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Summary: If you build it, he will come....
Review: This is a wonderful movie for anyone who has or had a dream. Kevin Costner portrays small town Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella, who hears a voice urging him to build a baseball field. The townspeople think that he's crazy, but he knows its his destiny. His wife, Annie (Amy Madigan) supports him fully at first. Ray Liotta is excellent as Shoeless Joe Jackson, who one day shows up at Ray's baseball field. Shoeless Joe is joined by numerous baseball players from the past, who just want to have the chance to play baseball again. Ray heads out on a journey to track down writer in seclusion, Terry Mann (James Earl Jones). After a lot of hemming an hawing, Terry joins him on his qwest. They next encounter Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, who is brilliantly portrayed by legendary actor Burt Lancaster. Ray, Terry, and Dr. Graham all have a common interest, though. They all yearn for the years past, what used to be...to have that second chance to fulfill their dreams. **On a side note, this was one of Burt Lancaster's last screen roles before he passed away. It was wonderful to see this accomplished actor in such a role, as the wise older physician who gave up his dreams in order to help others. This is a must see film for anyone who has not yet realized their dreams, or maybe you have - it'll bring back memories of those times.
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Summary: Field Of Dreams
Review: Field of Dreams is an epic movie. Ray Kinsella a farmer in the mid west. The movie is based on the plot of Ray hearing voices that convince him to build a baseball field on his farm. It goes though Rays journey of what the voices are telling him to do with his baseball field the reason for this journey is why you must watch this movie. This is an excellent movie because it deals with a mans struggle to find himself in life also dealing with his relationship with his father and, his family life. This is a very heart touching movie and do not think you have to love baseball just to watch this movie though it does help. It is a funny but yet a very heart warming movie for the whole family. I would give a five star a must buy.
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Summary: There's just something about it
Review: I don't know what it is about this movie. I am not a baseball fan, but there was something in it that made one of my all-time favorites. Also, on the vhs version my parents had, there's a note at the end of the credits that says "for our parents", I thought that was pretty cool.
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Summary: Baseball, Dreams, Magic, and Fine Acting
Review: "Field of Dreams" is one of the finest movie-tributes to a sport that exists. The movie has a dream-like quality, with supernatural touches and magic here and there. Besides a fine story, good acting, and beautiful scenery, it is clear from the first moment of this film that the people involved - behind the scenes and on stage - have a deep, abiding love of baseball. Along with that, you have a man struggling to understand and to find himself in a way that is healthy, productive, and true to himself and others. He not only finds himself, but his father, in the process. Besides good film-making, this is simply fine story-telling. The two keywords for this movie are craftsmanship and heart.
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Summary: Outstanding in its field
Review: Depending on your world view, you'll either dismiss "Field Of Dreams" as cloying new age hokum for aging hippie NPR-supporting lefties, or you'll find it a magical,emotionally resonant modern-day Capra-esque fable. Although star Kevin Costner gives one of his more appealing performances (before his ego got the better of him), it's the venerable presence of both James Earl Jones (quite memorable as a J.D. Salinger-type author) and Burt Lancaster (a class act as always, in one of his final screen roles) that give the movie some real heft. Ray Liotta and Amy Madigan are both cast against type as a benevolent ghost and Costner's feisty yet unconditionally loving wife, repectively. A definite one-of-a-kind movie experience, despite several attempts since by other filmmakers to capture the same magic ("Contact" and "Frequency" were nice tries, but fell short of the mark).
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Summary: The mystic power of baseball.
Review: Great fantasy of baseball nostalgia, family relationships, and unfulfilled dreams. The key word is "fantasy." Forget logic, suspend disbelief, and you will do fine. The gentle sentiment and warmhearted humor of the movie cover a multitude of unlikely plot developments. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), sort of an updated version of Jimmy Stewart's "every man," embarks on a seemingly foolish task inspired by a ghostly "voice" to convert his cornfield into a baseball field. Amy Madigan is both comical and frustrated as Ray's wife, an aging activist from the '60s. As a kooky ex-radical, she initially supports the goofy idea. Upon mature reflection, however, she worries about the income needed to save the family farm. Things take on a definite other-worldly quality when Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) and other old-time players appear on the mist-shrouded field and play ball. Adding to the mystery, the "voice" directs Ray to a reclusive writer (James Earl Jones). He is drawn kicking and screaming into Ray's real-life fantasy, until he becomes intrigued by the possibilities. Burt Lancaster is excellent as Doc Graham. Doc's demise 16 years before our story doesn't stop him from playing an essential role in the plot. 50 years ago he yearned to be a baseball player, but a career in medicine got in the way. Ultimately, the mystic ball field represents the yearning in everyone to find a peaceful place where dreams come true, and lost opportunities are found. The fade-out displaying a long line of cars driving to Ray's field makes this point nicely. Relax and enjoy the fantasy. ;-)
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Summary: If I could give it '6' -- I would.
Review: As the title implies, this is a 'magic' film. Not that the movie is about sword & sorcery -- it's not. It's about the magic of believing in a dream and following through. Touching without forced sentimentality is how I guess you might best describe the story. It's about an Iowa farmer (Kevin Cosner), estranged from his father (now deceased) from the age of 17, who mananges a second chance to make amends by building a very special baseball diamond on his farm. I won't go over the story line. I'm sure one of the 67 previous reviews has already done that. Instead, let me assure you that this is a film you will not soon forget, nor regret having bought. And while you might not be willing to accept that this story could actually happen, the sheer humanity of it will overwhelm you -- possibly to even shedding a tear during the ending scenes. The action flows smoothly with little or no wasted footage. The movie's message comes through loud and clear, the acting is suberb and the directing is unmatched. Yes, Hollywood can still make 'em. The DVD itself is bright and clear for both picture and sound. I don't know why they are rated so low in those two categories above. The disc comes with an added bonus "scrapebook" with the story behind the story. Yes, it's pricy at almost $30, but I think you'll find that the DVD is worth it. Definately a film you'll watch more than once. Bottom line? Great (and I do mean great) movie at a somewhat high price -- but worth the admission. Definitely a 'keeper'. *** Highly Recommended *** ~ P ~
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Summary: This movie almost made me like baseball!
Review: I never liked baseball, because I was always so bad at it. Let's put it this way: If you like baseball, you'll love this movie. If you DON'T like baseball, you are likely to STILL love this movie! "If you build it, they will come" changed my life--I never forgot it--somehow, it just seemed like such a wonderful way of thinking, a good way to live life. (If you haven't seen the movie yet--you're in for a treat, and you'll see what I mean.) It's an excellent movie, and one of very few that I've ever bought. (My husband never liked baseball, either, but to my astonishment, I found that he shares my love for this baseball movie!)
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Summary: WANNA HAVE A CATCH?
Review: Okay, this is a feel good movie. You cry at the end because you are happy for Costner's character for having this supernatural chance to meet again with his father and "have a catch". They, beyond the grave, reconcile differences they had in life. The plot is fantasy at its best, very far-fetched, but with an excellent cast, which makes the story engaging and heartfelt. It is one of the few movies in which I have enjoyed Costner's performance and found him warm and likeable. Although at first his pairing with Amy Madigan as his wife seemed a bit strange, I came to appreciate their functioning as a family unit. Madigan and Costner are passable as 60s liberal leftovers who try to make a life as farmers in Iowa, but somehow are missing some magic that leads Costner into a quest for himself (midlife crisis, you could say) that makes him hear voices and obey their commands. James Earl Jones is excellent as Terrence Mann, and it was nice to see Burt Lancaster play the small but pleasant role of Archibald "Moonlight" Graham. Ray Liotta was actually also a joy to watch as Shoeless Joe Jackson. I genuinely enjoyed the picture and appreciated that it did not try too hard to teach any lessons nor did it try to be anything more than it was. It also has at its heart a healthy love for American history and baseball's place in it.
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Summary: Costner Hits A Home Run
Review: After Kevin Costner had a huge hit with the romantic comedy Bull Durham which was about a minor league baseball team, people though he was foolish to follow it up with another baseball movie. They couldn't have been more wrong as Field Of Dreams was a smash hit and the finest role of his career. Mr. Costner is Ray Kinsella, a Iowa corn farmer struggling to get by. He keeps hearing voices that say "if you build, he will come". He figures out through a vision that it is a baseball field that is to be built. Everyone except his wife Annie (Amy Madigan) thinks he nuts. After the field is built, players start coming out the field to play on it. Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) is one of them. No one but Ray and his family can see them. He has another vision that leads him James Earl Jones, a reclusive writer from the 60's, living in Boston. Along the way back, they pick up a young ball player. The player then turns out to be a doctor (Burt Lancaster) who saves Ray's daughter from choking. The film is a real fantasy and has an oddball plot, but all the actors give likable performances. The film, despite its plot revolving around Baseball, is not a sports movie. Baseball is used as an allegory for life. On the field, players who have had checkered pasts or left life with situations unsettled have a chance at redemption. One of the most touching scenes is where Ray has a catch with his father on the field. His father had past away and they never had a chance to resolve their differences, but on the field, everything is okay. His father is younger and doesn't know Ray is his son. He is just another ballplayer who has come to the field. Field Of Dreams is one of the most original movies to come out in the past twenty years and is a real American classic.
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