Scotty Smalls, played by Tom Guiry, is the new kid in
town. He doesn’t know anyone, is considered a geek, and throws a baseball like
a girl. On top of that, his home life is changing with his step dad, played by
Denis Leary. All of this changes when Scotty meets a group of kids (Mike Vitar,
Pablo Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Matry York, Brandon Quintin
Adams, Grant Gelt, Victor DiMattia, Shane Obedzinki) who play baseball in the Sandlot,
and goes on to have one unforgettable summer.
The Sandlot follows the romantic formula that movies like
“American Graffiti” and “Stand by Me” used, but combines it with a love for
baseball and a simple, innocent story about four boys in the summer of 1962 and
their journey.
ManaByte said in his review, “The basic core of the
story is the adventure that occurs when Smalls takes his step dad's signed Babe
Ruth ball and it's knocked over the fence into the yard of a huge dog known as
"The Beast", however there are plenty of other things going on in the
movie including my personal favorite scene where the gang plays their one night
game of the year on the Fourth of July.”
This movie is for anyone who is a fan of baseball and
for anyone who enjoys the type of narrative seen in “American Graffiti” and “Stand
by Me.”
Set in 1973, “The Sandlot 2” follows a group of
pre-teen boys – led by the compelling David Durango, played by Max Lloyd-Jones –
as they prepare to spend their summer break playing baseball at the very same
sandlot that was in the first movie. They’re surprised to see that a young group
of girls – led by the talented Hayley Goodfarier, played by Samantha Burton –
have already occupied the area. After a little bit of arguing, the two different
groups agree to share the field – but they’ll soon have a much bitter problem.
David Nusair said in his review, “It's been said that The
Sandlot 2 is essentially a rehash of the original, and while the two films do
share a number of plot elements, there are enough differences between them to
justify the existence of this one.” Aside from a completely superfluous James
Earl Jones cameo, where the actor reprises his role from the first movie, the
story basically has new characters that are stuck in a completely familiar
situation (the group must retrieve an expensive model spaceship from a
neighboring backyard, besides the rare baseball from the original).
That’s really the problem with “The Sandlot 2.” Nusair
said, “Instead of revolving around these kids and their baseball-related
shenanigans, the film's entire second half is devoted to their attempts to
somehow avoid the champing jaws of "The Great Fear" (a mean dog that
just happens to guard the yard where said spaceship has landed). The movie's
other elements - ie a romance between David and Hayley - are generally glossed
over in favor of the big dog hijinks, ensuring that the film will certainly
hold more appeal for children than adults.”
Saying that, “The Sandlot 2” does have a nice pace and
several fascinating performances, which is basically enough to keep older viewers
somewhat engaged.
BAMF admitted in his review, “I loved the first one.
It's one of my all time favorite kids movies growing up. Then they began to
milk it with a part two which I was skeptical about. Lastly they made it a
trilogy. This shouldn't have been anything past one film. So I reluctantly
watch this only to finish the full story.”
Successful, arrogant baseball player Tommy “Santa”
Santorelli (Luke Perry) travels back in time to 1976 and relives his childhood
(Keanu Pires) on the sandlot baseball team, and has the chance to this time
choose friendship over fame. Now they are throwing in science fiction? The plot
synopsis is a little misleading somewhat. BAMF said, “The humor is a bit more
slapstick this time around which I didn't like all too much. I mean these
movies are goofy, but I just didn't think it needed to be extra off the wall. I
wish they didn't bother with the house if they weren't going to include James
Earl Jones or a dog. There are a few decent moments, but the are clouded by how
horribly cheesy all the kids stuff is.” The ending was alright, but it would
have been nicer to see everyone as adults.
This really shouldn’t have been a series. The first
one is a classic, the second one was half as good, and this one is about half of
that. BAMF admitted, “It kind of reminded me of Little Rascals instead of a
Sandlot film. Not the worst thing I have ever seen.” This doesn’t really do
justice for the fans of the original. It’s more of a film for children sadly. BAMF
ended his review by saying, “I really hope they don't try to milk another film
into this. I don't recommend this.”
Look, I think it goes without saying, but only watch
the first movie. The sequels are just a painful to watch because they try to
milk it in with two direct-to-video sequels. I remember seeing the ending to
the original a long time ago, but I went back and saw the entire movie when I
was exercising. Then I made a mistake of watching the sequels which I regret. I
thought the sequel was about a group of girls, but not entirely.
Happy Independence Day everyone. If you’re going out
to see the fireworks, just be safe. Look out this Friday for the continuation
of “Marisa Tomei Month.”
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