''The Sandlot'' (released in some countries as ''The Sandlot Kids'') is a 1993 American
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
co-written, directed, and narrated by
David Mickey Evans
David Mickey Evans (born October 20, 1962) is an American film director and screenwriter. His films tend to focus on children and the challenges of childhood. A baseball fan, Evans directed and co-wrote ''The Sandlot'' (1993).
Life and career
...
. It tells the story of a group of young baseball players during the summer of 1962. It stars
Tom Guiry
Thomas John Guiry (born October 12, 1981) is an American actor. He is best known for his lead performance as Scott Smalls in the cult coming-of-age film ''The Sandlot,'' which he held at the age of 12, and his role in NBC crime drama ''The Black D ...
,
Mike Vitar
Michael Anthony Vitar (born December 21, 1978) is an American firefighter and former actor who appeared as Benjamin Franklin "Benny the Jet" Rodriguez in ''The Sandlot'' and Luis Mendoza in the final two '' Mighty Ducks'' films. He started actin ...
,
Karen Allen
Karen Jane Allen (born October 5, 1951) is an American film and stage actress. After making her film debut in ''Animal House'' (1978), she portrayed Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981), a role she lat ...
,
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. A native of Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole (song), Assh ...
, and
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
. The movie is set in the
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
in
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and the filming locations were in
Midvale,
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, and
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...
. It grossed $34 million worldwide and has since become a
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...
.
Plot
In the summer of 1962, brainy, shy fifth-grader Scott Smalls moves to a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
suburb, where his mother encourages him to make friends in the neighborhood. He tries to join a group of boys who play baseball daily in a local
sandlot, but is embarrassed by his inability to catch or throw the ball everyone except Benny laughs at him. An attempt to learn to play catch with his stepfather, Bill, results with Smalls getting a
black eye
A periorbital hematoma, commonly called a black eye or a shiner (associated with boxing or stick sports such as hockey), is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than to the eye. The name refers to the dark-color ...
. Which his stepdad puts a steak on to try to slow the swelling. Nevertheless, he is invited to join the team by their leader and best player, Benny Rodriguez, who teaches him the basic skills needed to play the game. He is able to learn quickly and earn everyone's respect.
When catcher Hamilton "Ham" Porter hits a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
into an adjacent
backyard
A backyard, or back yard (known in the United Kingdom as a back garden or just garden), is a yard at the back of a house, common in suburban developments in the Western world.
In Australia, until the mid-20th century, the back yard of a pro ...
, Smalls attempts to retrieve the ball but is stopped by the other boys, who tell him of "the Beast", a large and highly territorial
English Mastiff
The English Mastiff, or simply the Mastiff, is a British dog breed of very large size. Likely descended from the ancient Alaunt and Pugnaces Britanniae, with a significant input from the Alpine Mastiff in the 19th century. Distinguished by its e ...
which the boys' imaginations have transformed into a kid-eating "giant gorilla-dog thing". Many baseballs hit into the yard over the years have all been claimed by the Beast, which is kept chained up by its owner, Mr. Mertle.
One particularly hot day, the boys visit the community
pool
Pool may refer to:
Water pool
* Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming
* Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings
* Tide pool, a rocky pool ...
. Michael "Squints" Palledorous has a crush on
lifeguard
A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...
, Wendy Peffercorn, and fakes
drowning
Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer a ...
in order to get her to administer
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a form of artificial ventilation, is the act of assisting or stimulating respiration in which a rescuer presses their mouth against that of the victim and blows air into the person's lungs. Artificial respiration ta ...
, then
kisses her. Wendy kicks the sandlot team out of the pool. While Squints realizes what he did was wrong and made Wendy visibly angry, he is elated when Wendy smiles and waves at him as he leaves. On Independence Day, the team plays a night game by the light of the
fireworks
Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...
, and Smalls observes that although to the rest of them baseball is just a game, "to Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez, baseball was life." Later, they are challenged to play against a local
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[chewing tobacco
Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower gum to draw out its flavor. Some users chew it, others do not. It consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; ...]
obtained by Bertram Grover Weeks, then ride the
Trabant
Trabant () is a series of small cars produced from 1957 until 1991 by former East German car manufacturer VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. In total, four different models were made, the Trabant 500, Trabant 600, Trabant 601, and the Tra ...
; the combination causes them to fall ill and vomit all over themselves and others.
One day, Benny hits the team's only baseball so hard that he knocks the cover off. With Bill away on business in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Smalls borrows from his trophy room a baseball which was autographed by legendary player
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
. Being ignorant of baseball history, Smalls does not realize the ball's value, and hits his first home run, sending it into the Beast's yard. When the other boys learn of the autograph, they educate Smalls about Babe Ruth and make several attempts to get the ball out of the yard by using makeshift retrieval devices, with each one becoming more advanced than the last, but each is destroyed by the Beast. That night, Benny has a dream in which the spirit of Babe Ruth advises Benny to retrieve the ball himself. "Heroes get remembered," says the Babe, "but legends never die. Follow your heart, kid, and you'll never go wrong."
The next day Benny, wearing a pair of new
PF Flyers
PF Flyers is an American brand of Shoe, lifestyle shoes owned by Kassia Designs, LLC. Founded in 1937 by Goodrich Corporation, B.F. Goodrich, it is one of the original American sneaker brands.
History
In 1933, inventor Hyman L. Witman and rubb ...
, goes over the fence and "
pickles
Pickles may refer to:
Dogs
* Pickles (dog) (died 1967), a dog that found the stolen World Cup trophy in 1966
* Pickles (pickleball), a dog often cited as the name origin for the sport of pickleball
* Mr. Pickles, the titular demonic dog in an ...
" the Beast to retrieve the ball, but the dog breaks its chain and leaps over the fence in pursuit. It chases Benny through town, leaving a trail of destruction, and eventually they end up back at the sandlot. Benny jumps back into Mr. Mertle's yard, but the Beast crashes through the fence, which falls down on top of it. Smalls and Benny lift the fence to free the dog, who shows gratitude by thoroughly licking Smalls' face, then leading them to its stash of baseballs. They meet Mr. Mertle, who turns out to have been a baseball player and good friend of Babe Ruth (whom he refers to by his given name, George), but who lost his sight after being
struck in the head by a fast ball. He kindly trades them the chewed-up ball for one autographed by all of the
1927 New York Yankees
The 1927 New York Yankees season was the 25th season of the New York Yankees of the American League. The team finished with a record of 110–44–1, winning their fifth pennant and finishing 19 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics and w ...
(known as
Murderers' Row
Murderers' Row were the baseball teams of the New York Yankees in the late 1920s, widely considered some of the best teams in history. The nickname is in particular describing the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Ko ...
), and asks them to visit every week to talk baseball with him.
Smalls gives this ball to Bill, and their father-son relationship improves, though Bill does ground Smalls for a week for taking his autographed baseball without his permission and Smalls is able to start calling Bill dad all the time. The boys continue to play baseball on the sandlot, with the Beast – whose real name is Hercules – as their mascot.
Over the next few years, the sandlot kids go their separate ways. Only three go on to careers related to pro baseball: Kenny DeNunez, the
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
, plays
triple-A baseball for a time, but never gets to the Major Leagues, so he now owns a business and coaches a Little League team his own sons play on; Benny's exploit with the Beast earns him the nickname "the Jet", and he goes on to play for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
; and since Smalls becomes a
sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
covering the Dodgers' games, they are able to maintain their friendship into adulthood. The movie then moves to the present day with the now adult Smalls doing the play-by-play for a Dodgers game where Rodriguez has come in as a
pinch runner
In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ...
at
third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
in the ninth inning, and promptly steals
home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
to win the game. The movie ends with the celebrating Rodriguez on the ballfield and Smalls in the
press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box and can be either enclosed or open to the e ...
giving each other the same
thumbs-up
A thumb signal, usually described as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, is a common hand gesture achieved by a closed fist held with the thumb extended upward or downward in approval or disapproval, respectively. These gestures have become metaphors i ...
sign that they had used since childhood.
Cast
Reception
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 64% based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 6.10/10. The site's critical consensus read, "It may be shamelessly derivative and overly nostalgic, but ''The Sandlot'' is nevertheless a genuinely sweet and funny coming-of-age adventure."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
assigned the film had a weighted average score of 55 based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.''
Critic
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave the film three stars, comparing the movie to a summertime version of ''
A Christmas Story
''A Christmas Story'' is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book '' In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash'', with some elements from his 1971 book ''Wanda Hickey's ...
'', based on the tone and narration of both films: "There was a moment in the film when Rodriguez hit a line drive directly at the pitcher's mound, and I ducked and held up my mitt, and then I realized I didn't have a mitt, and it was then I also realized how completely this movie had seduced me with its memories of what really matters when you are 12." Bob Cannon of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave the film a B+, praising its simplicity and strong fundamentals.
Leonard Klady of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave the film a mostly negative review. He praised the cinematography and score, but felt the baseball team did not come together, and that the film, while sincere, was a "remarkably shallow wade, rife with incident and slim on substance."
Box office
The film grossed $4,000,000 in its opening week-end and a further $32,000,000 through ticket sales. Figures for world-wide VHS and DVD sales are estimated to be at $76,000,000. Since its release on both VHS and DVD, the film has become a
cult favorite
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in ...
.
Defamation suit
In 1998, Michael Polydoros sued 20th Century Fox and the producers of the film for defamation. Polydoros, a childhood classmate of David Mickey Evans, the writer and director of ''The Sandlot'', claimed that the character Michael "Squints" Palledorous was derogatory and caused him shame and humiliation. The trial court found in favor of the film-makers, and that finding was affirmed by the
California Court of Appeal
The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along county lines into six appellate districts. . After initially agreeing to review the case in 1998, the
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...
reversed its decision, dismissing the review and reinstating the Court of Appeal's opinion in favor of 20th Century Fox.
Home media
In 1993, ''The Sandlot'' first came to home video in a
slipcase
A slipcase is a five-sided box, usually made of high-quality cardboard, into which binders, books or book sets are ''slipped'' for protection, leaving the spine exposed. Special editions of books are often slipcased for a stylish appearance when ...
, along with the
LaserDisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
in widescreen, but later came in a
clam shell case in 1994. On January 29, 2002, the DVD was released under Fox's ''Family Feature'' banner, in widescreen (Side B) and full screen (Side A); the 2013 repackaged DVD is widescreen only. On March 26, 2013, the film was released on Blu-ray for the first time to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The film then had a rerelease on Blu-ray and Digital HD on March 27, 2018, as part of the film's 25th anniversary. ''The Sandlot'' was made available for streaming on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
on its launch date of November 12, 2019, and is currently streaming as of June 17, 2022.
Sequels and prequel
* ''
The Sandlot 2
''The Sandlot 2'' (also known as ''The Sandlot 2: The Sandlot Continues'' and ''The Sandlot Kids 2'' in some territories) is a 2005 American Sports film, sports comedy film directed and narrated by David Mickey Evans. It is a direct-to-DVD sequel ...
'' (2005) – A
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
sequel in which a new Sandlot gang is featured. The only returning cast member is
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
as Mr. Mertle. Evans also returned to direct the sequel and voiced Smalls' younger brother, Johnnie.
* ''
The Sandlot: Heading Home'' (2007) – Another direct-to-video sequel starring
Luke Perry
Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III (October 11, 1966 – March 4, 2019) was an American actor. He became a teen idol for playing Dylan McKay on the Fox television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000. He ...
as Tommy "Santa" Santorelli who gets knocked back to 1976 from 2005 and relives his childhood.
Chauncey Leopardi
Chauncey Leopardi (born June 14, 1981) is an American actor known for playing Michael "Squints" Palledorous in the 1993 film ''The Sandlot'' and Alan White in the 1999 series ''Freaks and Geeks''.
Career
Leopardi has been in films since he was fi ...
reprises his role as Squints.
* A prequel was announced on July 31, 2018.
* As of 2019, a TV series with the original cast is in the works for
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
, as a result of
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Soundtrack
The film's original score was composed by
David Newman, and was not released until 2006, when a limited edition was released as part of the
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...
CD Club. This release paired it with selections from Newman's score for ''
The War of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
'' A complete release devoted exclusively to the score in observance of the film's 25th anniversary by La-La Land Records in 2018.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandlot 1
1993 films
1990s sports comedy films
20th Century Fox films
American baseball films
American coming-of-age films
Films about dogs
Films set in the 1960s
Films set in 1962
Films set in the San Fernando Valley
Films shot in Salt Lake City
Films directed by David M. Evans
Films scored by David Newman
Films with screenplays by David Mickey Evans
20th Century Studios franchises
1993 directorial debut films
1993 comedy films
American children's comedy films
Cultural depictions of Babe Ruth
1990s English-language films
1990s American films