April 20, 1993 -- ``Sandlot'' is not your standard dumb kid's movie. It is not only a smart film, it also has heart. This is about two notches above most dumb kid's films of the teenage mutant ninja turtles variety. It also avoids most of the standard movie cliches. There is no car chase, no ``big game'' at the end of the film and the adults are not portrayed as morons.

Instead, what we have are fleshed out characters. A kid who wants to play baseball, but knows nothing about it. Another kid who is a great player and lives for the game and other kids who, refreshingly, act like real kids.

The baseball scenes are extensive, well-staged and well-filmed. The scenes with the terrible ``beast'' of a dog who lives next to the sand lot are very entertaining.

The dog is kept hidden until the end of the film, creating a real mystique about the creature. While the plot is a little predictable, the story is freshly handled for the most part. This is one of the best family entertainment films to come out in recent years. It rates an A.

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