Herkules und die Sandlot Kids 2

It's 1972, 10 years after the original movie. A new group of kids play at the Sandlot. Johnnie is the little brother of the original's Scott Smalls. He's launching a rocket when David Durango and his friends confront him. He almost burns the dugout down and only saved by Hayley Goodfarier living next to the Sandlot. Later, Hayley and her two girl friends dare to show up on the field. David faces off against her underhand pitching and they decide to join forces. When the ball goes over the wall, Johnnie recounts The Great Fear.

There is a nostalgic love for the original which is always going to be trouble for any sequel. This is essentially mission impossible. The original has a timeless perfection which this one struggles with. The addition of girls is an interesting turn. It's fun to twist the "You play like a girl" insult. The sense of time and place is not quite up to snuff. The small contained coming-of-age world is lost to some degree. The kiss at the carnival is the first good moment although the tag at the plate should have been a dropped ball. As it stands, it's simply a hard play and not a dirty play. Samantha Burton is not a natural actress. It's obvious she's there for her ball skills and she's also pretty cute. The acting from the kids are uneven but they do kinda grow on me. The cat claw contraption is hilariously childlike. It's reminiscent of the original but inferior. This could be a lot worse.