The Sandlot (1993)

61% of critics liked it
(33 reviews)
86% of users liked it
(237,657 ratings)

The Sandlot is sparsely narrated by the main character (now an adult) who occasionally drops in on the action to comment on events or help move the story along. Tom Guiry plays Scotty Smalls, the shy new kid on the block who wants to join the rowdy pickup baseball team that plays every day in the… More The Sandlot is sparsely narrated by the main character (now an adult) who occasionally drops in on the action to comment on events or help move the story along. Tom Guiry plays Scotty Smalls, the shy new kid on the block who wants to join the rowdy pickup baseball team that plays every day in the neighborhood sandlot. But he doesn't know how to catch a baseball, and his stepfather (Dennis Leary) is too busy to teach him. He tries out for the sandlot gang anyway, and though he isn't very good, it turns out he's lucky: there happen to be only eight of them, and nine makes a team. The summer passes blissfully as Scotty learns to play ball under the wing of Benny Rodriguez (Mike Vitar), the oldest and best player, as well as Ham, Squints, Repeat, and the rest of the kid-eccentrics. The skies darken, however, when Benny literally knocks the stuffing out of the team's only baseball, a sign of impending doom, or worse, bad luck. Wanting to set things right, Scotty returns home and "borrows" his stepfather's ball, which he promptly uses to hit his first home run, knocking the ball clear out of the sandlot into mean old Mr. Mertle (James Earl Jones)'s junkyard, home to Mertle's legendary guard dog The Beast. Scotty admits that he took the ball without asking, and he naively explains that his stepfather will want it back since it had a woman's name written on it: some lady named Babe Ruth. Horror-stricken, the sandlot gang mobilizes to fetch the autographed ball from the clutches of The Beast, building a series of mechanical ball-retrieval machines which get progressively more complicated and preposterous as The Beast's size grows in their imaginations. ~ Anthony Reed, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: David M. Evans, Chauncey Leopardi
Written By: David Mickey Evans, Robert Gunter
Genres: Drama, Kids & Family, Sports & Fitness, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 1, 1993 Wide
On DVD: Jan 29, 2002
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Leonard Klady, Variety
Sweet and sincere, the film is also a remarkably shallow wade, rife with incident and slim on substance.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Nothing about his modest coming-of-age comedy demands anything like this awestruck approach.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Predictable as the movie is, the Field of Dreams quality is not the only thing to like about The Sandlot.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This is a movie... that allows its kids to be kids, that shows them in the insular world of imagination and dreaming that children create entirely apart from adult domains and values.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
The Sandlot isn't well made but it's alive with dopey, summertime spirit.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Older kids and overgrown ones too probably will notice that nothing much ever happens in this belabored suburban variation on The Little Rascals.
Jeremy Conrad, IGN Movies
This is a movie for anyone who has ever loved baseball and for anyone who enjoys the American Graffiti/Stand by Me style of narrative. Highly recommended.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The comedy is broad, cartoonish, and quite funny in a faux Little Rascals manner. The movie is almost completely derivative, but that's part of the fun.
Emma Cochrane, Empire Magazine
For every Field of Dreams there are a dozen lesser, completely incomprehensible baseball movies. This is one of them.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Good, with flashes of very good, overlaid with a particularly thick wash of nostalgia that stubbornly refuses to go obnoxiously cloying. It's a nice film, that's what it is.
Randy White, Common Sense Media
Field of Dreams for tweens.
Kevin McCarthy, BDK Reviews
The Sandlot is a kids flick that will always stand the test of the time and be a movie that you can watch over and over as you grow older. It never loses its touch.
, Time Out
Ever since Stand by Me, it seems that every Boy's Own yarn is deemed incomplete without a nostalgic, pseudo-ironic voice-over waxing lyrical about the mythology of short pants and acne.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Eric A

Grew up on this amazing movie. It's always gonna be special to me.
Brad W

The Sandlot is one of the greatest baseball and family movies of all time. Its got a great plot,, great characters, and it is a american classic.
Cassie H

Love It, part of my 90's childhood & I watched it last night for the first time since I was a little kid. A great film with great messages. Babe Ruth: "Remember kid, hero's are forever but legends never die. Follow your heart and you'll never go wrong."
AJ V

I like baseball and movies about baseball well enough, but I saw this movie too many times when I was a kid, I just got sick of it. Maybe I'll be able to watch it again soon, and give it a proper review.
Dan S

How can you not love this movie? Just a classic throwback to the times when we were kids and when baseball and growing up were a fun time. Sure, corny and cliched and all that, but still an indisputable classic.
KJ P

The Sandlot is an awesome kids film that had me laughing for hours. This is what a true kids comedy is all about. With humor that is also suited for adults, it's a film for the ages. I Loved the Sandlot since the second that the film finished my first time around!
Richard C

C+
Jeff "

The Sandlot is another one of my childhood classic films. This film is timeless. Every time you watch it gets better and better. The film is very funny and silly. The cast does a great job and all of them bring something special to the table, and it elevates the film to something very… More
The Sandlot is another one of my childhood classic films. This film is timeless. Every time you watch it gets better and better. The film is very funny and silly. The cast does a great job and all of them bring something special to the table, and it elevates the film to something very memorable. This is the perfect film to watch if you've seen it when you where a kid, and you want to take a trip down memory lane. The Sandlot is a definitive classic and if you've seen it when you were 8 or 9 you need to watch this one again. A truly terrific film that will definitely appeal to you if you love a comedy with heart.
danny d

i rewatch this flick all the time because its a favorite of my kids, which is excellent for me because as a teenager it was a favorite of mine as well. this film helps me relive my own childhood possibly better than any ever made. baseball, camp outs, good, long, hard kisses with… More
i rewatch this flick all the time because its a favorite of my kids, which is excellent for me because as a teenager it was a favorite of mine as well. this film helps me relive my own childhood possibly better than any ever made. baseball, camp outs, good, long, hard kisses with girls youre crushing on, carnival rides and the fourth of july. this movie has everything a kid needs. i remember watching it in the theater as a 12 year old and it holds its magic today. wonderful and charming flick.
Coxxie M

yea since my art teacher made me watch this about 300 times i think i like it but i cant watch for atleast a few years
Chris G

The Sandlot is an effective tween comedy about a group of kids who play baseball in a sandlot during the summer of 1962 and the misadventures they encounter along the way. It's a nice little romp that wan't made for awards or deep seeded thought- it's just there to… More
The Sandlot is an effective tween comedy about a group of kids who play baseball in a sandlot during the summer of 1962 and the misadventures they encounter along the way. It's a nice little romp that wan't made for awards or deep seeded thought- it's just there to entertain the entire family. And, of course, I played in a sandlot 8 hours a day, all summer long just like the guys in this film, so it's kind of like a walk down memory lane (except I was in the '80's).
Tim S

Great kids movie that is one of the best family movies out there.
Lenny M

One of the best movies of the 90's in my opinion, one of those childhood films that was directed towards teenagers but ends up getting better over time. Great lines, scenes, acting by the sandlot crew. One of my all time favorites.
Taylor B

Can't top the best baseball movie ever.
Dean M

Youngsters will get a big kick out of this kids'-eye-view story of what happens when a shy boy moves to a new neighbourhood and becomes involved with a ragtag baseball team. Wonderfully funny moments mix with a few ineffective ones for a show that will even keep parents… More
Youngsters will get a big kick out of this kids'-eye-view story of what happens when a shy boy moves to a new neighbourhood and becomes involved with a ragtag baseball team. Wonderfully funny moments mix with a few ineffective ones for a show that will even keep parents entertained.
Curtis L

Been a while...
Nani V

First time I saw it was in 5th grade...I enjoyed it very much.
Lafe F

I love the giant dog in this movie. It's a quality production.
Red L

Can't remember much about the movie. I didn't dislike it
Justin Y

Entertaining movie with great characters and a funny story. Enjoyable for kids and adults.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Tom Guiry as Scotty Smalls

            Mike Vitar as Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez

            Patrick Renna as Hamilton "Ham" Porter

            Chauncey Leopardi as Michael "Squints"' Palledorous

            Marty York as Alan "Yeah-Yeah" McClennan

            Karen Allen as Mom

            Brandon Quintin Adams as Kenny DeNunez

            James Earl Jones as Mr. Mertle

            Grant Gelt as Bertram Grover Weeks

            Shane Obedzinski as Tommy "Repeat" Timmons

            Denis Leary as Bill

            Art La Fleur as "The Babe"

            Bob Apisa as Home Plate Umpire

            Keith Campbell as Thief

            Victor di Mattia as Timmy Timmons

            Chuck Fick as Giants Catcher

            Arliss Howard
            
            Herb Muller as Young Mr. Mertle

            Garret Pearson as Police Chief

            Marley Shelton as Wendy

            Maury Wills as Coach

            Cleve Hall as Beast Puppeteer

            Robbie T. Robinson as 3rd Base Umpire

            Shari Rhodes
            
            Wil Horneff as Phillips

            Dennis Williams as Giants 3rd Baseman

            Daniel Zacapa
            
            Victor DiMattia
            
            Art LaFleur
            
See full cast