re: My 9 y/o daughter's conclusion after seeing the climax in League of Their Own

quote:

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quote:
Like I said, if it did not matter to her, then she'd have kept driving to Oregon.


i think the point is, is that when her sister was rounding the bases, she realized she needed to give her sister the break.

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Logically this can't be right - for the various reasons I've posted earlier - and for the reason that the construct of the story predicts her dropping the ball. The quote mentions Oregon and her husband returning home...she almost left the game to return to her regular life - while Kit is still heavily invested in playing baseball.

The story arc demands that Dottie dropped the ball as the result of those two competing forces...her heart was no longer in the game. Kit raised her game while Dottie had one foot off the diamond...playing the game somewhat reluctantly. Tom Hanks preached all movie that baseball demanded that commitment...this wasn't just a diversion to take lightly. Kit raises her game and surpasses Dottie because Dottie has emotionally moved on. Dottie was the best player but she wasn't perfect...she was a competitor who excelled when her heart as in the game. Kit cared more...she grew up, beat her older sister finally (as the movie demands) and Dottie smiles with pride. There's no way she wants her sister struck out (by giving her pitcher the key to striking out Kit) demands the relay quickly (looking nervous they aren't going to be able to tag Kit out) and then suddenly change her mind once she gets hit...that yes, she wants her sister to hit the game winning hit. This reasoning is heartwarming but it's not how the movie was constructed. It's everyone else projecting their own feelings on it.