The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: The Sandlot (1993)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

The Sandlot

Are you ready for baseball? Summertime is the perfect time to sit back, relax, and take in a ball game. The strategy. The tension. The comradery. Cheers and boos. The whole experience of America’s Past Time. Many of us remember back to where our love for the game began. Playing pick-up games with our siblings or friends. Joining the town Little League team and learning hard work, competition, and fun. Baseball is a special experience that is passed down from generation to generation. The rich legacy and history of the game is rich and robust. Nostalgia is such a significant piece of baseball as it is deeply rooted in the lifelong love of the game. There is a single film that captures that nostalgia and childhood passion distilled into a cinematic experience…The Sandlot.

Where does all the love of baseball manifest in this wonderful childhood classic? There are plenty of baseball playing for sure. This crew of rag-tag kids come together to play pick up in a rundown but oddly charming lot. Whether it is pick-up games with themselves or going toe-to-toe with the local Little League team, there is plenty of fun on the diamond in The Sandlot. But there is something that goes deeper. There is a deep love and respect for the game and that is embodied in the autographed ball that becomes the MacGuffin of the film. George Herman “Babe” Ruth. The Babe himself. One of the greatest players of all time is the core anchoring element of baseball for The Sandlot and that is such a great thing. Art Lafleur portrays “The Babe” in a dream and is such a fun addition to the film that certainly hits for all the baseball fans taking in this cinematic experience. There are plenty of elements for baseball fans out there to appreciate, including the future Dodgers career of young Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez.

But what makes this work so well for non-baseball fans? This is an impressive coming-of-age story as well. The Sandlot captures the old school summer experience that so many people experienced when they were kids. Heading out in the morning with your friends and adventuring until it was time to go back for dinner. This was not my experience as a millennial child growing up in the 90s and 00s but my mom sure has spoken about it quite a bit. That nostalgic period pops on screen and brings so much connection for so many. Playing pick-up games with your pals. Heading to the local pool on those really hot summer days. Experiencing all those neighborhood and town events for the summer holidays. The Sandlot has them all. But those special experiences make for great moments throughout the film including trying to steal a kiss from the cute lifeguard at the pool. Having to speak with adults for the first time who aren’t your parents. Those classic conflicts like breaking or losing something that belongs to your parents and doing everything possible to resolve it before they ever know. All those key moments of growing up are the roots of The Sandlot.

What is the key element that ties the whole film together? Director David Mickey Evans finds the right tone and captures those period trappings to bring that nostalgia to life. This takes 90s audiences back to the summer of 1962 and I am sure that was a wonderful experience for so many parents who took their kids to see this. The Sandlot certainly sparked those moments of sharing old memories of childhood and plenty of “back in my day…”. The clothing captures the style of the early 60s that was really an extension of that idyllic 50s vibe. The classic music that fills out the soundtrack just sparks that period so effectively and gives such a wonderful feeling. This is a charming, nostalgic, and effective coming-of-age story that has its heart in growing up and its roots in baseball. The Sandlot is the type of film that will capture the imagination and love of all generations and might even grab some new fans for the game of baseball.

The Sandlot is streaming on Hulu.