Is The Sandlot as well-crafted as Magnolia or The Green Mile?
But I do enjoy it more.
If you are lucky, then you had a childhood similar to this.
You didn’t have responsibilities other than having fun with your friends.
This movie captures all of that perfectly.
The strength of this movie is the casting.
They didn’t cast the greatest actors of all-time.
This isn’t a Freaks & Geeks situation where it’s just future star after future star.
They did cast the best kids for each role.
You believe these kids.
Patrick Renna is the best Ham Porter.
Chauncey Leopardi is the best Squints.
Mike Vitar is the best Benny.
Even the adults are perfect.
That character is a great example of how this movie has different gears than a traditional kids movie.
That stepdad is not a bad guy at all.
It can’t be easy becoming a Dad overnight to a 12 year old.
Everyone in this movie is doing the very best they can.
That lack of “bad guy” makes the whole experience feel so much realistic.
There is no big game to win.
The point of the movie isn’t baseball.
It’s the friendships between these kids.
I do think the stuff at the end with The Beast lasts too long.
I’d like 10-15 minutes less of that and more of the kids hanging out.
I get that the script needs a conflict but the characters are great enough that it’s not needed.
This would be the only good movie he would ever direct.
That effectively killed his career.
The Sandlot is another movie that is beloved now but never finished number one in the box office.
It opened at a distant number two behind Indecent Proposal with Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore.
I do wonder if The Sandlot will still be a movie people talk about 20 years from now.
It seems that kids have less and less independence as time goes on.
The days of kids being off on their own appear all but gone.
I don’t know if this movie will remain as relatable as the years pass.
Movies like The Green Mile may get remembered but it appears The Sandlot may never die.
The Green Mile
54.
Man On The Moon
55.
Boyz N The Hood
56.
Grosse Pointe Blank
57.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
63.
The Usual Suspects
65.
In The Line Of Fire
66.
My Cousin Vinny
67.
The River Wild
79.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Stir Of Echoes
82.
Mission: Impossible
83.
For Love Of The Game
86.
Being John Malkovich
87.
Men In Black
88.
Glengarry Glen Ross
92.
Die Hard With A Vengeance
93.
The Blair Witch Project
94.
Any Given Sunday
99.
The Wedding Singer
100.
