... and, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.
Had it centered on, say, hockey—or any other sport, honestly—would it still have the same lasting appeal? It seems its story of baseball—America’s pastime—plays a primary role in people’s love for it.
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Move along, oldfriend. With all due respect, if you can't figure out why this is a classic and beloved movie, you should pick up a book or go get a latte. There's nothing for you here.
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Old, it may have been a fair question but frankly, it sounded like you were trolling.
I'm genuinely interested in knowing whether you've actually seen the movie. Have you?
I love the movie because I am one of the characters, which is to say I grew up playing baseball and talking and acting just like the kids in the movie did.
"Had it centered on, say, hockey—or any other sport, honestly—would it still have the same lasting appeal?"
If it were centered on hockey, it would probably be popular in Canada. Hockey is Canada's pastime and there's a lot of nostalgia and sentimentality regarding the sport here.
By the way, I love this movie and I'm not a big baseball fan.
I love it because so much about it seems so real and relatable when viewed through the semi-accurate lens of childhood memory. If that makes any sense, that is. Maybe if I had seen it when I was the same age as those boys, I wouldn't have enjoyed it the same or even thought that the movie was accurate in its portrayal of kids and how they think and react. But seen as an adult, it seems like it was an accurate portrayal. I can even remember believing that a new pair of shoes would mean I could run faster.
And while we didn't have a sandlot, my friends and brother and I spent countless hours playing our own version of baseball- in the street. We even had a community pool, though no little boys ever put the moves on a lifeguard.
It also portrays adults as they can seem to kids- sympathetic, scary, distant, and above all on a different plane of existence. The boys themselves were great- the timid kid, the cool kid, the fat kid, the nerdy kid, the annoying one, the semi normal ones, all willing to make fun of each other, but pull together against the mutual enemy.
The conflict with the other kids was perfect. The sneering, the petty name calling, the moment when it's gone past the point of return and someone is going to get his *** handed to him. The sheer joy of victory.
And the Beast. While we didn't have a killer dog or reportedly crazy recluse in the neighborhood, there were plenty of trumped up fears that suddenly dissolve once the imagination backs off and you see things as they really are.
Above all, it was just funny, too. I loved the over the top ideas the boys came up with trying to get Scotty's dad's ball back, and then that line- "why didn't you just knock on my door? I'd have gotten it for you."
Thank you, Ditto-head.
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The movie was made in the 90s, a time when kids movies weren't dumbed down...it shows kids hanging out together without adults hovering (probably the last decade where that was considered normal) so they were free to act like kids--real kids, how they were when adults weren't around...
I saw this movie in the theatre when I was 7 and I loved it because it was very relatable (even though I was a girl), we all had that neighborhood gang and at some time or another we had gotten into situations (maybe not to that extent but that doesn't matter) but we would rally together to figure things out...
My dad loved that movie because it was nostalgic for him...it took place in a time when he was also young...
As an adult now, it's also reached a point to where this movie is nostalgic for me and the rest of my generation...I mean, there are probably very few people my age that don't know the phrase "You're killing me, Smalls", who Wendy Peffercorn is, or can't hear the song "This Magic Moment" and NOT think of that scene with Squints kissing Wendy at the pool...I'm also sure we've all said "For-ev-er" just like the way they do in the movie...it's a film my generation holds dear
Also, when I wanted to watch a movie about hockey, I would just put in Mighty Ducks :)
"This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin, tried to reach deep but you couldn't get in..."
I'm not an American, both hockey and baseball are not national sports nor widely played in my country but I liked this film. What now?
Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit? - Nigel Tufnel
It could just as easily have been American Football, and it would still hold the same appeal because it's about the friendships that evolved over that one summer.
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You trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?
Its about friendship. I dislike sports. Love it
No respect you make me sick!! You give a aspirin a headache!!!
As others have said, yes it is about friendship, which everybody can relate to.
But to those who grew up playing baseball on side/sand lots, it strikes an additional cord with them. I spend everyday in the summer from ages 7-13 doing pretty much the same thing.
Plus, what 10 yr old boy hasn't fantasized about an older lifeguard? Or tried chewing tobacco? Or camped out in a tree house or a friend's back yard?
And like Smalls, I moved around a lot (army brat), so I can totally identify with him having to make new friends.
The more you can identify with this film, the more you will enjoy it.
I've always liked, but not loved this movie.
shareChildhood, friends, summer vacation, nostalgia. It's more about that stuff to me, rather than just being a baseball movie. Plus I was the perfect age for this movie when it came out. I remember seein it in theaters for my friends birthday.
Why would you question anyone for liking The Sandlot? Youre obviously a huge Friday the 13th fan based on your username. A movie that people would bash for being lame, old, cheesy, boring and generally having no redeeming qualities. That doesn't stop you from enjoying it, right? You don't need to validate why you like something that corny and ridiculous.
And I'm not bashing you for liking Friday the 13th. I love those movies.
It's not really about baseball. It's about childhood friendships.
The movie perfectly captures a child's overblown imagination too. In the end, the "Beast" turns out to be a loveable, normal-sized dog. I remember there was a run-down house in my old neighborhood, and my friends spent hours spinning tales about how it was probably occupied by vampires, witches who ate children, etc. Those are the kinds of things you forget about until you watch a movie like The Sandlot.
Nothing normal-sized about a Mastiff, especially to a little kid
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