// 47/365!//
365 FILMS CHALLENGE: The Sandlot [1993]
- directed by: David M. Evans
- written by: David M. Evans, Robert Gunterme
- starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi
- rating: A
Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) has just moved into a new neighbourhood, and would never manage to fit in with the other kids if it wasn’t for Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez (Mike Vitar), practically the best baseball player in the neighbourhood. I mean, Scotty doesn’t know how to catch, throw, or even who Babe Ruth is! Benny invites him to play with his seven other friends in the Sandlot, and the nine form a team during a memorable summer.
If I had seen this movie as a kid, I would’ve fallen in love with baseball. Seriously! Some movies don’t age well, especially if you haven’t seen it as a kid, but this one was just awesome. The kids are hilarious, ‘Ham’ (Patrick Renna) and ‘Squints’ (Chauncey Leopardi) are particularly my favourites, and the one-liners keep coming (‘You’re killing me, Smalls!’). There are plenty of jokes and silliness, but the friendship that Benny extends to Scotty is a very sweet one. The passion of baseball that Benny has - the rest of the boys will want to skip and head out to the public pool instead if it gets too hot out - shines through.
Unless you hate baseball, I can’t see why I wouldn’t recommend this. And even if you do, actually…maybe you’ll enjoy it still. ;)
