The Slugger's Wife (1985) User Reviews (33)

C'mon and be my little good luck charm

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 30 May 2018]

I would have thought with the creative talents of Neil Simon writing the script and Hal Ashby behind the camera The Slugger's Wife would have turned out a lot better. As a baseball film this one is maybe a single.

Playing the title role Rebecca DeMornay is an aspiring country singer for whom baseball player Michael O'Keefe falls big time. O'Keefe is a guy full of promise who never quite reached his potential. But when she's around O'Keefe starts hitting home runs with regularity, so much so that the Atlanta Braves vault into contention for the pennant and O'Keefe starts to threaten the record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961.

Soon O'Keefe insists he be at every game as his good luck charm. But DeMornay also has a career she's worked hard at.

This film might have been better but Michael O'Keefe acts like such an egotistical jerk it's hard to work up any sympathy for his problem. Is it his acting, Ashby's direction, or Simon's script. Take your pick.

Best acting in the film is from acclaimed director Martin Ritt who plays the Atlanta Braves manager. He has some interesting motivational techniques.

The Slugger's Wife will never be listed as a great baseball film.

weak groundout, pitcher to first

[brower8 · 3/10 · 16 August 2003]

This movie reeks of ineptitude. The only attraction is Rebecca de Mornay, who at least looks good. So what.

The romance is witless, the baseball scenes are trite. Even the putrid 2003 Detroit Kittens, the worst baseball team since the 1962 Mets, do better. It has no credibility as a romance. The jests aren't funny.

This movie will probably end up on the budget rack in some discount superstores because those stores have been cutting deals with movie companies to pump out as many movies as possible to sell for $6 or $7 as impulse items. Even for free it's no bargain; you have better uses of your time than this.

If you are collecting DVD's, then remember this basic rule: you are better off with one "Casablanca", "Lawrence of Arabia", or "Wizard of Oz" than with four bad movies. Indeed you are better off with one great movie than with fifty bad movies. A bad CD is at worst background music that you don't have to pay much attention to; a bad DVD will disgust you.

I rate this "3 of 10" because the only harm that this movie will do to you is waste your money and take up space better suited to some other purpose, such as getting a really good movie. I save the "1" or "2" for something completely devoid of production values, grossly objectionable, or a failure at its purpose.

Going, going...your choice:bomb or dud?

[michaelRokeefe · 3/10 · 17 August 2000]

Interesting enough story from Neil Simon, but by the time we get to the ninth inning...no hit. Something derailed this project early; mediocre script and below par acting. Michael O'Keefe plays Darryl Palmer, a member of the Atlanta Braves that is in a terrible hitting slump. He falls hard for a beautiful aspiring rock star played by Rebecca De Mornay. The romance inspires the slugger to start hitting away at a home run record. The championship is now riding on the slugger's success, but there is trouble brewing between the ballplayer and singer.

O'Keefe does a pretty good job of playing an arrogant, self centered ball player. On the other hand, De Mornay is nice to look at, but just does not fit the material she has to work with.

It is hard to believe that Simon, the acclaimed writer he is, did not give us at least one character we could really care about. Also in the cast are Randy Quaid, Lisa Langolis and Martin Ritt.

If you want a good baseball/romance movie try BULL DURHAM or FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME.

Hal Ashby's Worst

[motley6 · 1/10 · 8 October 2010]

On paper it sounds great: Hal Ashby directing, Neil Simon writing, Michael O'Keefe coming off of three critically acclaimed films, and Rebecca DeMornay coming off Risky Business. But in practice, the movie simply isn't watchable. Bad dialogue, bad acting, atrocious musical interludes; and this is just in the first 20 minutes. Randy Quaid and Martin Ritt appear in thankless roles. Even the baseball sequences are pedestrian. There is nothing redeemable in this production even from a cult perspective. Second-Hand Hearts and Lookin' to Get Out were not great but at least they were coherent. If you are a fan of Ashby's 70's work and are interested in his 80's stuff, I suggest you just watch 8 Million Ways to Die and the concert films.

Call this movie "61*, Who cares?"

[yafka · 1/10 · 24 September 2005]

This was written by Neil Simon???

Basically the plot is about a major league star who is on the verge of breaking Roger Maris's 61 Single Season Home Run Record. He's 10 away from the new record when he and his girlfriend split up and it turns the ballplayer into a wreck and he just drinks and falls down over and over again throughout the movie. His teammates try hard to get him over her before the season ends, by trying to fix him up with hookers and call girls, etc. None of which work.

Now despite the fact this guy is suppose to be an all-star and about to break this *huge* baseball record, the film depicts all this as if it's not a big deal. There are no reporters stalking this guy like in real life. The guy is not a celebrity. There are several scenes where he and the teammates are out in public and barely anyone notices who they are. This just repeats itself over and over again.

At the near end, when he finally breaks the record on the last day of the season with homer #62, the scene is only 5 seconds long. He runs around the bases with no dramatic music. He just goes "Yee-haw" and tags home plate. No fans run out onto the field, no fireworks, his team barely shows any emotion. It's as if the guy didn't do anything special. There is a small celebration in the locker room, but I think there's 1 TV reporter there in the background. So hitting 62 homers in 1985 apparently isn't that big a deal. Who cares, right?

Danny Noonan Breaks Maris' Record. No one seems to care.

[AlanTES · 31 May 2001]

This film advertises itself as a Baseball movie with a Love Story. The film fails at both attempts.

The Love story is boring and pointless as the characters simply go through the cliche'd story of falling in love, and then drifting apart.

But the real disaster here is the failure as a Baseball story. Somehow, we are supposed to believe that Michael O'Keefe is a credible Baseball Slugger? O'Keefe will forever be known as Danny Noonan from Caddychack. Unfortunately, this role did little to take that typecast off of him.

He's less than 200 pounds, with barely any muscle tone on his body, and he supposed to have been inspired by his love for Rebecca De Mornay to hit 62 Home Runs in a Season. The story starts off with the fact that he's a light-weight singles hitter. If you look at the four men in history who have hit over 60 home runs in a season, (Ruth, Maris, McGwire & Sosa) you will see that these men are rather large and muscular. O'keefe is neither.

However, the story gets even more ridiculous as O'Keefe nears the record. On the night before the final game, he is sitting on 61 Home runs, which has tied the record. So, what does he do? He goes out to the local dance club (where he first met De Mornay) with his buddies. On his way to the dance floor, one reporter from Sports Illustrated approaches him and asks him a few questions, than wishes him luck.

ONE REPORTER!?!?! He's on the verge of breaking the single season home run record, and he's out in a disco, and there's only one reporter asking him questions??? Even non-baseball fans can appreciate the amount of media coverage and fan reaction when guys like Maris, McGwire and Sosa neared the 60 mark. Those men were constantly hounded by fans and the media every night.

If you want a decent movie about baseball, that also details the accurate lifestyle of a player about to break the single season, see Billy Crystal's "61*".

A very bad Baseball movie.

[JR541 · 1/10 · 6 April 2003]

By the 1980's there were few good and even fewer great Baseball movies.

Then films like The Natural, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams and Eight men out came along. There was even a good HBO baseball film called "Long Gone." In the middle of these came "The Slugger's wife" and I sure wish it hadn't. This is a terrible movie. Bad story, bad acting and unrealistic baseball scenes. You should watch the other films I mentioned instead.

The slugger strikes out

[NHNeil · 1/10 · 30 May 2003]

This had to be one of the worst movies ever made. Unrealistic and makes baseball look like a total joke. The acting was consistent with the movie.......terrible. Why did it take me so long to acknowledge this movie? The embarrassment of seeing it, I guess.

One might call this a foul ball...

[moonspinner55 · 2/10 · 8 October 2021]

Right fielder for the Atlanta Braves falls for an aspiring rock singer with big dreams; she becomes his good luck charm and marries him, but also wants him to succeed on his own without holding her hand. The combination of director Hal Ashby with screenwriter Neil Simon should've been more interesting than this! The picture has no rhythm: Ashby's timing is shot, he can't build any momentum with the love story, and his actors appear desperate. Tepid leads Michael O'Keefe and Rebecca & De Mornay give ruinous performances (she sings nondescript versions of Prince and Bruce Springsteen songs that wouldn't have garnered applause on Star Search). Supporting cast including Martin Ritt (the director going back to acting) and Randy Quaid fares no better (Ritt's coach decides the best medicine for a heartbroken O'Keefe is to "get him laid", and three girls in a nightclub are rounded up like cattle). A handful of highly-acclaimed filmmakers from the 1970s seemed to bottom-out in the '80s--the decade just left them behind. Ashby is unfortunately one of these casualties, but what was Neil Simon's excuse? * from ****

The Movie is a Metaphor

[falkeep-56380 · 7/10 · 22 May 2017]

I showed this movie at my theater when it came out and had the chance to watch it many times. While not a perfect, or even a great movie, I think most people disliked it because they did not understand what the movie was. I'm not blaming that on the audiences, but it is still a reality. People tend to watch 'Slugger's Wife' expecting to see either a baseball movie or a love story. Both of those are just elements that Simon used to tell his story. Unlike what many people think, this IS another of Simon's autobiographic stories which uses the baseball as a metaphor for his life. This is about his relationship and marriage with Marsha Mason. The record-breaking number of hits is his own record with writing Broadway hits. His own self-centeredness is what caused the destruction of his marriage to Mason, the brilliant performer who succeeded on her own.

I actually enjoy the movie and wish that there had been an actual soundtrack put out for it... I love De Morney's singing and interpretations of the songs she does. Still, if you can see beneath the veneer of a baseball story and see it for the critical evaluation of Simon towards his own self, you might be able to see the brilliance of his story, even if it is imperfectly presented.

You must be a masochist...

[CatMan-8 · 2/10 · 11 May 1999]

... to have gotten this far. Welcome to my nightmare. This is the lamest movie I've ever seen in my WHOLE LIFE (next to the Jerry Springer monstrosity)... and it is my sad duty to inform you that Simon and Ashby have put such an UNWATCHABLE movie into the archives that 20 minutes alone with it will make you have nightmares for the rest of your life. They haven't stopped yet for me. Save yourself while you can.........

Heartfelt love story, with great characters throughout!

[myshadow68 · 9/10 · 9 September 2004]

Micheal O'Keefe plays a great baseball player who falls in love with a beautiful girl. Only problem is that their respective careers are moving in different directions. You can see the love and heartache as they try to work things out. Michael's character is an average player until he meets Debby, played by Rebecca De Mornay, and is inspired to greatness, and believe me Rebecca is mighty inspiring in this movie. Michael's character has a great streak on the baseball diamond and the supporting characters are great, I was rooting for their team to go all the way. But the core of the film is about how Daryl and Debby, Micheal and Rebecca, fall in love work it out and then get torn apart by their diverging careers. It is a wonderfully done movie and the script was excellent and I would recommend this movie for its great portrayal of love not conquering all.

Bravo

[RachelLone · 7/10 · 8 November 1999]

Darryl Palmer (Michael O'Keefe) was a slugger in The Braves who hadn't struck one single home run for quite a long time. But all this changed after he met the girl of his dream, Debby Houston (Rebecca De Mornay), who sang in a bar and was pursuing her musical career seriously. The power of his love for Debby had inspired him, and very surprising to everybody else, Darryl was becoming a far better player than he used to be.

As Debby tried to maintain her own career Darryl got really possessive and spoiled, he needed Debby to be around him all the time. His immaturity started ruining their marriage. But in the end they both learned something from their relationship and became wiser.

In this film I especially appreciate Michael O'Keefe's performance as Darryl Palmer. You can hear in his tone and see in his facial expressions that how much his character loved Debby. O'Keefe did really impress me. The plot was quite unpredictable and it was a beautiful story.

P.S. I think the reason why Darryl Palmer didn't hit two but only one home run (but still enough for him to break the record) in the final game (which was important to The Braves) in the movie (so The Braves lost the game) was because he intended to retaliate against his coach Burly DeVito (Martin Ritt), who was selfish, who cared about nothing but money and who deceived Darryl at an earlier time. YES, Darryl did it intentionally.

very VERY disappointing

[alvink · 2/10 · 5 July 2006]

i give a two because it is not as bad as 'sub down', or 'terror in tiny town', but gee whiz, it ain't good.

i saw the names 'simon and ashby' and i paused it to run out for some popcorn and lights, certain i was in for a treat.

i mean, ashby, who directed 'harold and maude'??? and what about simon, who wrote the incomparable 'Murder By Death'????? what a join-up, no???? but, nooooo, 'twas not to be.

this is an embarrassing movie to watch. not only are the baseball scenes painful (i mean, c'mon, a 185 pound 62 run slugger???), but believe me-- i have been a pro musician since '75--- ms. demornay's 'singing and dancing' scenes really and truly amateurishly bad--- i'm saying that this is a really really bad production!!!!!!!! in the story, she is supposed to possess a spark, an ability to perform that should be fanned to flame. believe me, all of her songs are producer-driven crap, no spark of genius in nary a one.

such a great collection of talent (did you know that mr. ritt directed both 'Hud', and 'Hombre'?) but this is a very badly put together piece of garbage.

i'm not really criticizing-- after all, everybody can have a bad day. hey, beethoven wrote 'Wellington's Victory March', one of the worst pieces in the classical literature.

but this is an example of ashby's/simon's worst day. it's really, really awful.

Complete wash out

[acmce · 25 September 1999]

Baseball player meets rockstar - they marry and have difficulty adjusting to each other's different lives. Not only was I very disappointed when I saw this film, but I actually felt robbed of two hours of my life. I get angry when I think about the time I wasted watching this movie. Judging by cast and crew, it should've been a halfway decent movie. Not in the least... ranks as one of the worst I've ever seen. Not romantic, not comedic...not an honest or unique moment in this whole film. Bull Durham is a much better example of romance/baseball movie... Slapshot is also a better sports/comedy movie, with a subplot about the difficulty of being married to a professional player.

Terrible

[nymqueen · 1/10 · 7 June 2001]

this movie lacked a strong storyline and good acting. The movie was terrible alone but the ending was pathetic. They hired an airhead for the female leading role. I am a huge fan of baseball movies but this one just left a bad taste in my mouth. I would not recommend this flop.

Bush league.

[Hermit C-2 · 3/10 · 20 April 1999]

What happened here?? Take Neil Simon, maybe the most successful playwright alive who has turned many scripts into popular and acclaimed movies; and Hal Ashby, also highly acclaimed director of a diverse group of films. What do you get? It turns out not only to be less than the sum of its parts, but arguably the worst work either man has done.

It wouldn't be much of an argument, either. Filming was done in and around Atlanta and word soon spread that the new picture was a real dud. Word was right. This movie is flatter than 3-day old soda. The main culprit here is Simon. In the past he's been known for his trademark snappy and witty dialog. There's none of that here. The story line is DOA and full of uninteresting, dislikable characters. I'm sure none of the actors involved put this item very high on their resumes, either.

Fortunately Simon recovered from what can only be seen as an aberration. Ashby only made one more film before his death, but thankfully his reputation is built on other, much better work than this.

How did Hal Ashby make a movie this bad?

[Chris-195 · 2/10 · 29 October 2004]

I've been trying to watch everything I can of Hal Ashby's, since I'm a big fan of Being There and Shampoo. My Tivo's been recording all of them, and for some reason, this film and The Last Detail are constantly being shown right now. I immediately watched The Last Detail, and loved it. I'd been putting off this one, because it just didn't sound appealing. Man, were my instincts right on this one. It doesn't even feel like an Ashby film. Everyone's been commenting on the poor baseball quality of the film, but it's equally appalling at the music end. Does anyone believe for a minute that Rebecca De Mornay and Loudon Wainwright III (yes, that's him) have a chance in hell at a record deal? Were record labels in the eighties desperately seeking bands that could do lame covers of both "Little Red Corvette" and "Love the One You're With"? I've had to watch this movie in chunks. I'm determined to finish it. I'm now on day three, maybe even four, of attempting to get through this. I'm in the last few minutes, Michael O'Keefe just hit the clichéd pivotal home run, and I couldn't care less. What went wrong here? I'm not a Neil Simon fan, but I'd think Ashby could have done something with this. Perhaps it's the impact of the eighties on a seventies auteur.

a hard movie to figure

[gluserty · 3/10 · 25 September 2002]

this movie isn't either good or bad. it's exceedingly average, a movie to pass the time. i can believe that a skinny guy like o'keefe can hit the home runs he does, and especially because he's in love, but unfortunately neither the baseball story or the love story are completely developed. there's something missing. every incident in this movie happens so fast, then it's gone and changed. evidence? singles hitter= homerun record breaker. just met=married=she's touring. but if anyone has seen this movie they understand that. it's not crap or the toilet, but it maybe the toilet paper. maybe in a way it was ahead of it's time and the o'keefe character was juiced. unless you like the romance in this movie, i wouldn't recommend

three strikes and---

[capricorn9 · 2/10 · 29 July 2007]

They say that ballplayers can have a slump, like Palmer does in this movie. I'd also like to add that so do writers and this is Simon's slump. He must have needed the money as the plot has none of the Simon wit of scripts past and the whole idea has been recycled numerous times over the years by every writer in LA. Ashby's direction lacks any pacing at all and the whole thing could have been cut by at least 20 minutes. I will admit there are moments of fun but they are brief and far between. The film also seems dated. I went on a Simon kick last week and watched Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple 1 and 2 and they still hold up even though the first two were written in the 60's. Simon has had little success with scripts written directly for Hollywood (Murder by Death is an exception) and his biggest successes have always been stage plays first.

There's baseball movies, then there's....

[Go_Skins · 6/10 · 26 March 2005]

I thought this was going to a different movie. When I saw it, I thought it was going to be about baseball. Well, "technically" it was about baseball. A guy walks into a night club with some of his baseball buddies and ends up falling for the singer that was on stage. She doesn't seem interested in him until he offers a wager that they go out together. They hit off for a little while then they get married. The two come from different backgrounds so they really can't understand each other. He wants to play baseball and she wants to sing and perform. They really can meet together at a common ground but where is that fine line?

And I worked on it

[marc_xenos · 1/10 · 8 July 2007]

I wasn't part of the production company but hired from the outside for a few scenes. Afterward, I waited for the movie to hit the theaters. When it came out at a local theater on a Tuesday, I decided to wait until the weekend to see it. It didn't last that long. By the weekend, it was gone. Videotapes were still relatively new at that time, and tape rentals were even newer. I had to wait until the early 1990's for it to be released on VHS to see it. And THEN I understood why it never made it to the weekend at the theater, or why it took so long to be released on tape. For what it's worth, MY scenes and even my name never made the final cut. So the ONLY reason I'd even want a copy is that it was my sole (and failed) entry into the movie business.

Don't listen to 'em, see it anyway!

[tnfirefly · 9/10 · 10 March 2002]

I'm so sick of people who expect every movie they see to change the world. Can't we just be entertained for a while without searching out the meaning of life or comparing everything a writer or director has served up in a career?

The Slugger's Wife is fun...period. Take a baseball player and an aspiring singer, put them (and their emotional baggage) together and see if they can make it. You get light baseball action, some great music (especially from Lisa Langlois), and you get what would be a surprise ending from anyone but Neil Simon.

Just see it...and save the philosophical crap for the re-release of E.T.: the Extraterrestrial. Pass the popcorn!

Maybe your friends are funnier...

[wannajava-650-564181 · 1/10 · 4 April 2013]

You need : At least 1 witty friend (many would be preferable- better able to "enjoy" this sparkling gem), Lots of the alcohol of your choice, non damaging missiles (popcorn, nerf balls,cats)and a DVD of "The Lonely Lady" (with Pia Zadora!) to have a really good time. This movie is so bad, the effort to find something to laugh about is exhausting. Don't get me wrong, the dialogue is lame enough "You'll hit a home run for a pretty girl but not for me." grumps the ball coach, the Music is Bad, (DeMourney cannot sing but at least they had enough integrity to HAVE her sing?)and the acting is Sad (by the end I was Rooting for the breakup)

It should have been fun. A Real Mockfest but the level to which you have to go to Believe this plot, is outrageous and insulting and that kills the mood. Maybe I should have made jello shooters.... If you want a good Dose of Pathetic Apathy from Everyone involved(Neil Simon after his breakup with Marsha Mason and DEEEEP into self reflection and a good director who must have been blackmailed into doing this), or need a test to find out How Witty your friend is, this is your gig. If only anyone in this movie had Tried, really Tried to do something with this mess...It had so much potential to be EPIC BAD, instead? Meh.

The Slugger's Wife

[Coxer99 · 21 April 1999]

Weak film with no real point at all. Neil Simon's lack of depth is infuriating. The performances are all dull and flat, while the editing looks amateur and thrown together.