Writer Director David Micky Evans

The Sandlot is the movie I am choosing to review as it is one of my favorites. It is based on a real life childhood experience of the writer/director David Micky Evans brother. His brother wasn't allowed to play ball with some older kids and as he watched the kids play he saw their ball go over a fence so he went to retrieve it and was met by a giant dog who bit him. This is the base story of The Sandlot and the story delves into the summer fun of nine boys.

The Sandlot is about nine boys who love the game of baseball. Its set in the year 1962 and stars Tom Guiry as Scotty Smalls, Mike Vitar as Benny Rodriguez, and James Earl Jones as Mr. Mertle. It was shot in 42 day in Glendale, Utah, Midvale, Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah with a budget or $7 million dollars. It was released on April 7, 1993. The movie grossed $4 million dollars in its opening weekend and made a further $32 million dollars thru ticket sales. The VHS and DVD sales are estimated to be at $76 million dollars. A significant fact about the movie is that the big oak tree used to hold the boys tree house was a real tree that a local was cutting down and the producers had moved to the set and placed in concrete for the filming. Another significant fact is the English Mastiff that played the beast, aka Hercules, was played in part by a puppet. When the scene required a real dog, there were two dogs playing part.

This is one of my favorite movies. The classic line youre killing me Smalls is still used today by people of all ages. No one can forget this line and it centers on Scotty Smalls not knowing who the Great Gambino was or the Sultan of Swat, the King of Crash, the Colossus of Clout, Babe Ruth!

The movie starts with a small kid new to the neighborhood looking to make some new friends, Smalls heads into the neighborhood and comes across a group of boys playing baseball in a sandlot. Smalls runs home, gets his hat and glove and makes his way quietly to center field. A ball goes over his head and he shouts that hell get it. He throws the ball back and that's when the boys see that Smalls is in desperate need of some baseball basics and a new hat and glove. From there, Smalls becomes one of the group.

Thru the games, many balls are hit over the fence of the sandlot never to be seen again as beyond the fence is the Beast. No ball that is hit in the Beasts yard is ever seen again and anyone who tries to retrieve the ball from that yard is never seen o heard from again. Benny hits the last ball the boys had over the fence so the ending the game. Smalls didn't want the game to end and goes home to get a ball he knows his step dad has in his office. The boys continue playing until the ball goes overt he fence yet again. Smalls freaks out as that ball was special to his step dad and was signed by some lady named Babe Ruth. The boys couldn't believe the Smalls used a ball signed by the Great Gambino! This is where Smalls learned who Babe Ruth was. The movie continues with the boys antics of trying to get the ball back from the Beast. They used several different inventions to get the ball back and each failed. Benny comes to the final decisions that will be up to him to outrun the Beast ad get the ball. He puts on his new shoes, because everyone runs faster in new shoes, and the chase ensues. Benny runs all over town with the beast chasing him and ends up back in the Beasts yard where the fence falls over on the Beast and pins him to the ground. As the boys help the Beast and take him to the door of the owner, theyre met with Mr. Mertle, played by the ever famous James Earl Jones. Mr. Mertle invites the boys inside where they think theyre walking into a baseball hall of fame. Mr. Mertle was a ball player who took a ball to the eye blinding him thus ending his big league career. Smalls tells Mr. Mertle the dilemma with his stepdads signed ball and in exchange for the boys coming over once a week to talk baseball with him, Mr. Mertle gives Smalls s ball to take to his stepdad the not only is signed by Babe Ruth but also by the entire 1927 Yankees team.

The rest of the summer went by with they boys spending time with Mr. Mertle and continuing the games of ball in the sandlot with their new friend, the Beast. The movie concludes with the narration of where each of the boys go off to during their adult lives. It ends perfectly,

as one who loves baseball can only dream of, with a friend in the big leagues!

When this movie was first released, the critics gave it three stars and compared it to a summertime version of A Christmas Story. Roger Ebert said in his review the movie seduced me with its memories of what really matters when you are 12. Bob Cannon of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B+ and praised it simplicity and strong fundamentals. My review is this is by far a great movie. It's a cult classic to many people, young and old. The actors, given they were twelve years old, portrayed their roles perfectly, as boys do summer enjoying their favorite past time. The movie brings a sense of nostalgia to older generations and it brings smiles to the faces of younger generations, defiantly one to be enjoyed by all.

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