Field of Dreams (1989)

That's what it says in the credits if you stay long enough to notice. It's a statement that sums up the whole film. I don't intend to write a resume of the film as it has been done by many others. It's a very great film and I feel obliged to mention some of my favourite bits. The moment when Terrence Mann gives a nervous grin just before he disappears into the corn. The moment when Ray mets a young and fit father, a father he never knew. That was something which really hit home to me. I never knew my dad in his best years. Any scenes with Doc Graham but especially the last. Burt was always one of my very favourite actors and in this he was excellent. Perfect for the part.Lastly, the moment when they did come

You know, upon first glance of "Field of Dreams" you will laugh. 'Angels come from a corn field in Iowa.' Somewhat laughable, right? However, turn on the movie and you will realize this is something so much more. With a heart of gold and a subtlety in the plot that is truly magic one will easily see the importance of "Field of Dreams".Kevin Costner performance is great, in a role that is somewhat new role, yet very comfortable, almost as seeing an old friend in Ray Kinsella. I say new role (even though he does a baseball film every couple year) because Ray is not eccentric or overly heroic as in some of his movies in the past. Rather a subtle farmer who is going through a sort of mid life crisis and begins a journey through the mid-west in the name of baseball.There are two characters/actors that over shadow Costner's good performance. First, James Earl Jones, who not surprisingly give a convincing role as a reclusive author based on the real JD Salinger. Jones epic voice adds narrative and context to the film. The Second character is from Burt Lancaster as 'Doc' Graham, a character who deep in his heart is longing for one more game of baseball. 'Doc' is actually based on a real character, who's story alone would make a heart wrenching movie, he becomes part of the big picture.The downer, if any, comes from Shoeless Joe's character in Ray Liotta. He never felt real to me, as a baseball player, as a member of the 1919 White Sox, or as a human at any point in the film. Although he is an important part of the film, there is a little need for more in this undeveloped character.As many know, "Field of Dreams" is based on the book "Shoeless Joe" by WP Kinsella. After watching the film I was then drawn to the book, which I finally read about eight ears after first watching the film. It gave me a new interpretation of the film, and in fact I found the book much better and more complete characters then the film. So, in my opinion, you cant have one without the other.We realize about half way through the film, baseball is not the plot of the film, or even the most important thing to gain from the film. Rather, something more important, a longing for the different time in our lives, our individual past and a longing for what it is that makes us who we are. Looking a bit further, it is of a father and son/daughters bond. Whether it is through baseball or something else."Hey Dad, You wanna have a catch?"

In this movie we see a pretty good story based on the novel of it and James Earl Jones gives out one of his best performances as he did as the voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa in the Lion King. This story tells about Ray Kinsella who owns a farm and hears a mysterious voice telling him to build a baseball field so that he will come. That puts him and his family in a financial crisis though as building the baseball field cost them a lot of money and if they didn't have the money to pay off for the field they would have to sell the farm. Everything worked out in the end though as for more people started to believe that the 1919 Chicago White Sox were playing again in the field that Ray built. This is sort of a ghost story here but not the scary type. Also James Earl Jones's character was a ghost too and pretended that he was actually a famous writer. Also the person that Ray built the field for was none other then his own father and they saw each other again when he came. Now I don't believe in ghosts, but this is still a good film.

It's a baseball movie but you don't need to know anything about the game to enjoy the movie. Baseball was decided as the theme of the movie because it is an old American past-time, a pursuit of hard work and a bond between father and son. In some ways, it's comparable to Forrest Gump, but it takes a much more favorable tone of counter-culture.Sometimes it's hokey, but it is a fantasy movie. Every scene is intricately done. Characters are led by their dreams and everyone ends up where they need to be. It's a hymn of idealism that shows people at their very best achieving their dreams. From beginning to end, it's an entertaining captivating movie and it comes to an especially satisfying conclusion.