Angels in the Outfield

Young foster children Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his friend J.P. (Milton Davis, Jr.) love to sneak into baseball games of the hopelessly dreadful California Angels. Still in limited contact with his widower 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, Roger prays for God to help the Angels win. After he prays, a star, unseen by Roger, twinkles in the sky. Then, in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays which Roger and J.P. attend, he sees a group of angels led by Al (Christopher Lloyd) helping the team. Although Roger can see the angels 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 the Angel’s skeptical manager, George Knox (Danny Glover) to keep Roger around as a good luck charm/consultant. Due to the much needed help, the Angels start to win games and make a surprising second-half surge to the top of their division. Unfortunately, Roger’s father permanently gives up custody of his son instead. As Roger laments his loss, J.P. accidentally reveals to opportunistic sports broadcaster Ranch Wilder (Jay O. Sanders) that Roger has the ability to see angels, and that Knox has been winning through the advice Roger’s given him. Ranch informs the press of this and their manager Hank Murphy threatens to terminate Knox for this seemingly absurd notion that angels are helping the team. Roger comes clean to his caretaker Maggie Nelson about his special ability and at a press conference they and the entire Angels team defend Knox in front of the press. Moved by their faith, Murphy allows Knox to remain as coach of the California Angels. On the championship game none of the Angels show up to help the team. Later on Al explains that championships must be played without help from the Angels and that he was just checking Mel Clark who will be one of them soon (he’s been a smoker for years and only has six months left to live). Throughout the game Mel Clark has been in, but is getting tired after 159 pitches. Coach Knox goes in, everyone thinks he’s going in to take him out, but instead goes in for some motivation. The Angels ultimately win the final game of the regular season without the help of the angels and clinch the division pennant over the rival Chicago White Sox. The movie ends with George adopting both Roger and J.P. J.P. sees Al at the window and knew it could happen. Al circles around the house and says “We’re always watching”. —wikipedia