How The Sandlot Became a Modern Classic 30 Years Later
Do you recall the first time you saw your favorite movie? It may not be the greatest film you have ever seen, but it is the one that you keep returning to because of the emotions it evokes and the memories you have of the first time you watched it. For most people, that movie is The Sandlot. Released in 1993 and dominating the HBO rerun capacity for a great part of the 1990s, The Sandlot became the quintessential comfort film that you inevitably watched if you caught it on TV. The story of a baseball team in 1962 as they try to recover a legendary ball from the claws of a monster is the plot behind one of the best sports movies of all time.
Yes, that film, your favorite, is being hailed as a modern classic. Why? We believe everyone has their reason, but we’ll give it a try. The Sandlot had an excellent way of making the audience feel they were part of a moment in time, despite the scorching heat that seemed unbearable. We were excited to wake up early in the morning, and all we had to do was play ball. In The Sandlot, school’s out for the summer, and nothing reminiscent of something as boring as school is seen in the movie. Childhood was simpler at the time, and director David Mickey Evans makes great use of such simplicity. If you weren’t playing baseball, all you had to worry about was having a clean bathing suit to head over to the swimming pool or enough money to go to the carnival. At night, a sleepover in a treehouse making s’mores while someone tells a horror story about the monster that’s only a wall away from the outfield was the perfect summer for the new kid with no friends, a plastic mitt, and a ridiculous baseball hat. It’s not mentioned in the film, but chances are Scotty Smalls didn’t have a bad time as the new kid when school started. He was already part of a cool team.
The Sandlot has a great rendering of friendship and teamwork. Imagine having a team like that. Imagine them having your back. Benny was cool and good enough to lend Smalls a baseball mitt and give him a used baseball hat. He even shared the secret for catching a ball. All Benny had to do was magically aim at the open glove in Smalls’ hand. Now, that’s a good friend. If your opposing team and enemies challenge you, you stand up for your scrappy field beside a monster’s lair. And when the time came for preventing your stepfather’s wrath, your friends were there as well. Seriously, to battle against that dog over a baseball meant those guys cared for Smalls and his integrity.
Only a handful of films have been able to depict instant friendship without a single touch of drama or tension. There’s no place for that in the comfort film that is The Sandlot. It’s not that the film makes us laugh with its raunchy and gruesome humor. It’s just that we feel like we’re home when we’re watching it.
The magic of such a film lies in how its characters are built and written. The perfect summer movie is based on the dynamics of kids who had no worries but to be able to buy a ball for a few cents. That’s all they cared about, at every hour, no matter the weather or lighting. The arrival of Smalls was essential to complete the team, and as obnoxious as some of them were in the beginning, they had no choice but to trust Benjamin Franklin “Benny the Jet” Rodriguez. We can’t think of any other baseball, football, soccer, hockey, or whatever sports team we’d rather be part of. They weren’t pros, and they knew that Benny was probably the only one with the potential to get to the major leagues. But every day, during the scorching summer, they gave their heart out for their nameless team that had more spirit than any other in the San Fernando Valley. Teamwork didn’t end when they left the field. They were able to retrieve the Great Bambino’s ball and meet an awesome dude with many stories to tell. Oh, and spirit? That was essential to Michael “Squints” Palledorous getting his first kiss from Wendy, the magic moment that made us feel envy and admiration for that skinny boy during the best summer of his life, and possibly ours.
The Sandlot is a perfect sports movie and modern classic. It is available to rent or buy on VOD.
There’s a very high chance you remember the first time you saw your favorite movie. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the best movie you ever saw, but the one you keep coming back to because you love the way it makes you feel and the memory you have of when you first saw it. For many, that film has to be The Sandlot.
Released in 1993, and dominating the HBO rerun capacity for a great part of the ’90s, The Sandlot became the perfect comfortable film that you always ended up seeing if you caught it on TV. The misadventures of a baseball team in 1962 as they try to recover a legendary ball from the claws of a monster, is the story behind one of the best sports movies of all time.
Yes, that film, your favorite, is being heralded as a modern classic. Why? We’re pretty sure everyone’s got their reason, but we’re going to give it a try.
A Great Depiction of Summer
Sure, the scorching heat seemed to be unbearable, but The Sandlot had a great way to make the audience feel they were part of a moment in time. We felt excited to wake up early in the morning and all we had to do was play ball. School’s out for the summer in The Sandlotand nothing reminiscent of something that boring is seen in the movie.
Childhood was simpler at the time and director David Mickey Evans makes great use of such simplicity. If you weren’t playing baseball, all you had to worry about was having a clean bathing suit to head over to the swimming pool or enough money to go to the carnival. At night, a sleepover in a tree house making s’mores, while someone tells a horror story about the monster that’s only a wall away from the outfield.
Again, the perfect summer for the new kid with no friends, a plastic mitt, and a ridiculous baseball hat. It’s not mentioned in the film, but chances are Scotty Smalls didn’t have a bad time as the new kid when school started. He was already part of a cool team.
How Do You Define Friendship?
Imagine having a team like that. Imagine them having your back. Benny was cool and good enough to lend Smalls a baseball mitt and to give him a used baseball hat. He even shared the secret for catching a ball. All Benny had to do was magically aim at the open glove in Smalls’ hand. Now, that’s a good friend.
The Sandlot has a great rendering of friendship and teamwork. If your opposing team and enemies challenge you, you stood up for your scrappy field beside a monster’s lair. And when the time came for preventing your stepfather’s wrath, your friends were there as well. Seriously, to battle against that dog over a baseball meant those guys cared for Smalls and his integrity.
Only a handful of films have been able to depict instant friendship without a single touch of drama or tension. There’s no place for that in the comfort film that is The Sandlot. It’s not that the film makes us laugh with its raunchy and gruesome humor. It’s just that we feel like we’re home when we’re watching it.
We All Wanted to Be Part of That Team
The magic of such a film lies in how its characters are built and written. The perfect summer movie is based on the dynamics of kids who had no worries but to be able to buy a ball for a few cents. That’s all they cared about, at every hour, no matter the weather or lighting. The arrival of Smalls was essential to complete the team, and as obnoxious as some of them were in the beginning, they had no choice but to trust Benjamin Franklin “Benny the Jet” Rodriguez.
We can’t think of any other baseball, football, soccer, hockey, or whatever sports team we’d rather be part of. They weren’t pros, and they knew that Benny was probably the only one with the potential to get to the major leagues. But every day, during the scorching summerthey gave their heart out for their nameless team that had more spirit than any other in the San Fernando Valley. Teamwork didn’t end when they left the field. They were able to retrieve the Great Bambino’s ball and meet an awesome dude with many stories to tell.
Oh, and spirit? That was essential to Michael “Squints” Palledorous getting his first kiss from Wendy, the magic moment that made us feel envy and admiration for that skinny boy during the best summer of his life, and possibly ours. Now, isn’t that enough to make The Sandlot a perfect sports movie, and a modern classic?
The Sandlot is available to rent/buy on VOD.
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