The Sandlot

Does for summer what "A Christmas Story" did for winter, "The Sandlot" is more than a simplistic film about mischievous behaviors playing baseball, it is a coming-of-age story with a moral about honesty and courage, and decent character development (especially Scott and Benny). For entertainment value, I was not bored by this modestly entertaining movie, albeit it started off technically interesting with decent craftsmanship by David Mickey Evans (director/writer/narrator). The movie is well-staged in spades, and the craftsmanship is perfect with slow suspense that builds up strong tension. There are also times where the screenplay shines with slow-motion, well-shot angles, great editing, and a superbly staged confrontation with the beast that almost feels like a classic western showdown at high noon. And might I add, there are times where I knew David Evans and his company had some great planning behind the camera for display in the outcome. As a comedy, it does have it's funny moments, but they are not hilarious/laugh-out-loud; the laughs that I let out were quite chuckles. The entertainment becomes a letdown however when all nine kids get into mischief. But as the movie progresses to the second half, it gets more entertaining, especially when the kids are trying to get back the baseball that belongs to Smalls stepfather, because it was in a forbidden yard that is guarded by an English Mastiff named "Hercules" (better known as "the beast") with unsurpassed power and a notorious reputation that instills horror into all of the children's imagination. All the way up to a happy ending. The dialogue contains some lines that are memorable and some are smartly-written. The dynamic music score by David Newman has so much variety and gravity to support the whole movie, with sprightly orchestral moments during the more dramatic elements, and a wide variety of different instruments and props to provide the movie a whimsical tone. For age appropriate content, "The Sandlot" is suitable for ages eleven and up for foul language and tobacco (even though the kids are actually eating beef jerky on set during filming). David Evans himself is the narrator as adult Scott Smalls, and his narration is quite a charm to listen to. Scott Smalls (Tom Guiry) makes a fine underdog, he starts out as a complete wimp who can be up to mischief a couple of times, but he seems to grow more and more. Benny (Mike Vitar) is Scott's close friend who is shows a consummate example of a role model with great advice, and he later becomes someone who has motivated courage. Michael Squints (Chauncey Leopardi) is a nerd who is amusing when he tells the story of the beast, and he can be ridiculous too when he has a crush on a superficial lady named Wendy who is a life guard. Hamilton (Patrick Renna) is funny when he makes a cannonball, and he has some memorable catchphrases. James Earls Jones was great as the misunderstood Mertle, and he has quite a backstory to tell. The rest of the characters start out as stereotypical brats who are up to mischief, but eventual grow and have lives of their own (as adult Scott tells us that during the latter). Hercules the beast is a persuasive mixture of a two-person suit, and a real English Mastiff named Gunner (by the way, I think English Mastiffs are so cute). Hercules is a vicious yet misunderstood guard dog with a monstrous appearance, and there are some daunting sound effects for him as well. Parents, if you watch this movie with your kids, tell not to copy anything that they saw in the movie, like mischief, swearing, or doing anything illegal. But "The Sandlot" is a perfectly passable family film for good reason. 3.5/5 Recommended.

A classic you can't go wrong with a hilarious baseball movie it dose not get better than this movie right here all time favorite if you think there is" bad language "well its about the same as letting your kid roll his window down in a traffic jam your gonna hear much worse than this movie just... Take a chill pill .

This film is a cult favorite of mine. For-ev-er quotable. Nostalgic, comedic and charming. A tale of a group of kids and a summer they shared when things got serious. I could watch this film again and again... It's just comfortable. It speaks to my memories as a kid in the neighborhood and the hijinx we got into. It's a near perfect film.