CWL 2008
The Caveman's Reviews
THE SANDLOT (1993)

By Caveman Carl
4.17.08





Director: David M. Evans
Cast: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna
Rated: PG
Genre: Sports/Comedy
Run Time: 1 hr, 41 mins
The Plot
New to the neighborhood, Scotty Smalls is befriended by a group of kids that teach him how to play baseball at the sandlot.

The Caveman's Take
"The Sandlot" is easily one of the my favorite sports movies of all time, period. In my mind, there's no better movie that captures the pureness of baseball from a kid's perspective. Every time I watch this flick I'm taken back to my youth, a youth that was largely spent playing baseball each and every summer. Whether it was in an organized league or out in the backyard, prentending to be some MLB stud of the time, I was a baseball-aholic, and "The Sandlot" always causes me to relive those great days. It also always causes me to find a newfound appreciation, and love, for the game of baseball, my favorite sport in the world.

Of course, this movie takes place in a different era than what I grew up in, but it still resonates a common theme that can be appreciated no matter when and where you grew up. Baseball's the same, kids are generally the same, and it comes through loud and clear in this film. Simply put, "The Sandlot" is a rare masterpiece that goes beyond just the limits of baseball, but explores areas that most of us can relate back to as kids. Whether it's on the playing field, at the public swimming pool checking out the hotties we never had a chance to get, or in the clubhouse telling stories stretched so far that no one in their right mind would believe, this movie brings us back to the good ole' days when things were so much simpler, even though they didn't seem to be at the time.

And while the film does have a strong nostalgic side to it, it's just a great all around film that can be enjoyed by anyone, even those who didn't grow up with a ball and bat in hand. "The Sandlot" is a well-acted, well-written, well-directed, fun film that delivers in nearly every area that any casual, as well as hard-core, movie fan can enjoy, child or adult.

Sure, "The Sandlot" isn't a perfect film when you look at it from purely a cinematic standpoint, but that in no way hurt the experience for me, even if I have seen it about 10 times now. I don't care that it's far fetched at times, or that it's a little silly at certain points, or that I couldn't relate to every situation presented, it's still an awesome movie. There's just something about it that does the trick for me. I have to drop a perfect 5 clubs for "The Sandlot." If you havn't seen it, or havn't seen it lately, do yourself a favor and check it out.