The Sandlot 3: Heading Home

 Review

Common Sense Media says

A fun baseball movie with a good message.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this film features some immature kid behavior: sneaking into a movie theater, breaking into an abandoned house, and stealing baseball equipment. But the larger lesson that Tommy learns is that he doesn't have to always be bigger and better, and that he doesn't have to be a jerk to be successful. Expect a little bit of mild language ("fat ass," etc.).

  • At the beginning of the film, Tommy repeatedly sells out the people and things he loves to make himself look better. But in the end, he learns that he can be just as successful doing good things and listening to his heart. The kids do some irresponsible stuff (breaking into an abandonded house, stealing baseball equipment). An umpire tries to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on young Tommy, and the group freaks out at the prospect of two men's lips touching.
  • Tommy gets hit in the face with a baseball twice. Tommy tries to hit some firework technicians with the baseballs he hits. Young Tommy threatens to fight the town bully.
  • Tommy kisses his wife.
  • Mild language, including "nuts," "fat ass" and "buttface."
  • The Fox Sports Channel insignia appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen at the beginning of the film. Major League Baseball teams are prominently featured. Tommy and his mom go to see the film Young Einstein.

What's the story?

Cocky and arrogant, baseball player Tommy Santorelli (Luke Perry) jumps from team to team, looking for the biggest paycheck. Tommy needs an attitude adjustment, and he gets it in the form of a baseball to his noggin. When he awakens, he's 13 years old again, playing in the sandlot in his hometown. This was where he sold out the first time: To make it to a baseball prep school, he switches teams and ensures that the beloved sandlot will be torn down. But this time, he has a chance to do it differently. Can he put friendship first this time?


Is it any good?

 

If you mixed Back to the Future with A Christmas Carol and sprinkled in a liberal dose of baseball fandom, you'd end up with this sweet, fun baseball movie that entertains while it instructs.

There are so many delightful things about this film, even if it borrows most of its plot from other films. Yet predictable plot twists are handled with such a kind heart and light touch by director William Dear that you hardly mind. The film is effective and fun, and for young children who've never seen the earlier films, they're likely to delight.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about Tommy's transformation. Do you ever feel pressure to sell out your friends to get something you really want? Do you ever want something so badly that you're willing to do anything and hurt anyone to do it? What do you think would happen if you stuck to what you know is true for yourself? Families can also discuss the appeal of sports movies, especially those featuring underdogs. Why are they so much fun to watch?


This review was written by Heather Boerner
Teen, 14 years old
March 3, 2010
 
Great Movie!
I really liked it but they could have left some of the cussing out.

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Kid, 13 years old
April 1, 2009
 
Maybe give it a second thought
This movie isn't one of my favorites. I like the other ones better than this one but it's OK.

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Kid, 12 years old
February 19, 2011
 
perfect for kids, tweens, teens, and adults
I love the movie sooooo much! It's about this 41-year-old baseball player (famous, by the way) called Tommy Santorelli. He's really arrogant and selfish, and one day he got hit in the head with a baseball while in practice. He got transferred back to his past, back to 1976 (back to his 12-almost-13-year-old self). He met this baseball team called the Sandlot, who needs another player, and Tommy is just perfect to fill in. However, his attitude still leaves him some marks until he meets this more arrogant kid called E.J. who bullies one of the Sandlot kids, Ryan. Tommy dislikes E.J. as much as the cat hates the dog, and vice versa. So Tommy joined the Sandlot, and the rest of the adventures are pretty cool, like sneaking into a haunted house to get some baseball equipment, or practice baseball games in the old sandlot, as well as finally getting into a real game, battling loads of other teams. Finally, Tommy got into another baseball team, E.J.'s team, the Needmans. Which I have to mention are way fancier than the Sandlot. At the end, though, Tommy realized his mistake and went back to the Sandlot team--just in time to win a BIG GAME that determines the future of the sandlot. Overall, this is a really, really, really, really, really great movie, and this is the best movie ever besides How to Train Your DRAGON. There ARE a few rough and rude words here, but not the modern kind of rude words like "f**k". The rude words here are more like "fatty" and "dweeb" and things like that. The message is also really great, about friendship and loyalty. The acting isn't as good as some other movies, but the whole scene and story and idea BEATS the acting problem. Anyway it's not that bad. I would totally recommend The Sandlot 3: Heading Home. I haven't watched the first and second one but I've watched their trailers and I think The Sandlot 3 is truly the best one. You MUST take your kids (and yourself) to watch this movie.

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Teen, 16 years old
October 3, 2009
 
The so-called "mild" language ruined this movie for us.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Hmmmmm...
I think they should have stopped at number one...

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This review was written by Heather Boerner
Topics:sports and martial arts, friendship
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox
Director:William Dear
Cast:Danny Nucci, Keanu Pires, Luke Perry
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:96 minutes
Theatrical release date:May 1, 2007
DVD release date:May 1, 2007
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:language and some rude humor.

This review was written by Heather Boerner
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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