Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-review by Professor Popinjay

(2000)

Yeah, we’re back to baseball. No “Angels in the New and Exciting Locales and Situations” for us. The whole reason the formula broke down is because we changed sports, right? Right!?! Nobody likes angels and football. Angels and baseball is where it’s at. Nevermind the fact the last film (Angels in the Endzone) had a budget of 15 bucks and an understandably disinterested Christopher Lloyd. I assume he was disinterested. He seemed nonplussed.

They (you know who) wanted to do Space Jam with different sports and athletes including Tony Hawk and Skateboarding! That would have been awesome maybe! But nope, back to basketball because that’s tired and true.

Well for all that, Angels in the Infield isn’t bad. They put some money and effort into it so it involves Major League and they got some stars in there including Patrick Warburton and David Alan Grier. It focuses on one player in Warburton and has emphasis on his strained relationship with his daughter which is very heartwarming. They did a good job with this. I don’t even recall a “psychoanalyze the child” scene. There might have been one but the fact I can’t remember is a good sign.

In place of Christopher Lloyd as AL we get David Alan Grier as Bob “The Bungler” Bugler. He’s an angel that takes over the angel team of helpers and they put emphasis on the fact that he used to be a human living on Earth. A bunch of previously human angels are all playing baseball in heaven when we meet him. It’s a bit cheesy but I liked it alright. It was different and rather ambitious. The set for heaven was practical, not cgi, and looked great!

Grier was a welcome addition I think. He’s charismatic and enthusiastic and funny. And not only does he help Warburton with his baseball playing, he helps Warburton’s daughter with her ballet. The ballet gags are a bit cringey and dated in some instances but I appreciated the angels (or angel, singularly) doing anything besides baseball gags for a change.

Also changing the dynamic a bit is the inclusion of Colin Fox (PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal) as none other than the devil himself. Of course he’s going around sabotaging, making deals, and generally antagonizing whatever he can. It up’s the stakes a bit in what would otherwise be a pretty lighthearted film. I liked it! Reminded me of the Hate Bug in that weird Herbie the Love Bug movie starring Bruce Campbell. Just gave the film this dark sinister edge.

The ending is very sweet and the whole thing feels like a more official installment. Much more than that stinker “Angels in the Endzone” was.

I’d really like to see more of these with effort and something besides baseball. I’ve made a list of ideas:

• Angels on the Track and Field
• Angels in the Gutter
• Angels in the Corner Pocket
• Angels Slapping the Shuttlecock
• Angels at the Turnbuckle
• Angels under the Limbo Stick
• Angels doing Double Dutch
• Angels on Iron Chef America
• Angels on The Price is Right
• Angels Passing Go and Collecting $200
• Angels in the whatever things are called in Sepak Takraw

Yeah, go look up Sepak Takraw now.