The Sandlot (25th Anniversary) (Blu-ray, 1993)

4.74.7 out of 5 stars

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8 reviews

by matthedsouz_015 Apr, 2019

Hilarious and Timeless!

A nostalgia laden childhood adventure film!

The Sandlot (1993) gives every audience member the gift of getting to relive their youth and the simple joy of hanging out with your friends.

While it clearly is inspired by and influenced by previous coming of age films like Stand by Me, IT, E.T., or The Goonies, The Sandlot creates its own lore and style with a fun carefree attitude towards the 1950's American era. It's kids hanging out, swearing, chewing tobacco, staring at girls, inventing stories, and playing baseball. There is no real plot to The Sandlot because it attempts to replicate the genuine pleasure of just hanging out with your childhood friends in the Summer and doing goofy things for excitement. I love the more poignant end that reminds you of losing your friends as you grow up, but Stand by Me did it first and better.

The music is so delightful and filled with a thrilling soundtrack. The cinematography takes great pains to make baseball look as interesting as possible. There are so many intriguing and creative shots of the kids' shoes, pants, and bats that you are always engaged with what is on screen.

The script from David Mickey Evans is hilarious and chock full of witty comebacks, insults, and endearing statements between friends. The story is so basic that you cannot help but follow along, while the pace is quick, and the running time is brief.

I love the small performances from the kindly mother in Karen Allen or the cold step-father played by Dennis Leary. Art LaFleur makes a mesmerizing cameo as Babe Ruth. He delivers perhaps the most motivational line in the entire film. Even James Earl Jones gets a remarkably interesting and nice cameo as Mr. Mertle. Also, Marley Shelton is gorgeous and fun as Wendy.

The kids are all funny and fit their respective type. Some stand out like the meek lead Tom Guiry as Smalls or the brave and cool Mike Vitar as Benny. Even Chauncey Leopardi as the perverted Squints is very funny and likable. The rest of the main kids all blend together for me. Obviously, the best part of The Sandlot is the hilarious commentary from Ham, played wonderfully by Patrick Renna.

While the mischief in regards to The Beast is very childish, it's also perfectly capturing how kids exaggerate and experience things from their perspective.

The Sandlot is a blast and fun as a kid and poignant as an adult.Read full review

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