The early 1990s were fertile ground for baseball flicks. The Baby Boomers were 30+ years old and making films about their baseball-centric childhood. Plus, narrated suburban-life kids-centric properties like The Wonder Years & Stand By Me had proven that approach to be successful. Smoosh those two things together and you get The Sandlot--a film perhaps a bit more "of its era" than one which holds up over time, but still featuring some iconic characters and scenes.
For a very basic overview, The Sandlot tells the story of Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), a youngster moving to a new town in 1962 and trying to fit in. He joins the neighborhood sandlot-playing crew, but there's a big problem: he knows nothing about the game nor how to play it! Disinterested stepfather Bill (Denis Leary) is little help, but fortunately Smalls is taken under the wing of baseball-playing kid royalty: Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Mike Vitar)--and a summer of adventures commences!
For the first hour, The Sandlot actually holds together really nicely--a near-perfect balance of kid-oriented material and adult 1960s nostalgia. It then descends into almost pure slapstick or set-piece humor for nearly 30 minutes before attempting to re-center in the endgame. I have to say I was disappointed by that third act overall, though perhaps my childhood self would disagree (this wasn't an avid watch for me as a kid).
That being said, The Sandlot largely succeeds in staying relevant within the pop culture realm because of iconic characters like the aforementioned leads as well as Ham (Patrick Renna), Squints (Chauncy Leopardi), and some endearing small performances from the likes of Karen Allen & James Earl Jones. There are also a few iconic "baseball movie canon" moments, such as Squints' seduction of desired lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn (Marley Shelton) or the gang playing sandlot ball under the Fourth of July fireworks.
Overall, I think The Sandlot is a movie that hits much closer to home for the boomer generation (perhaps an all-time classic for that set). Yet, it retains enough childhood energy/vibes that even despite an uneven final act it will put a smile on the face of all but the most cynical viewers at least a time or two.
For a very basic overview, The Sandlot tells the story of Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), a youngster moving to a new town in 1962 and trying to fit in. He joins the neighborhood sandlot-playing crew, but there's a big problem: he knows nothing about the game nor how to play it! Disinterested stepfather Bill (Denis Leary) is little help, but fortunately Smalls is taken under the wing of baseball-playing kid royalty: Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Mike Vitar)--and a summer of adventures commences!
For the first hour, The Sandlot actually holds together really nicely--a near-perfect balance of kid-oriented material and adult 1960s nostalgia. It then descends into almost pure slapstick or set-piece humor for nearly 30 minutes before attempting to re-center in the endgame. I have to say I was disappointed by that third act overall, though perhaps my childhood self would disagree (this wasn't an avid watch for me as a kid).
That being said, The Sandlot largely succeeds in staying relevant within the pop culture realm because of iconic characters like the aforementioned leads as well as Ham (Patrick Renna), Squints (Chauncy Leopardi), and some endearing small performances from the likes of Karen Allen & James Earl Jones. There are also a few iconic "baseball movie canon" moments, such as Squints' seduction of desired lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn (Marley Shelton) or the gang playing sandlot ball under the Fourth of July fireworks.
Overall, I think The Sandlot is a movie that hits much closer to home for the boomer generation (perhaps an all-time classic for that set). Yet, it retains enough childhood energy/vibes that even despite an uneven final act it will put a smile on the face of all but the most cynical viewers at least a time or two.