The Sandlot and The Goonies and Stand by Me, oh My!

Esta entrada se encuentra participan en el Desafío Peliplat de Junio 2025 y para apoyarla es en:
https://www.peliplat.com/es/article/10061109/the-sandlot-and-the-goonies-and-stand-by-me-oh-my

After rewatching Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, it has made me think about those 80s and 90s movies I grew up with as a kid, especially the ones where the children became teenagers during the development of the coming of age plots.

The death of James Earl Jones also made me remember a movie I used to watch with my brother whenever it was on TV and that I recently found on Disney Plus to pay tribute to this veteran who was part of my childhood, adolescence and adulthood due to his iconic portrayals in Star Wars, The Lion King, Coming To America, Field of Dreams, Jack Ryan, and especially The Sandlot.

I'm sure many of my generation must have it hidden somewhere in their thoughts, because this children's drama about kids playing baseball in an empty lot, suddenly all of them gets into a fight with a huge beast in order to retrieve a valuable baseball signed ball from an All-Star player. Ah, those good old days when you spent your time on the streets doing all sorts of crazy things...

I had completely forgotten about how disgusting was the vomiting sequence, and boy, did I project myself quite a bit with Scotty, that shy and fearful kid who had a hard time socializing. God, how I wished I had a Benny who would give me the chance to be part of a gang, it is sad to never had experience it.

I heard somewhere that a TV sequel was being planned, with the same actors from that time, now adults and parents teaching their kids how to play the sport they used to play in the empty lot. This could be interesting, but I doubt it'll become the next Cobra Kai, I could be wrong seen how Lilo & Stitch became a top box office grosser a few days ago.

I'd like to suggest an alternative, a story that I even felt was wasted in this first installment because, believe it or not, two sequels were produced, both of which were unsuccessful because it was too obvious. It's a shame it took the director until the third installment to understand the missteps.

Regarding the alternative, I'm referring to the character of Mr. Mertle. That's right, the beast's owner, played by the great James Earl Jones. Despite having him for a couple of minutes, those were enough to immortalize him in our minds when we discovered he was a potential baseball player. Fiction or not, witnessing his rise and fall was a story I would have liked to see, even if it was in flashbacks, to counteract the childishness with maturity.

In the absence of that, there is still an opportunity to produce a prequel with a young Mertle. Just imagine see him compete with the great Babe Ruth and witness his sudden and unexpected downfall as a professional baseball player. We could delve into his depression, his impending confinement until he's brought back to life thanks to Scotty and Benny.

I believe there is potential worth exploring on this tale, now more than ever, and I'm sure it could result in a profound success instead of following each of the boys' stories in our present day. It is just an idea.

Even so, it doesn't diminish the importance of the original film; within reason, it's still important for the inner child within us. I'm afraid to confess that I do feel the weight of the years, but at the same time it makes me happy for having this reference during our transition. Good or bad, we learn something.

Despite this, I still need to go back to 1985, to talk about The Goonies. To tell the truth, I'd never had the chance to watch it from beginning to end, only in parts. Honestly, back then it scared me so a lot, and as I got older, I kind of lost interest, not to mention that the music and effects got on my nerves every time I found on the cable tv. Also the monster and Chunk screaming all the time.

Two decades later and my surprise to found out an all-star ensemble: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman and Ke Huy Quan, wow seeing each one of as kids brought warm feelings to my heart. I was probably too young to enjoy it, hence my unfortunate lack of interest. If it weren't for Star Wars Skeleton Crew's nostalgic vibe, I would never have dared to watch it all the way through.

My respects to director Richard Donner and producers Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Not to mention Chris Columbus, who was responsible for the script and Dave Grusin's music. Everyone knew exactly how to navigate between innocence, adventure and drama. Yes, it is a children's adaptation, but it does has a sense of maturity in the core and a powerful message.

Now, I understand why Sean Astin was chosen to play Sam in The Lord of the Rings. His speech at the end of the Two Towers was and still is spectacular. I say this because it helped me during the pandemic as also his speech near the end of The Goonies. Obviously the search of the treasure does adquiere a sense of purpose when it is under the objective of helping their parents. It does get emotional, and sensitive when the awareness kicks in regarding being the last time all the gang will probably be together as kids.

It's worth noting that Feldman also starred in Stand by Me with Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell and even Kiefer Sutherland. I didn't know of its existence given that it released during 1986.

Thanks to some of the streaming platforms, I had the opportunity to revisit this cultural gem, and to my surprise, I found it very mature and transcendental for the age of the cast. Still a worthy title for children about to enter adolescence. It would have been of great help to have seen it exactly when I was turning into a teenager; not only in the management of emotional intelligence, but also in education and values. I said it due to having three or four scenes where our characters really delves into their feelings, struggles and the uncertainty of the future.

Perhaps this is Weathon's best performance; unfortunately, there are actors who, even when they shine as children, struggle to do so as adults. Unlike River Phoenix, who left us just as he was about to become a leading star after portraying a young Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade. What a tragedy. It hurts not to be able to go back in time and warn that child version of him.

Based on the novel by Stephen King, Stand by Me is the perfect vehicle to bring reason to children who are about to receive the call to adulthood. Brutally honest and challenging, given the introspection that emanates from its plot, both sensitive and intellectual. To say that the story is about four boys who set out on a journey to find the dead body of a missing boy, is something to think twice if one is the parent. But, in the end, it does offers an incredible and visual example.

Writing about these movies reminds me also of the spanish teen drama Live is Life, the fictional Super 8 horror-adventure and obviously Stranger Things. So, it's gratifying and enriching not only to rewatch these films but to reconnect with them as adults without forgetting how we felt back then and the mystery surrounding us as we tried to understand the path to adulthood.

It's important to be careful not to fall too deeply into nostalgia, because rummaging through the past sometimes reminds us of times when we were truly happy and didn't know it because all we wanted was to grow up quickly.