THE SANDLOT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Date Released: 4/7/93 Running Length: 1:43 Rated: PG (Scary moments, language)
Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Karen Allen, James Earl Jones Director: David Mickey Evans Producers: Dale DeLatorre and William S. Gilmore Screenplay: David Mickey Evans and Robert Gunter Music: David Newman Released by Twentieth Century Fox
Eight boys, led by Benjamin Rodriquez (Mike Vitar), make up a sandlot baseball team in Southern California during the late fifties. When Scotty Small (Tom Guiry) moves into town, he doesn't know how to catch or throw, despite the best efforts of his stepfather to teach him. That all changes, however, when Ben befriends him. Now, with their ninth man, the sandlot group is a full team. However, although their little field is a great place to play ball, it has its dark secret, for beyond the home run fence lurks The Beast, some kind of fearsome dog about which frightful stories abound.
Kids and adults will enjoy THE SANDLOT, but for different reasons. Children will find in it an adventure with a sense of humor that they can both relate to and find in an escape from the real world. Writer/director David Mickey Evans hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a boy in the middle of summer with nothing to do but swim in pools, pal around, and play ball.
Adults, especially men, will find in the movie a sense of almost-poignant nostalgia. The story is told WONDER YEARS-style, with a modern day baseball announcer looking back on his childhood (the narrative is at times too reminiscent of Kevin Arnold's ramblings). As is frequently the case when we look back on our past, things are tinted by a pleasant glow that leaves behind only the better parts of the memories. This is the feel that THE SANDLOT strives for, and mostly succeeds in attaining.
The common theme bridging the age gap in the audience is baseball. This is a world where the game means everything. There is no arbitration, no salary disputes, no 8 million dollar contracts. In the world of THE SANDLOT, baseball is still America's number one national pastime, and, in the closing scenes with James Earl Jones, it's easy to get a sense of the greatness that underlies playing ball.
Those that have a distaste for baseball will probably find little to like in this movie. While it isn't necessarily written just for fans of the game, enjoying baseball--as well as having some memories of playing on any level--will enhance the pleasure of watching THE SANDLOT. Sure, the movie gets silly at times, and the second half isn't as engaging as the first, but since the entire story is a fond collage of memories made more grand by the passage of time, it's easy to forgive such faults.
To classify this picture as a "male film" is to do it a great disservice. THE SANDLOT is no more a movie for men and boys alone than FRIED GREEN TOMATOES is just for women. Even though all the main characters (except Scotty's mom, played by Karen Allen) are boys doesn't mean that women can't appreciate what happens on screen. Memories of childhood are frequently gender-independent. Men might have the inside track of some elements of nostalgia touched on by THE SANDLOT, but they don't have a monopoly. And humor, as well as the love of baseball, are universal.
There will be those who will find this film a too-silly fantasy, but they have either missed or chosen not to feel the magic that THE SANDLOT weaves. With the exception of some mild profanity, there's little in this movie capable of offending. THE SANDLOT is an excellent choice for a family night at the movies. The previews for it may look bland, but this is one occasion when clips are unable to do more than scratch the surface of the mood and story from which they have been extracted. Predictable as the movie is, the FIELD OF DREAMS quality is not the only thing to like about THE SANDLOT.
Rating: 8.4 out of 10 (B+, *** out of ****)
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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