I ragazzi vincenti

The Sandlot was my favorite kid movie when I was a kid myself.

I was about 8 when I saw it the first time on German TV, so a couple o' years after the movie's release and man, I loved this one. I saw it during summer and after watching it I felt the energy for new adventures! The best thing is, years after that I saw the movie again during another summer and it reminded me so hard on the good times one can have as a youngster outside... I went for adventures again.

As many other reviewers have noticed, this movie reminds us of what it was like to be a kid, and when dogs were dangerous monsters, and playing outside was just a huge adventure. Everybody of us felt like an Indiana Jones. It felt damn good.

This is one of the movies I will carefully hold on and keep it, lets say to watch it all couple of 6 years just to remind me how cool life can be. The movie captures all our youth so well and packs it in one huge summer so watch and love this one.

An absolute 10/10 for being THE kid movie of my life and guess what? I am an adult but I love watching this one. Your turn now.

My husband watched it for the first time a few days ago (over the long Veterans Day weekend). He then watched it for a second time the day after. He did not have a happy childhood, in fact some childhood memories for him are downright painful. We have been married 11 years and I know very little about his childhood and what went on. However, after (and during the second viewing), he began a waterfall of childhood memories that I had never heard before. Of long summers of "sandlot" games with him and his cousins (they were known as "the cousins") they could play baseball and football and kicked the butt of most of the teams in town, during the movie his memories spewed forth as if they had been bottled up and just needed to be set free. His friend actually did the "lifeguard" thing, pretended to drown to kiss her, and like the movie they were all banned from the pool. They also had a "scary guy" in the old house that everyone was terrified of (in fact so did I as I recall). He assures me that this movie is as faithful a retelling of a childhood in the 60s as he has ever seen, and he revels in it. I think that is the greatest compliment that anyone can ever pay a movie and I am grateful to the director for uncorking the well of my husbands memories for me to share.

This is a truly amazing film. It's a very good family film that can be enjoyed by BOTH your kids and yourself! That's rare, as often "family films" have too much smutty language or sexual situations for kids OR are so saccharine sweet that sane adults would prefer suicide over watching the films (think Disney in the 1960s).

The film isn't quite a comedy, though there are really funny moments in it (such as the evil dog that eats baseballs). And, it's not exactly a drama. It's more like an occasionally surreal slice of life film about the good old days of the late 50s-early 60s. It's about a group of kids that live to play baseball--and that's all they ever seem to want to do! Despite this very simple plot, somehow the excellent acting, direction and writing make you really care about the kids and it engages you from start to finish.

The Sandlot is a great childhood film because it examines changes and friendship among a group of pre-teens. It is really just good old fashioned fun (especially James Earl Jones' cameo) in the adventures of their baseball days. Denis leary makes one of his breakthrough films here. Entertainment supreme, and maybe adults will like it too. A

I rate my films in terms of context. This film never aspired to be an Oscar nominated movie of a lifetime. But it did aspire to be a good family film, and that it is. For me, I'll admit nostalgia has a lot to do with it. This is a movie from my childhood, and yes as a girl I had a huge crush on Mike Vitar. But at the same time this reminds me of my childhood because my brother played baseball with all the neighborhood kids in our side yard and we always spent our summers outside or at the neighborhood pool just as the kids in the movie did.

Besides, the nostalgia I'd say this movie is right up there with "A Christmas Story" or "Ferris Buller's Day Off" as far as extremely recognizable quotes go. Nearly anyone will know what movie you're talking about when you say them.

"You're Killing me Smalls!" --- "FOR-EV-ER" --- "THE BEAST" --- "The great Bambino? Oh, I thought you said the great... Bambi." --- "You play ball like a GIRL" --- "Yeah-Yeah the kids a square" --- "Benny 'THE JET' Rodriguez"

I could go on, but I won't. This is a great movie to watch with your kids and to reminisce of your own summers spent as a kid. ENJOY!