am so happy to see the film getting a standalone release on 4K UHD Blu-ray following its inclusion in the first Columbia Classics box set! Read my retrospective on the film below and the tech section is not to be missed either! Batter up!
Film: 
Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and her sister Kit Keller (Lori Petty) are handpicked from their Oregon hometown softball team. They work at a local dairy and Dottie’s husband is off in World War II. Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall) (based on Phillip Wrigley) is the candy mogul who sees the idea of an all-women’s baseball league as not only a way to make the country money, but a way for sports fans to see their beloved baseball while the boys are “over there…” fighting for their freedoms. Dottie is hesitant to try out, but Kit being so spirited manages to get Dottie to go with her. On the way to training camp, we pick up Marla Hooch (Megan Cavagnagh) who plays a lot better than she looks.
Once at training camp, we meet “All The Way” Mae (Madonna) and Doris (Rosie O’Donnell), two friends also looking to make an AAGPBL team. As the women work their tails off training, taking etiquette courses and adjusting to life in the male-dominated sports world, bonds are made, and friendships are tested. As our heroines are picked for a team – The Rockford Peaches, the bond between Dottie, Kit and their teammates only strengthens. They have their work cut out for them with a manager, Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) proving to be more of a burden than a help. Jimmy is often drunk and when he can’t manage managing, Dottie takes the reins, and the team begins to win.
There are some other things to mention. Kit is a great player on her own but is often compared to Dottie. This doesn’t just apply to baseball. Marla is so talented with baseball and yet she is still constantly being defined by her unclassical looks. Mae and Doris both have hang ups about men, Mae being looser than most women of the day and Doris just wanting to find a decent man without that man having some less than desirable qualities. The team often bands together in ways to support each other, and this reflects in their playing. We also find empathy for Jimmy whose injury in his own career has driven him to his drunken stupor and his inability to play the game or to fight in the war. Depression truly does suck.
I wasn’t kidding when I said that A League of Their Own was extremely simple. This is part of the charm of the film. It’s so easy to get caught up and comforted by this film. It’s light, funny, touching and charming. Perfect comfort in the form of a film. Geena Davis never got her due as an actress and her subtle power here is beautifully measured. The same can be said for the super underrated Lori Petty who gives Kit a scrappy dedication to the game. This is still the one film where Madonna is used as an actress in an excellent way, and she plays so well against a very funny Rosie O’Donnell. And of course, Tom Hanks gon’ Tom Hanks. That’s always a plus. His Jimmy Dugan is hysterical, passionate and even as he’s often drunk, someone you can empathize with.
I watched A League of Their Own at age 7. This being one of those Blockbuster rentals we often picked up, I didn’t know what to expect. As a kid, this film was right up there with other baseball films which I ate up as a kid – I would rotate this with Rookie of the Year, The Sandlot and Major League and get all tangled up in it. The film has never lost that special feeling. The simplicity of the piece, directed beautifully by Penny Marshall. The film hits all those mainstream sports film sweet spots. There are the underdog points, the triumphs and the sudden yet expected changes. This doesn’t matter – A League of Their Own is entirely enduring. There for me is not a single flaw in the film. It will no doubt make you laugh, and no way will you walk away from the movie without having enjoyed yourself. I can nearly guarantee that. Now over 30 years later, I am still savoring A League of Their Own, and thanks to my memories, the pure classic filmmaking and the movies in general for that!!
Video:
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Layers: BD-100
HDR: Dolby Vision
Clarity/Detail: A League of Their Own originally came as the newest film in Columbia Classics, Volume 1. Back in 2020, the disc didn’t have Dolby Vision, but to my eyes and comparing to that disc, this new standalone disc looks nearly identical. Detail is nearly staggering compared to the 2012 Blu-ray, and clarity is second to none. Of course, for us collectors this is no surprise as Sony gives plenty of love to its catalog of films.
Depth: Sharp focus and strong foregrounds and backgrounds add to the visual feast on display. There is no doubt that there will be some soft moments being this is a film from the 90’s, but nothing to balk at.
Black Levels: Black levels give way to dark details when we are in moments that are dark. There aren’t a ton of moments where blacks are present, but the darkness looks wonderful and crush free when we do see black levels on screen.
Color Reproduction: Colors are rich and beautiful. The reds, pinks, greens and blues we see are lovely, as well as bright whites and other color highlights. The film looks like the 40’s, but in such a vibrant complimentary way.
Flesh Tones: Flesh tones look flawless.
Noise/Artifacts: Clean.
Audio:
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0, French (Parisian), French (Canadian), German, Italian, Spanish Dolby Digital, Spanish and Thai Mono
Subtitles: English SDH, Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai and Turkish.
Dynamics: A League of Their Own also sports an impressive Dolby Atmos mix. The film isn’t rife with surround moment, but the crowds at the games are huge and immersive. Music also benefits from the new mix and the dialogue is brilliantly reproduced too.
Height: Sounds of the stadium are the main draw from above. There is also a moment where a rainstorm produces some great ambience in an echo rich gymnasium.
Low-Frequency Extension: Bass is ever present in music and the thunderstorm scene provides a beautifully full rumble too. Over the credits, Madonna’s This Used To Be My Playground sounds simply sublime.
Surround Sound Presentation: Surrounds carry more crowd sounds and not just in the stadiums, also in clubs, gyms, and even in charm school!
Dialogue Reproduction: Front and center or in the surrounds, dialogue is excellent.
Extras: 
Extras for A League of Their Own are all ported over from previous releases and are still generally good extras. There isn’t much more that can be said for the film so these extras are perfect for this new release.
Special Features:
Feature Commentary with Director Penny Marshall and Actresses Lori Petty, Tracy Reiner and Megan Cavanagh
Nine Memorable Innings Documentary
Deleted Scenes
The Enduring Legacy of A League of Their Own
3 Episodes from the 1993 TV series, “A League of Their Own”
“This Used to Be My Playground” Music Video by Madonna
Summary:
It’s obviously no secret that I love A League of Their Own. The simple sweetness of the story is enough to hook any movie fan. It’s a funny, wholly entertaining film that has remained fresh and endearing yet entirely classic for these last 3 decades. Those without the Columbia Classics set will be delighted to get this film and those who have the set already know how wonderful the film looks in 4K. This is a definite must-buy for those who don’t own it yet, and by far the best the film has looked in all the years it’s been available on physical media.
