Sandlot Review

“Sandlot” takes place during the summer in a small California town, in the early nineteen-sixties. A boy, who in the movie goes by the nickname of Smalls, moves into town. He is trying to adjust to his new stepfather (a baseball fanatic), but moving to a new place does not make this easy. The boys in his new neighborhood play baseball religiously, especially since it is summertime. Smalls has no baseball experience but his new friend, Benny Rodriguez, quickly teaches him. After a very brief period of rejection and name-calling, because of his lack of baseball skills, Smalls is accepted into the sandlot gang. The gang plays an endless game of baseball everyday, stopping only when the heat becomes unbearable. They cool off by going to the

pool where one of their own steals a kiss from the lifeguard. At one point in the movie, they encounter another distraction from their routine when a rival team, with sponsors and uniforms, drops by to harass them. It’s not long before the sandlot gang pummels the rival team on their fancy field.

I believe this movie is done very well; although I thought the part of Benny Rodriguez could have been played a little better. The character seems so anticlimactic about everything. When Benny busted the baseball, he did not act like a normal twelve year-old who had just smacked the leather off of a baseball. He was just disappointed that they could not play anymore. That was not very realistic. I do think, however the movie does a very good job of portraying how baseball breaks down barriers in all aspects of social interaction. For example, a game of catch breaks down a barrier between Smalls and his stepfather. A lesson in throwing and catching breaks down the barrier between Smalls and the rest of the boys in the sandlot gang. Finally, a ball signed by Babe Ruth breaks down the barrier between the neighborhood boys and a lonely old blind man.

In conclusion, “Sandlot” is a very amusing movie that maintains the innocence of youth, throughout the whole picture. The kids were a pleasure to watch and the baseball scenes were great. I also thought this movie shows us what “play” really is. It’s not about strikes and media promotions,

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