Review of Sandlot, The

Introduction

Baseball is a fundamental part of US culture, at least it seems that way here in the UK. It seems to be as great a national fascination as football is here, if not more so. Children are brought up on tales of famous players from the past, who take on the role of folk heroes and legends. Names like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Lou Gehrig are spoken of with awe and reverence that few sportsmen in this country ever attain. On the other hand, in this country baseball is just another game, a little too similar to rounders to be taken seriously. Consequently, baseball movies usually struggle here, although a brief fascination with Kevin Costner caused a statistical blip in the mid-eighties. Personally, I have had an appreciation for baseball ever since I first encountered Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, and I can understand the nostalgia and golden memories that baseball engenders. The Sandlot similarly harks back to an innocent age, where children would gather in a vacant lot to have fun without the benefit of Playstation.

It`s 1962 and Scotty Smalls is the new kid in town. He, his mother and stepfather have moved in at the worst possible moment, just before summer vacation, and he is finding it difficult to make friends. One day, he stumbles upon the sandlot, a place where a bunch of kids gather each day to play baseball. He can`t catch, he can`t throw and the other children roundly laugh him at. That is with the exception of Benny Rodriguez, the star player who sees potential in Scotty and gives him the confidence to play. It doesn`t hurt that with Scotty with them, they have the full nine players needed for a team. What follows is a memorable summer of fun and memories for the young Scotty. Fun that is until the fateful day that, having lost their ball, Scotty goes home to steal his stepfather`s ball so they can continue the game, a ball autographed by Babe Ruth himself. Inevitably, the precious heirloom goes soaring over the fence into a back yard where dwells the Beast, a vicious mammoth dog thing that has devoured 173 thieves and one child.

Video

The Sandlot was originally shot in widescreen, but this disc has the pan and scan 4:3 version of the film. Aside from that the picture is clear and sharp, with only slight grain. Still, the pan and scan is disappointing to see on a DVD.

Audio

A multitude of soundtracks and subtitles cater for a wide European audience. DD 5.1 English is joined by DD 2.0 Surround tracks in French, German, Spanish and Italian. The sound is pedestrian with a fairly front-focussed mix. The dialogue gets a little muddled when the children talk over each other, so I was grateful for the subtitles. There also is some period music as an added touch of nostalgia.

Features

The sole extra is a trailer, presented in pin sharp, crystal clear 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. What`s the point of that?

Conclusion

The Sandlot certainly taps that Charlie Brown nostalgia for baseball that so apparently permeates America. As such it may not strike many chords in the UK. It also attempts to be two things at once, which doesn`t help the pace. There is a large element of nostalgia, and there is the feel of a rites of passage movie like Stand By Me. It`s similar in that the story is related from the perspective of one of the children all grown up. But the subject matter is far too light and frothy to compare with that, as The Sandlot also has to entertain the younger demographic as well. The trouble is that the nostalgia tends to get in the way of the tomfoolery necessary to keep younger eyes glued to the film.

The film took a while to get going, and it was only when the autographed ball fell into Hercules` back yard that the film really livened up. Then there followed a series of ever-elaborate schemes as the children attempted to retrieve the ball from the clutches of the dog. This also worked on a personal level, as when I was seven, one of my neighbours had an Alsatian that stood seven feet tall on its hind legs. Its bark owned the back of my garden and I would never venture closer than twenty feet. I got the feeling that had the entire film been a battle of wits between the dog and the children, a sort of canine Home Alone, then it would have been much more fun, and my attention wouldn`t have wandered. Unfortunately, the golden haze of nostalgia put in for adults` benefit has the result of dragging the pace right down, and the retrospective narration jars with the children`s movie aspect.

The child actors are fine in their roles, but the adult talent is wasted somewhat. Karen Allen and Denis Leary play Scotty`s parents and they are quite bland and nondescript. There is also a brief appearance from James Earl Jones, which is a little more vigorous.

For those of you with young children, hoping (probably in vain) to protect their sensibilities, then you should be aware that there is a war of insults between two rival teams which while not profane, is imaginative. There is also one instance of mild profanity.

Well, it`s baseball, which probably won`t excite British audiences that much. The Sandlot does drag a little, especially for shorter attentions spans, but there is just enough to keep younglings and oldsters mildly entertained. The disc is barely adequate, let down by the pan and scan transfer, but when you consider that the Urrrp (spelt R.R.P) is £5.99 then it doesn`t seem so bad.