The Sandlot


The Sandlot is a 1993 American coming-of-age comedy film co-written, directed, and narrated by David Mickey Evans which tells the story of a group of young baseball players during the summer of 1962. It stars Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Karen Allen, Denis Leary, and James Earl Jones. The filming locations were in Midvale, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah. It grossed $34 million worldwide and has become a cult film.

Plot

In the summer of 1962, brainy, reserved fifth grader Scotty Smalls moves with his parents to the San Fernando Valley, where he has difficulty making friends. 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. An attempt to learn to play catch with his stepfather, Bill, results in a black eye. Nevertheless, he is invited to join the team by their leader and best player, Benny Rodriguez, who mentors him. When catcher Hamilton "Ham" Porter hits a home run into a backyard, Scotty attempts to retrieve the ball but is stopped by the other boys, who tell him of "the Beast", a junkyard dog supposedly so large and savage that it has become a neighborhood legend. 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. Michael "Squints" Palledorous has a crush on lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn, and fakes drowning in order to get her to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The sandlot team is banned from the pool, but Squints' reputation is boosted. On the Fourth of July the team plays a night game by the light of the fireworks, and Scotty observes that although to the rest of them baseball is just a game, it is Benny's true passion. Later, they are challenged to play against a rival Little League team whom they handily defeat. To celebrate, they visit a fair where they try chewing tobacco and ride a spinning carnival ride; the combination causes them to 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, Scotty borrows a baseball from his trophy room that is autographed by legendary player Babe Ruth. Ignorant of baseball history, Scotty 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 tell Scotty its value and make several attempts to get the ball out of the yard using makeshift retrieval devices, but each is destroyed by the Beast. Benny has a dream in which the spirit of Babe Ruth advises him to retrieve the ball himself, and that this will be the moment that makes him a legend.
Benny goes over the fence and "pickles" the Beast to retrieve the ball, but the English Mastiff breaks its chain and leaps over the fence in pursuit. It chases Benny through town, resulting in several comedic situations, and eventually back to the sandlot. Benny jumps back into Mr. Mertle's yard, but the Beast crashes through the fence, which falls down on top of it. Scotty and Benny lift the fence to free the dog, who shows gratitude by leading them to its stash of baseballs. They meet Mr. Mertle, who turns out to be a former baseball player who played with Babe Ruth but went blind after being struck by a baseball. He kindly trades them the chewed-up ball for one autographed by all of the 1927 New York Yankees. Scotty gives this ball to Bill, and their father-and-son relationship improves. 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. Benny's exploit with the Beast earns him the nickname "the Jet", and he goes on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scotty becomes a sports commentator, and covers a game against the San Francisco Giants in which Benny successfully steals home. Celebrating his victory, the two exchange thumbs up.

Cast

Critical

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 62% from critics based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 5.98/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It may be shamelessly derivative and overly nostalgic, but The Sandlot is nevertheless a genuinely sweet and funny coming-of-age adventure." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.Metacritic gave the film a score of 55 based of 27 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews.
Critic Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, comparing the movie to a summertime version of A Christmas Story, 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 gave the film a B+, praising its simplicity and strong fundamentals.
Leonard Klady of Variety'' 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.

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. After initially agreeing to review the case in 1998, the Supreme Court of California 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, along with the LaserDisc in widescreen, but later came in a clam shell case in 1994. On January 29, 2002, the DVD came in a Family Feature, in widescreen and full screen. The 2013 repackaged DVD is only in widescreen. On March 26, 2013, the film 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.

Sequels and prequel

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 CD Club. This release paired it with selections from Newman's score for The War of the Roses A complete release devoted exclusively to the score in observance of the film's 25th anniversary by La-La Land Records in 2018.