The Sandlot 2

 

A new team of kids have begun to call The Sandlot home.

 

Baseball is America’s past time for a reason. Countless summers have been spent by generations of kids hitting a ball with a bat. The Sandlot captured the eternal youth a summer playing baseball can bring perfectly, which is why it has become a classic in the 30 years after its release. The Sandlot 2 is the sequel that attempts to capture that same magic. The film stars the ensemble cast of Max Lloyd-Jones, James Willson, Samantha Burton, Brett Kelly, Cole Evan Weiss, Neilen Benvegnu, Sean Berdy, Jessica King, McKenzie Freemantle, Reece Thompson, David Mickey Evans, and James Earl Jones. It was released direct-to-DVD on May 3rd, 2005, and was subsequently followed up by the third installment of the franchise, The Sandlot: Heading Home, two years later.

 

Taking the field in chucks!

 

The film takes place in 1972, ten years after Benny “the Jet” Rodriguez took on The Beast and won. A new group of kids plays at the Sandlot in the San Fernando Valley, including one Johnnie Smalls (Willson), the little brother of Scott Smalls. He has grown up hearing the legends of the neighborhood, including the newest one of “The Great Fear”, which is one of The Beast’s offspring and is owned by Mr. Mertle (Earl Jones), a mysterious old hermit who lives behind the Sandlot. Back on the field, David “the Rocket” Durango (Lloyd-Jones) is the leader of the team which consists of Tarquell (Benvegnu), Mac (Kelly), Saul (Weiss), and his deaf younger brother, Sammy (Berdy), aka “Fingers”. A new girl named Hayley Goodfairer (Burton) moves into the house next to Mr. Mertle. She and her two friends, Jenny (Freemantle) and Penny (King), compete with the boys over sharing the Sandlot. All the boys except David agree to share the field, which leads to a little competition. This is where they realize that the trio are amazing softball players, and after getting their butts kicked, they ask the girls to join their team.

 

Arguing strikes is a right of passage in baseball.

 

The kids are challenged by a little league team led by David’s rival Singleton (Thompson) to determine who gets the Sandlot. When Singleton purposely hits Hayley, David punches him in retaliation. Soon after, the kids tell the legend of “The Great Fear", a beast on the other side of the Sandlot’s fence that once bit a kid. After that incident, Mr. Mertle built a wall of assorted junk to keep the beast in. If anything goes over the fence, you’ll never see it again. Naturally, this leads to something going over the fence, and this rag-tag group must work together to recover the item and survive what lurks behind the fence.

The gang travels by bike a lot in this film.

 

When compared to the first film, there is no way that The Sandlot 2 can come close to approaching it in terms of quality. The Sandlot is a classic and one of the best sports films ever, while this is a by-the-books direct-to-DVD film that copies enough of the original film to play on the nostalgia of parents showing it to their kids. The newly added elements such as the new characters, decade, lost item, and dog aren’t much more than set dressing for what is essentially the same film. That doesn’t necessarily make this a bad watch because it is very enjoyable. The kids are fun and seeing them grow closer over the game of baseball is what made the first film so memorable. However, It just isn’t very imaginative so you may want to temper expectations.

 

Nothing says Summer more than chucks, bikes, and baseball.

 

Best Chucks Scene

 

 

Mac is stunned by an absolute heater thrown by Hayley.

 

The best chucks scene in the film comes early on and it is probably the best scene in the film. The boys arrive at the Sandlot and find that Hayley and the girls are practicing. They immediately tell them to get off their field but the girls stand their ground. That’s when Mac in his black high top chucks steps up and says that they’re not even playing real baseball because they are using a softball. Hayley bets him that he can’t get a hit off her in three pitches. He takes that bet and steps up to the plate, only to be thrown a fastball right down the middle he didn’t even see. He goes back to the guys to let them know that they’re screwed but David steps up to hit in his place. He and Hayley have a battle of fouled-off pitches that lasts the rest of the day, showing how they’re both amazing. The duel ends in a draw after their parents call them all home. The scene is fun and features some great overacting from Mac as he really leans into his bewilderment at the heater he was dealt.

 

The gang all watches on in their chucks.

 

The Sandlot 2. (2005) Cole Evan Weiss, Max Lloyd-Jones, Brett Kelly, James Willson, Samantha Burton, Neilen Benvegnu, Sean Burdy, Jessica King, Austin Dunn, James Earl Jones. Directed by David Mickey Evans.Categories: Comedy, Family.
ChucksConnection Rating:  MPAA Rating: PG

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