The Sandlot
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| The Sandlot | |
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| Directed by | David M. Evans |
| Produced by | Mark Burg Chris Zarpas |
| Written by | David M. Evans Robert Gunter |
| Starring | Tom Guiry Mike Vitar James Earl Jones |
| Music by | David Newman |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | April 7, 1993 |
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Sandlot is a 1993 film about young baseball players. The film was directed by David Evans and included an appearance from Denis Leary.
Taglines:
- The adventure of a lifetime, the summer of their dreams...the dog of their nightmares.
- They're more than a team. They're the best buddies in the entire history of the world.
- A piece of paradise a half block wide and a whole summer long.
- A legend never dies
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[edit] Plot synopsis
The film is a flashback to 1962 when Scotty Smalls moves with his mother and stepfather to Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley in Southern California. The move gave Scotty very little time to make friends before summer. He happens to follow some of the neighborhood kids after school one day and sees them playing baseball. Scotty watches from a distance and is embarrassed when his attempt to throw the ball back to them was horrible. All the kids consider him a loser except for Benny Rodriguez, one of the best players on the team. Benny asks Scotty to play with the team so they can have a full roster of nine players. Benny gets the rest of the crew to accept Scotty by having him hold his glove hand in the air, and hitting a fly ball right into Scotty's glove, giving him the confidence he needed to throw the ball back right. Through some practice and tips from Benny, Scotty becomes an integral part of the team.
Meanwhile, the team has to avoid hitting home runs in the sandlot because "The Beast", a huge killer mastiff, lives on the other side of the fence and it would be considered suicidal to attempt to retrieve the ball. One day, Benny hits the "guts" out of the ball, and he believes they can't play for the rest of the day because they don't have a ball. Scotty indicates he has a ball at home but is actually referring to his stepdad's Babe Ruth autographed ball. Scotty is entirely unaware of the Babe's fame and how priceless the ball is as he only recently learned how to play the game. Scotty takes the ball while his stepdad is on a business trip and brings it to the boys at the sandlot. The boys don't notice the signature and continue to play. Scotty himself hits a home run over the fence and realizes how he shouldn't have stolen his stepdad's ball. The situation becomes far worse when the other boys indicate how priceless the ball is. The boys must figure out a way to get the ball back from the Beast without risking their lives leading to a wild array of ideas.
In the end of the movie, when it comes to the present, it revealed Smalls as a radio commentator for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Benny as a player -- in the twilight of his career, but steals home in the movie's final moment before flashing a thumbs-up at Smalls in the press box.
The film focuses on themes such as friendship, baseball, heroism, and responsibility.
[edit] Reception
The screenplay sold for over $1 million dollars. The film made $32 million in its initial theatrical run. Yet over the years, it has become something of a cult classic for those born in the mid-1980s who grew up watching the film as children. Often quoted are the lines "You're killing me, Smalls", "YOU PLAY BALL LIKE A GIRL!", and "FOR-EV-ER".
[edit] Cast and characters
- Scotty "Smalls" Smalls (Tom Guiry)
- Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez "Benny the Jet Rodriguez" (Mike Vitar)
- Hamilton "Ham" Porter (Patrick Renna)
- Michael "Squints" Palledorous (Chauncey Leopardi)
- Alan "Yeah-Yeah" McClennan (Marty York)
- Kenny DeNunez (Brandon Quintin Adams)
- Bertram Grover Weeks (Grant Gelt)
- Tommy "Repeat" Timmons (Shane Obedzinski)
- Timmy Timmons (Victor DiMattia)
- Bill (Denis Leary)
- Mom (Karen Allen)
- Mr. Mertle (James Earl Jones)
- Wendy Peffercorn (Marley Shelton)
- Babe Ruth (Art LaFleur)
- Phillips (Wil Horneff)
[edit] Sequel
A direct-to-DVD sequel, The Sandlot 2, was released in 2005. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Mr. Mertle and features girls in a new Sandlot gang. The film heavily follows the same plot as the original.
The Sandlot 3 is due to be released in 2007, It is directed by William Dear, who also directed Angels in the Outfield, and is set to star Luke Perry, Danny Nucci, and Sarah Deakins.
[edit] Soundtrack
Original Score by David Newman
In order of appearance:
- Finger Poppin' Time - Hank Ballard
- Smokie Part II - Bill Black's Combo
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens
- There Goes My Baby - The Drifters
- This Magic Moment - The Drifters
- America The Beautiful - Ray Charles
- Green Onions - Booker T & The MG's
- Tequila - The Champs
- Wipe Out - The Surfaris
[edit] References
[edit] External links
