Major League

Major League is the funniest baseball movie ever made — a perfectly structured comedy about a terrible Cleveland Indians team assembled by a scheming owner who wants them to lose so she can relocate the franchise. The genius is that the players, once they discover the plot, decide to win out of pure spite. David S. Ward's script crackles with locker-room humor and quotable one-liners that baseball fans have been repeating for over three decades.

Charlie Sheen's Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughn — a convicted felon with a 100-mph fastball and no control — is one of the great comedy creations of the 1980s. Wesley Snipes brings electric charisma to Willie Mays Hayes, the speed demon with more confidence than talent. Tom Berenger anchors the film as the aging catcher Jake Taylor, whose battered knees and broken heart give the comedy its emotional foundation.

Bob Uecker's performance as announcer Harry Doyle is the secret weapon. His increasingly drunk, increasingly incredulous commentary provides a Greek chorus that elevates every scene. The film's climax — a one-game playoff against the Yankees — is genuinely thrilling despite being wrapped in comedy. Major League proves that you do not need to take sports seriously to make a great sports film. Sometimes the best motivation is telling someone they are not good enough.