Favorites : The Sandlot (1993)
While recently putting together a list of songs that instantly remind people of movies for Beats Bingo, a musical bingo I help organize and run, I used what I thought was an obvious example : Tequila, by The Champs, for Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. My friend instantly responded, ‘what about The Sandlot?’, and for once in my movie-loving life, instant recall did not kick in. In that moment, I realized it’d been too long since I’d seen one of my self-proclaimed favorite movies, and I was happy to dive right back in.
Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) is the new kid on the block, complete with all of the awkwardness and isolation that comes with being friendless. His mother (Karen Allen) and stepfather (Denis Leary) urge him to explore, and Smalls happens upon a group of young kids that meet daily at their favorite sandlot to play what seems like and endless game of baseball. Ham (Patrick Renna), Squints (Chauncey Leopardi), Yeah-Yeah (Marty York), DeNunez (Brandon Quintin Adams), Bertram (Grant Gelt), Timmy (Victor Di mattia) and Tommy (Shane Obedzinski), also known as Repeat, meet up with local teenage baseball legend Benny (Mike Vitar) to play the game they love, and their lack of a 9th man eventually provides Smalls a chance to endear himself with the group. The team get involved in the standard summer mischief that boys get into, but their problems reach all new levels when Smalls accidentally homers his stepdad’s priceless baseball autographed by Babe Ruth into the clutches of a neighborhood junkyard dog known as The Beast.
The Sandlot somehow manages to get as about as close to the real experience as nostalgia can get, or it least it seems that way for someone like me (who was not around in 1962). The way that David Mickey Evans is able to string together recognizable experiences, vignettes, tender moments and tall tales together like a modern day Mark Twain is impressive, with many of the sequences leaving an impression as stark as that of any sequences in cinema history. The film also gets you about as close to the feeling of a long, hot summer as you can be without going outside... the scorching hot days, fun at the public pool, the Fourth of July night game under the fireworks, the picnics and more are all vivid reminders of the best phase for a simpler time.
The Sandlot was far from the only film about baseball to grace the silver screen at the time, as baseball had a pre-strike surge in popularity at the time that resulted in many baseball films across a wide range of genres and styles. The Sandlot somehow manages to capture the feeling of playing baseball with your friends better than many of the classic baseball films, in my opinion, due to a simple and pure love for the game that radiates from the screen. The connection that grows between the friends becomes just as engaging as the love for America’s past-time, as both loves are often cornerstones of the growing experience for a young boy in the United States. The cross section of representation found among the friends is also memorable, as most any viewer who watches the movie can find at least one kid they relate to, be it looks or behavior.
For a film with so many young actors, the cast is incredibly strong and seemingly focused, resulting in believable and memorable performances across the board. The costuming is incredibly subtle while being directly on the nose, with most every outfit paying some sort of homage to the shifting times that were the early 1960s, or an homage to baseball’s rich history. The script handles equal amounts of heartfelt and humorous moments, with a balance and pacing that makes the run time fly right by, while also making the film amazingly quotable. The narration works incredibly well, perhaps to the similar style utilized by classics like The Wonder Years that were set in a similar time and covered similar themes of boyhood.
Tom Guiry is adorably awkward, allowing his complete lack of ability to fit in to be the base for an enjoyable coming of age for his character. Mike Vitar plays living legend and wise beyond his years quite well, instantly making a character connection that jumps off the screen. Patrick Renna is one of the most consistently funny, playing the beer drinking buddy without the beer. Chauncey Leopardi has about twice the charisma that his small frame could contain, stealing most every scene he appears in. Marty York manages to make the Yeah-Yeah tick memorable without being annoying, to great effect. Brandon Quintin Adams plays the strong, silent and dignified member of the group, only letting his guard down around his friends. Grant Gelt plays equally adult energy to Renna, but with a much different edge that makes his character button truly stick. Victor Di Mattia and Shane Obedzinki provide plenty of team-up comic relief, with Obedzinki really and truly committing to his character. Karen Allen and Denis Leary provide equal but opposite shades of parental support, and Marley Shelton nails her role as the apple of the young boys’ eyes. Special appearances by James Earl Jones, Art LaFleur, Pablo Vitar and David Mickey Evans help bring it all together.
There are certain films that I cannot wait to share with my children (if I get the opportunity), and The Sandlot is very high on that list. From the first viewing it left a stark impression, and every subsequent chance to watch it only reinforces that wonderful feeling. For those unfamiliar, or those who have not watched the movie in a while, I recommend giving it some time sooner than later.