| Angels in the Outfield | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William Dear |
| Screenplay by | Holly Goldberg Sloan |
| Based on | Angels in the Outfield 1951 film byDorothy Kingsley George Wells Richard Conlin |
| Produced by | Irby Smith Joe Roth Roger Birnbaum |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Edited by | Bruce Green |
| Music by | Randy Edelman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $31 million[1] |
| Box office | $50.2 million[1] |
Angels in the Outfield is a 1994 Americanfamilysportsfantasycomedy-drama film directed byWilliam Dear. It is aremake of the 1951film of the same name. It starsDanny Glover,Tony Danza andChristopher Lloyd, and features several future stars, includingJoseph Gordon-Levitt (in the lead),Adrien Brody,Matthew McConaughey, andNeal McDonough. It was followed by twomade for TV sequels,Angels in the Endzone andAngels in the Infield. It was released less than a month before the1994 MLB Baseball Strike, which forced the league to cancel the playoffs and theWorld Series.
Young foster child Roger Bomman and his friend, J.P., love to sneak into baseball games of the strugglingCalifornia Angels. Still in limited contact with his widowed father, Roger asks when they will be a family again. His father replies sarcastically, "I'd say when the Angels win the pennant". Taking his father's words literally, he prays forGod to help the Angels win. The next day, at a game against theToronto Blue Jays, Roger sees a group ofangels led by Al helping the team. Although he can see them quite clearly, everyone else can only explain the seemingly impossible acts as freak occurrences. Roger's unique ability to see which players are receiving help from angels leads their skeptical manager George Knox to keep him around as agood luck charm and consultant. Due to the much-needed help, the Angels start to win games and make a surprising second-half surge to the top of theirdivision.
Roger's father permanently gives upcustody of him, believing it is in Roger's best interest. As Roger laments his loss, an equally distraught J.P. accidentally reveals to antagonistic sportscaster Ranch Wilder that Roger has the ability to see angels, and that Knox has been winning through the advice Roger gave him. Hoping to permanently end Knox's career in baseball since their days as players, Ranch informs the press of this, and their owner Hank Murphy threatens to relieve Knox of his management responsibilities. Roger comes clean to his caretaker Maggie Nelson about his special ability, and at a press conference, they and the entire team defend Knox in front of the press. Moved by their faith, Murphy allows him to remain as the Angels' manager.
During the final game of the season against the rivalChicago White Sox, none of the angels show up to help the team. Later on, Al appears to Roger and explains that championships have to be won on their own. He also says that he is there to check on pitcher Mel Clark, who only has months to live due to his years of smoking and will become an angel himself. Mel struggles in the ninth inning but perseveres after encouragement from Knox, his team, and the fans in attendance. The Angels ultimately win the game on their own and clinch the division title and the pennant, while Murphy fires Ranch for insulting the team on the air. Knox adopts Roger and J.P., as he wants to try to be a father. J.P. sees Al and says, "I knew it could happen". Al flies off and says, "We're always watching".
In July 1993,Caravan Pictures reached an agreement with director William Dear to helm screenwriter Holly Goldberg Sloan's remake ofMGM’s 1951 baseball pictureAngels in the Outfield.[2] Unlike the original, which focused on thePittsburgh Pirates as the team in heavenly need, the film focuses on theCalifornia Angels, who did not exist when the original was released in 1951; in addition to the name coincidence,The Walt Disney Company, which distributed the film, was a minority owner of the Angels at the time. The film did, however, premiere at the Pirates' home stadium at the time,Three Rivers Stadium inPittsburgh.[3][4]
The film has a rating of 31% onRotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews, with anaverage rating of 4.5/10. The site's consensus reads: "A queasy mishmash of poignant drama and slapstick fantasy,Angels in the Outfield strikes out as worthy family entertainment".[5] OnMetacritic, the film holds aweighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[6] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[7]
The film opened at #4 at the North American box office, making $8.9 millionUSD in its opening weekend. It went on to gross $50.2 million at the box office domestically.[1]
Angels in the Outfield was released on VHS in 1995.[9][10] Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film onDVD on April 23, 2002.[11][12]
The film was made available for streaming onDisney+ on July 15, 2024, to coincide with the film's 30th anniversary.[13][14]
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