A League of Their Own 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

A League of Their Own 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"Are you crying? There's no crying! There's no crying in baseball!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 16, 2024

Once upon a time, A League of Their Own arrived out of left field, emerging as a hit no one saw coming. It boasted a great cast, sure, but no one predicted how smart, savvy, funny, moving and successful it would be, much less how quickly it would become a fan-favorite primed to survive and thrive throughout the decades and obtain true classic status. Tom Hanks hams it up to unforgettable ends, Geena Davis and a lineup of fantastic actresses stealthily steal the show, and a little piece of forgotten history manages to remain one of the best comedies and sports films to come out of the 1990s. As a period piece, you wouldn't know it was made over thirty years ago -- it looks and plays like a flick shot yesterday -- and only the age of its cast reveals how long it's been around. If you haven't seen it, fill that gap in your cinematic library post haste. If you have seen it, loved it, watched it again and again, prepare for an excellent 4K release that is, far and away, the definitive, must-have edition of A League of Their Own.

At the height of World War II, all of Major League Baseball's heavy hitters have turned in their pinstripes and regalia for Army greens and Navy blues. A nation has all but lost its national pastime, and those serving at home need the game as badly as ever. But who will play? Enter magnate Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall) and whiz kid Ira Lowenstein (David Strathairn), who believe they've found the solution: a four-team women's professional baseball league. Soon they recruit Oregon farm girl Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis), a tough-as-nails catcher with a strong swing and sturdy head on her shoulders, and her sister Kit (Lori Petty). Joined by Mae Mordabito (Madonna), Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell), and Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh), the sisters make the roster of the Rockford Peaches, a team set to be managed by former Major League slugger Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), a boozer who's now hammering nothing but himself and his team's chances of winning. The league gets off to a rocky start, but stellar play, attractive players and some much-needed publicity elevate the league to incredible heights.

Click here to read Martin Liebman's review of A League of Their Own, which he calls "a movie about the passage of time, of growing up, of finding a place in the world." Going on to say, "It's a movie about so much more than baseball, so yes, a few tears are permitted at the end, an end which beautifully frames the true purposes of the story, of remembering the good times, celebrating friendship, and reuniting with family, all thanks to the beauty of sports and, indeed, a few very beautiful women."

A League of Their Own 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

With only a few minor issues of note, there's certainly no crying when it comes to the 2160p presentation Sony grants the 4K release of A League of Their Own. The film's color grading bears the tried-and-true "this is a period piece" sepia bent, but that's hardly a problem. Skintones are healthy and lifelike, saturation is dialed in to near perfection, primaries are vibrant and punchy, black levels are nice and deep, and contrast is spot on (save a few scenes that are a touch too dark or dim). Grain is pleasant, filmic and refined, with only a few moments of spiked levels or inconsistencies, and there aren't any instances of print damage or wear-n-tear. Detail is in excellent form as well, with clean, natural edge definition, precisely resolved fine textures, and only a hint of what might be perceived as crush (which strikes me as optical and a product of the original elements, not the encode). A League of Their Own isn't exactly a razor-sharp show-stopper, mind you, but for those familiar with the previous Blu-ray releases, it does offer a noticeable and moderate upgrade sure to satisfy fans. Moreover, the encode has plenty of room to stretch its legs, without a hint of blocking, banding or any other compression or encoding limitations (at least none I detected). Purchase with confidence.

A League of Their Own 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony's previously released Blu-ray editions (note the plural) featured a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Not a big standout, but solid. The studio's new 4K release, however, boasts a Dolby Atmos experience that's clearly an improvement. How much of an improvement? As Atmos tracks go, only a small one. The final game and its huge crowd are far and away the go-to sequence, as far as the new mix is concerned anyway. The crowd roars, directionality is convincing enough to create a wonderful illusion of "being there", and the immersiveness is palpable. Otherwise, the Atmos mix and its Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core don't offer anything extraordinary, which shouldn't be taken as a negative in any way; rather a slight caution to adjust expectations. But no matter. Voices are intelligible and neatly centered, effects are bright and snappy, low-end output lends welcome weight and heft on a few occasions, and the surrounds are busy enough to earn a cheer. And mmm, that patented crack of a baseball bat sure does echo. Music sounds great as well, though it still, here and there, strikes me as a bit too subdued when layered with other sound elements. But it feels like I'm just getting picky at this point. If you love A League of Their Own, you'll no doubt appreciate the upgrade, whether you deem it significant or marginal.

A League of Their Own 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• All Previously Released Special Features - The 2024 4K release includes all of the special features from the 2012 BD edition, as well as the 2017 25th Anniversary re-release, including an audio commentary with director Penny Marshall and actresses Lori Petty, Tracy Reiner and Megan Cavanagh, an eleven-part production documentary called "Nine Memorable Innings" (SD, 52 minutes), a 2017 retrospective called "The Enduring Legacy of A League of Their Own" (HD, 12 minutes), a collection of standard definition deleted scenes (SD, 34 minutes), a Madonna music video for "This Used to Be My Playground", and three episodes of the 1993 A League of Their Own TV series. All of the previously available extras can be found on the standard Blu-ray copy of the film.

• NEW - U.S. and International Trailers

• NEW - Four International Teaser Trailers

A League of Their Own 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Regardless of whether you're ecstatic or merely pleased with the upgrade, A League of Their Own has never looked or sounded better than it does on Sony's 4K UltraHD Blu-ray release. The film holds up wonderfully, the video presentation represents a solid step up from previous editions, the Dolby Atmos experience offers a welcome boost, and the extras... well, let's not talk about the extras. (Additional trailers? That's the only new content we could come up with?) Suffice to say, if you love this classic, this is the edition to own.