Friday, January 19, 2018

The Great Bambino!

The Sandlot is a reminiscent movie about a man named Scotty Smalls looking back on the summer he met his best friends. The movie begins with Smalls moving into a new neighborhood with his mother and stepfather. "Smalls" as he is called, isn't exactly the idea of cool. He stumbles upon a the neighborhood kids playing baseball at what they call "the sandlot". Benny Rodriguez the clear leader and all star athlete embraces Smalls regardless of his lack of talent. After Benny hits a home run and rids the group of their last and final baseball, Smalls claims he has one at home. Smalls comes back with his stepfather's signed ball by Babe Ruth. Without anyone realizing it, or Smalls even thinking anything of it they begin playing with it and lose that ball. Smalls then tells everyone that the ball was signed by Babe Ruth in one of the more memorable scenes as the group simultaneously corrects his pronunciation from Baby Ruth to BABE RUTH. The gang explain to Smalls during a camp out the story behind the junkyard where the ball lays and the beast that lives there, a hyperbolic canine who eats little boys. The boys then spend the summer and rest of the movie camping out and trying erroneous tactics to get the ball from the other side of the fence. Eventually they muster up the courage to go over and ask the "evil dog owner" for the ball, they find out he used to play with Babe Ruth and goes and gets the ball from him. The boys spend the rest of the summer playing ball and the movie ends with a beautiful montage of each character as they fade away from the field because of growing up or moving away. The movie ends with Smalls as an adult calling a professional baseball game while Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez steals home and looks up as they wave to each other. I am getting goosebumps just typing that.

Three types of stereotypes of middle schoolers in this film are, they exaggerate or dramatize, push the limits, and run in cliques. This whole plot of this film is based upon exaggeration and dramatics. The truth is incredibly far from the reality of the situation through out the whole film. The boys literally try and build a robot machine to catapult the baseball over the fence rather than just ask the owner to grab the ball, if that isn't dramatic then I am not sure what is. Away from the plot of the movie, the scene where the play the other baseball team is the epitome of dramatic as well. During that summer, that is all that mattered to those boys, their crazy quest for the ball and that game. Even the way the director shoots that scene heightens the dramatics of the actual scenario, you begin to think that this baseball between two unorganized baseball teams is the battle between good and evil as well. Lastly, their camp out and Squints' the beast origin story is all I have to say about over exaggeration. I think a lot of the examples of dramatics and exaggeration are fairly accurate in this film. For example, I bet a lot of students in Mr. Butler's classes see his 150 facts as a baseball in the beast's yard, its the end of the world for them as they know it. Yet they are surprised to find out that they are much more capable than they thought.

Regarding pushing the limits, the two scenes that stand out to me in this movie are obviously when Squints kisses his bride to be Wendy Peffercorn and when the boys try chew and then get on a ride at the fair. These boys want to push the limits, see how close they can get to the edge before they get kicked out of the pool or throwing up over the side of an amusement park ride. I think this accurately represents the limits and boundaries middle schoolers seek to push, however it might not be as daring as Squints and the gang, but they are looking to explore those boundaries with their parents and teachers. Kids in middle school are given freedoms they have never had before and are curious to explore where those freedoms end.

Lastly, kids in middle school are very clique and group oriented. Right away in the beginning of the movie you see Squints not wanting Smalls to play with them because he wasn't very good. Kids like to hangout with other kids who share the same interests or have the same abilities. However, that could also form rivalries with kids that do the same things like the other baseball team. Both teams were very group oriented and loyal to the collective. Throughout the whole movie the focus is either on Smalls, Benny, or the group. There are no other narratives or shots in the film where all of them aren't together. In fact, the meta narrative of movie was ultimately about friendship. Once again, I think this movie does a good job at accurately stereotyping middle school students, however I think some myths about the stereotypes in the disdain that kids feel for those who are different. I don't think kids clique up out of malice but rather insecurity, it isn't about harming others, but rather securing your own place out of fear of standing out.

In middle school I was very much Alan "Yeah Yeah" McClennan. Yeah Yeah doesn't have a main role, but he is certainly memorable with his wise cracks and spunky personality. I wasn't the leader of any of my friend groups, but I was also by no means a follower or someone that blended in to the group. I was an affiliate with my own distinct character and personality but also contributed a great deal to the group. Plus Yeah Yeah is always mouthing off, and it would be a lie to say I wasn't at that age.

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