Field of Dreams

7/7/2019

Capra meets Serling for 1980's joyously multi genre hankie wetter. Coming back to Field Of Dreams over 20 years after its release finds this particular viewer beaming with happiness that the warmth I felt way back when still washes over me in the same way. Director Phil Alden Robinson (All of Me/Fletch) manages to turn W.P. Kinsella's novel, Shoeless Joe, into a multi genre film with deep emotional heart for both sexes to latch on to. It has a beautiful mix of mythology and family values that come together to realise a dream that ultimately rewards those viewers who are prepared to open themselves up to pure fantasy with a deep emotional core. It was nominated for best picture in 1989 because it struck a cord with so many people, it's not just the thematic heart of the film that deli

6/23/2020

_**Entertaining enough, but hampered by its fanciful premise**_ A family moves to an Iowa farm where the husband (Kevin Costner) hears a voice instructing him to guild a baseball diamond in the cornfield, promising “he” will come. Incredibly, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) shows up, along with seven other members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox who were banned from the game for throwing the World Series. Ray then pursues a reclusive author (James Earl Jones) to assist him with his fantastical situation. I know respectable people who cite “Field of Dreams” (1989) as their favorite movie and it does have some magic, along with some welcome humor and a fun road movie section, but it’s burdened by the thoroughly unreal set-up, which likely would appeal to hardcore baseball fans. Stil

11/25/2020

Field of Dreams is yet another movie that I originally watched a hundred years ago and recently had the chance to watch again. In my mind it was a fairly realistic story tinged with the large fantasy built into the plot involving what happens at the ball field. But that recollection was faulty; this movie is pure fantasy. That is not a criticism; I was just surprised I remembered it wrong that way. It is an entertaining movie that effectively plays upon the heartstrings. Not just with the plot involving Kinsella’s father and their fractured relationship; and with Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is perceived as a victim for accepting money for the plot that caused the Black Sox scandal and got him banished from the game, even though he didn’t follow through by purposely playing poorly. What he

6/18/2023

**A good movie to watch with the family.** In this film, a man who has just moved to a small country house, in order to have a quieter life, begins to be disturbed by a mysterious voice that invites him to build a baseball field on a large part of his land. cultivation. That's a bad idea, because he depends on the sale of production to pay off a bank loan taken out to buy the house. However, he decides to believe his instinct. Immediately, he begins to receive visits from former players who are now dead and who, while still alive, had been removed from the competition following harsh accusations of sporting misconduct. No, the film is not a horror film and, although the souls of the other world are very present, it is one of those delicious films to watch with the family. Here, the s

5/23/2025

"Field of Dreams" is a determined effort to encourage us all to dream of the past and to rediscover, relive and cherish the special memories from our childhood once more when the world still held a wealth of mysterious wonder and fascination for the inquisitive mind before the innocence of that time was slowly replaced by the unwelcome responsibilities of adulthood - and in some more unfortunate cases this was also accompanied by a jaded and cynical disillusionment which is hardly surprising. After all, the entire world is inundated by youthful dreams and aspirations many of which are destined to remain unfulfilled due to circumstances beyond anyone's control and this film understands that painful reality and therein lies its magical power. The theme of baseball is also well used to illust

1/6/2026

“Ray” (Kevin Costner) buys a farm with his wife “Annie” (Amy Madigan) and their daughter “Karin” (Gaby Hoffmann) and is just about making a going concern of growing corn. Amidst his crop one afternoon, he hears a voice. Nobody else heard it and so he disregards it. It’s a persistent instruction, though, telling him to uproot his livelihood and build a baseball diamond - complete with floodlights and rudimentary seats. Who on earth for? Well that turns out to be the thrust of this gentle fantasy as we go back fifty years to a team, led by the legendary “Shoeless Joe” (Ray Liotta) who were embroiled in a sporting scandal. Sceptical at first, his wife quickly comes round to the idea and once it is built all three of them espy a lone man standing on the pitch. Who is he and what does he want?