The Sandlot
Director: David Mickey Evans
Year Released: 1993
Rating: 2.0
Mostly straight-A student Scotty (Tom Guiry) - who loves baseball but isn't good at it - teams up with a group of misfits who play the game on a run-down field, chew tobacco (and puke), do battle with a ball-eating dog in the one neighbor's yard and dream of hottie lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn (Marley Shelton). As far as puffy kids movies go, this one is decent if unsurprising - the 'battles' with the ferocious canine are stupidly silly - and it relies a lot on feelings of nostalgia and innocence: it's saner Field of Dreams. This has apparently developed a cult following over the years: several students (in the year 2016) recommended I watch it, claiming it - using modern parlance - represents the ultimate in "squad goals." I spent my childhood playing ice hockey and getting the crap knocked out of me by my peers, so what do I know?
