The Sandlot


3.5/4

Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Denis Leary, Karen Allen

Rated PG for Some Language and Kids Chewing Tobacco

Call it “The Pre-Wonder Years.”  The tone is quite similar (heavy on the nostalgia to the point of being fantasy), and if I may say so, a lot more fun.  It did, after all, originate one of the top catchphrases of the 90s (people still say “You’re killing me, Smalls!” to me all the time).  And what’s not to love about this movie?  It’s got more baseball than “The Natural,” a lot of good humor (that’s actually funny), and the overall experience is like hanging out with a bunch of friends.  Oh, and it features a dog so large it makes Clifford the Big Red Dog look like a Chihuahua.

Scotty Smalls (Guiry) is in the unenviable position of having moved two weeks before the end of the fifth grade.  It’s too late to make any friends, but at his mother’s prodding (“Get into trouble, for God’s sake!” she says), Scotty gets out of the house.  He finds his way to the Sandlot, a makeshift baseball field where a bunch of kids are playing ball.  His attempt to get in on the game ends in disaster, but fortunately, wannabe future pro-ball player and all around nice guy Benjamin Rodriguez (Vitar) is there.  His friends don’t want this talentless moron playing with them, but Benny reminds them that they need a ninth member to have a full team.  So, with his help, Smalls (as he is called) becomes a fine ball player and a member of their gang.

Much of the reason why this movie works so well is that we identify with all the characters.  We know what it’s like to be the odd man out, and we also know what it’s like to be a part of the crowd.  The characters go through the same experiences we all go through (more or less): the hormones just starting to rage, the obsession with sports, and the tall tales we tell our friends.  It’s all here.

The acting is quite good.  Tom Guiry has grown up to be a great character actor (his performance in the little seen “Black Irish” was amazing), and he shows his talent in as Smalls.  True, this kid can’t play baseball to save his life, but that’s why we identify with him.  Benny Rodriguez is too good to be true, but anyone expecting something resembling reality in this film is missing the point.  That being said, Mike Vitar is talented enough to make Benny seem refreshingly real.  The adult actors are great too, with Denis Leary being suitably intimidating and aloof, while Karen Allen makes a good mom.  And of course, no one can forget Patrick Renna as Ham Porter.  Not only does he say the now-classic line, he is so funny that he made me laugh just by standing on screen.

While the film gets repetitive from time to time (their adventures in getting a baseball back in the second half are a prime example), and some of the editing is a little haphazard, the film is still a real winner.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Desert Flower

2/4 Starring: Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson Rated R for Some Violent Content, A Scene of Sexuality and Language The problem with "Desert Flower" is not that Waris Dirie's story isn't suited for the cinematic treatment or that the actress playing her isn't acceptable.  The problem is that director Sherry Hormann doesn't do a good job of telling it.  This is a poorly focused film that can't decide what it wants to be about or what it wants to say. As is the case with many a true story, the life of Waris Dirie is too amazing to be made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.  This woman fled an arranged marriage as a child, spent years as a servant to a Somali diplomat in England, survived on the streets, and was discovered by a fashion photographer while working as a janitor.  Then she became a supermodel and UN Ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation. Waris experienced a lot in her life.  Telling it all in a...
Read more

The Road

3.5/4 Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron Rated R for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "The Road" has to be the most downbeat, depressing and cynical movie I've ever seen.  That's not meant as a criticism, but a fact.  This is a tough movie to get through, but not a chore.  Those who venture in will find their time well spent, albeit not in a necessarily pleasant way.  Then again, if a movie is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy, "pleasant" isn't a word one would hope to be used to describe it. The film takes place after the world has ended.  How it happened is not explained because it doesn't matter.  But any hope of the Earth recovering from what happened has long since gone.  A man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are travelling together, trying to "get to the coast."  There are few people left, although considering what many are doing with the goal of survival, that's a good thing...
Read more

My Left Foot

 2/4 Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Fiona Shaw, Alison Whelan Rated R (probably for Language and Brief Violence) "My Left Foot" feels like one of those movies designed to win Oscars and nothing else.  In fact, it did win two Oscars for the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, but apart from their strong work, there's not much else to remember about this movie.  It's well-acted, but all in all it's pretty dull. Christy Brown (Day-Lewis) is getting recognized for his work in order to raise money for the disabled.  Despite being a talented artist and writer, Christy is not the ideal candidate for the job.  He's an alcoholic jerk who makes no secret of his lust for women nor is he above using his disability to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  Interspersed with his attempts to seduce a woman tasked with looking after him while he awaits his entrance are vignettes from his childhood.  Most notably how his mothe...
Read more