Rating: 
Summary: If You Build It, He Will Come
Review: Five stars is not enough for this movie. It is absolutely excellent. The film is about baseball, but also the love of family and believing in your dreams. Kevin Costner gives a stirring performance as Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer whose love for the game of baseball changes his life forever. Amy Madigan plays Costner's supportive wife. One day while working in his field, Ray hears a "voice" tell him "If you build it, he will come". Brushing this off, Ray lets the episode pass. However, he continually hears the voice, and finally has a vision of a baseball field in his cornfield. Ray remembers that Shoeless Joe Jackson was his father's hero and one of the infamous 1919 "Black Sox" who threw the World Series. Jackson, however, didn't alter his play during the series and wound up hitting well over .300. Meanwhile, Ray figures out what the voice was telling him; build a baseball field and Joe Jackson will come back. Ray plows under his corn and builds a magnificent baseball field on his own property. Finally, Jackson makes his appearance. Shortly thereafter, the voice speaks to Ray again. This time, the voice says "Ease his pain". Coincidentally, Ray and his wife attend a schoolboard meeting that same night. The parents are upset about some of the books that are being used in the local schools, some of which are written by 1960s leader Terrance Mann. Ray makes the connection; ease Mann's pain. So, he sets off for Boston to search out Mann. Mann, Played superbly by James Earl Jones, was a baseball fan and once gave an interview expressing his disappontment at the destruction of old Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn. Ray and Terrance attend a Boston Red Sox game, and the voice speaks to Ray again. This time it says "Go the distance". There is also a message about "Moonlight" Graham, a player who played only 1 inning of 1 game his entire career. To Ray's surprise, Terrance also sees the message. Now the two head to Minnesota to track down Graham. Upon arriving, they discover Graham never played baseball again and became a local doctor. Ray steps out of his hotel room and is transported back to 1972, the year Graham died. He finds Graham, played wonderfully by Burt Lancaster, walking down the street. The two converse about Graham's playing days. I was truly moved by Lancaster's portrayal of this character. His conversation with Ray was excellent. Ray asks "Doc" Graham to return with himself and Terrance to Iowa, but Doc declines. However, later in their trip, Terrance and Ray pick up a young hitch-hiker, who announceds his name as Archie Graham!! So he really did end up going with them after all, although he was much younger. The group arrives back at Ray's farm in Iowa, and Archie happily joins the players on the field. He told Ray that his one wish would have been to bat in the major leagues, for he only played the outfield in his one appearance. He got his chance on Ray's field. Terrance has a vision of his own. He envisions people paying money to come and see Ray's wonderful "Field of Dreams". In the end, Terrance walks off the field and into the corn with the players, and Ray is left with a row of cars stretching for miles to see his field.I can't explain enough how wonderful this movie is. The actors are top-notch, and the storyline is excellent. My favorite line from the movie is when Joe asks Ray "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers "No, its Iowa". The sense of family and going all out to accomplish your dreams is truly heartwarming. If you are a baseball fan, or if you just like good movies with morals and values, then this is the movie for you. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A True Baseball Classic
Review: Field of Dreams is a classic baseball movie that any sports fan should have to watch. Based on the novel titled Shoeless Joe, the movie follows Ray Kinsella who begins hearing a voice that tells him," If you build it, they will come." The voice is Shoeless Joe Jackson. Kinsella builds a baseball field in his cornfield, yet he doesn't really know why the voice is calling him. The movie follows his journey to discover the reasoning. This is an excellent movie with an awesome cast. Kevin Costner is his usual good self as Kinsella with Amy Madegan as his wife, Annie. The people that steal the show are Ray Liota as Shoeless Joe and James Earl Jones as retired writer Terrence Mann. Both men steal the scenes they are in throughout. This baseball classic is must see viewing for any sports fan. The DVD is very good and well worth the price. The documentary about the making of the movie is very interesting. Also, the ending to the movie will have you in tears. Just perfect. Do not miss!
Rating:
Summary: Guaranteed To Make You Feel Good About life
Review: FIELD OF DREAMS is a film about a man who pursues a big dream against heavy odds. In the process he serves as a catalyst for some remarkable events. The film is guaranteed to leave the viewer feeling good about life. It is adapted from a novel about Shoeless Joe Jackson by W. P. Kinsella. Kevin Costner stars as the man who has the dream and the strong supporting cast includes Amy Madigan, Gaby Hoffman, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster and Timothy Busfield. James Earl Jones gives a particularly memorable performance as a famous writer from the 1960's. The movie was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Original Score in 1989. The film's director Phil Alden Robinson also directed THE SUM OF ALL FEARS.
Rating: 
Summary: Strikeout
Review: Not so long ago Ben Mankiewicz, scion of the screenwriting/producing/directing family, told a great story on television: the first time he saw the 1989 "Field of Dreams" he was bawling in the movie theatre, that's how impressed he was. Ben's relationship with his father (Joseph's nephew) had always been close, and a great deal of their bonding had been associated with baseball. They had been going to games together since Ben was a kid. Therefore, as soon as Ben left the theatre, he called his father and gushed: "Dad, I've just seen 'Field of Dreams'!" Before he could go any further, the elder man growled: "Wasn't that the dumbest piece of crap you ever saw?" Poor Ben doesn't seem like a wimp, but he was so crushed by his father's reaction he had no choice but to agree. Having finally seen this fanatically idolized movie I can only say: "Bravo, Mankiewicz père!" This is beer-sappy bilge, the type of thing Homer Simpson would sob over at Moe's. I can't imagine a baseball fan enjoying this movie, any more than I can imagine anyone who really likes children sitting through a program with that obnoxious dinosaur. Written and directed with sledge-hammer simplicity by Phil Alden Robinson (who hasn't done much since), "Field of Dreams" is the story of Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer by way of Berkeley who, one afternoon in his cornfield, hears a voice: "If you build it, he will come." That's it, but Kinsella decides "it" is a baseball field, so he plows under his corn and constructs a diamond, complete with lights. Kinsella's convinced the "he" of the cryptic message is none other than Shoeless Joe Jackson, the player who, with seven of his team mates, was indicted in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal; but Kinsella is further convinced that Jackson was railroaded, an honest man who made a mistake. (Actually, Robinson's screenplay implies that Jackson was completely innocent -- citing his batting average as proof!) Kevin Costner had already established himself as a star of Cooperesque sincerity. Unfortunately, he got the goofy charm down pat but not the rugged individualism. Amy Madigan, as Kinsella's wife, is more difficult to judge. I think her character was meant to be a hybrid of Berkeley liberalism and mid-West spunk, but what comes across is somewhat shallow. (Following "Field of Dreams", Ms Madigan did a great deal of TV.)That patriarchal character actor James Earl Jones wastes his sepulchral voice on some pretty contrived dialogue; and, even sadder, Burt Lancaster makes one of his last screen appearances in an awkward scene involving a little girl's very unconvincing crisis. Robinson and Costner, before committing themselves to a baseball fantasy about a man fighting pragmatic odds, should have studied Clarence Brown's light but spiky "Angels in the Outfield". Between "Dreams" and "Angels", I'll bet the Mankiewicz elders would have preferred the latter.
Rating:
Summary: A Touch of Magic
Review: After seeing the movie years ago I had a chance shortly afterwards to see a Red Socks game at Fenway Park in Boston. As you might know, it is a very old ball park that appeared in the movie, and on that warm summer evening while it was still light out with the green grass and bright white uniforms, for a moment is was like being in the movie - a magical experience. This movie/DVD was probably Kevin Costner's finest work. He could have retired after the movie and been a star. He plays an Iowa farmer (Ray) that has a dream of making a ball park on his farm - it comes to him by some sort of communication with his father a dead baseball player. James Earl Jones plays a famous but cantankerous author - Terrance Mann - from Boston is drawn into the plot as is "Doc" Graham played and Burt Lancaster. The "Doc" who is older had always had wanted to become a player in the majors but had chosen medicine instead so it was his chance to play in Ray's fantasy park. A very unusual and wonderful movie. Must be among the top 20-30 movies ever made. 5 stars. Jack in Toronto.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Transcendentalism
Review: More than any other film, Field of Dreams, as presented by Phil Alden Robinson, best exemplifies the wonderfully spiritual 19th century philosophy of Emerson and Thoreau: Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism venerates nature; so do Ray Kinsella and Shoeless Joe on Kinsella's Iowa farm. Transcendentalism holds that paying close attention to intuition is an essential key to life; Field of Dreams is rife with characters following through on their intuitive insights. Transcendentalism holds that God speaks to us from within; Field of Dreams uses "The Voice" to show that Kinsella was finally listening. Transcendentalism demonstrates that everything in the universe is interconnected; Field of Dreams uses baseball and Kinsella's mystical field to show this hidden relationship among seemingly disparate things. I can think of no other movie that better demonstrates the healing power of our one true American spiritual philosophy. And I still can't believe it did not make the American Film Institute's list of the best 100 movies of all time. It is a magical experience.
Rating:
Summary: "I have just built something totally illogical!"
Review: Over the years there have been many baseball movies. But no baseball movie will ever be like "Fields of Dreams". The story is about an Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) who one day, out of the blue, hears a voice. The voice keeps saying, "If you build it, he will come." But 'build what' and 'who' will come? Ray soon comes to realize that he must build a baseball diamond in his field. Unfortunately for him, no one believes him and thinks he's totally crazy. The only support he has is from his wife Anni (Amy Madigan) and his daughter Karin (Gaby Hoffmann). After he completes his baseball diamond, Ray meets the famous Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta). Also coming to meet Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) and Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham (Burt Lancaster), Ray learns that heaven is where your dreams come true. A very interesting story, not at all what I though it would be. Though baseball is the 'theme' of the movie, baseball is in a way only a subplot of the story. In a way, "Field of Dreams" is a bit hard to tell 'what the story's about' but I assure you that once you watch it, you will enjoy it very much. Once you do see it, I recommend you read the trivia about the movie since it's very interesting to read about the history of American baseball and the 60's and how it relates in the movie. The acting is pretty well done with Kevin Costner giving a terrific performance. It's also lots of fun to see two very legendary and amazing actors, Burt Lancaster and James Earl Jones. The humor is also well placed all the lines are delivered well. One of my favorites lines are: Mark: "Admit it, Ray. You've never liked farming."
Ray Kinsella: "That's not true."
Mark: "It is true. You don't know the first thing about farming."
Ray Kinsella: "Yes I do. I know a lot about farming. I know more than you think I know."
Mark: "Then how could you plow under your major crop?"
Ray Kinsella: "What's a crop?" The whole movie is a very heartwarming experience and I can say that most anybody will enjoy the film. The movie is rated PG though because of some language so younger children are advised to watch with their parents. Plus, I think that younger children would find this type of movie a bit boring. For those who like Kevin Costner, here are a few more movies he has played in (the first two also being baseball movies):
"Bull Durham"
"For Love of the Game"
"Silverado"
"Dances with Wolves"
Rating:
Summary: Not really about baseball
Review: We all have at least one regret; most of us more than one. Maybe we said or did something stupid or cruel in a moment of passion, and left an eternal scar on someone we love, someone who loved us. Life rarely if ever gives us a second chance. In the words of Moonlight Graham (Burt Lancaster), an old small-town doctor who, fifty years before, got to play in the major leagues for just one inning, "...we just don't recognize the most significant moments of our lives when they're happening. I said to myself, 'There'll be other days,' but it turned out that that was the only day." The "dream" of this beautiful film, is the dream of the second chance. This theme is common to all the major characters, and by some inexplicable miracle the film pulls it off without ever becoming sappy. There are a few tiny flaws I could point out, but why? The film as a whole is such a towering achievement of the metaphysical, of the magical, of the spiritual, that if you are willing to suspend your disbelief even the tiniest little bit, it will take you to places in your soul that you didn't even know were there. In a strange and almost perfect way, "Field of Dreams" taps into that deepest and most precious place in the Judeo/Christian cultural tradition - that place where forgiveness and redemption live, and where that which is beautiful and good does not die or disappear, but instead lives forever. If those who have the courage to love are united by hope, this film is a glimpse of what they are hoping for.
Rating:
Summary: Field of Dreams (1989)
Review: Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Cast: Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Ray Liotta, Timothy Busfield.
Running Time: 106 minutes.
Rated PG for some mild language. Labeled as a sports film but so much more, "Field of Dreams" is a breathtaking, touching, and mystical adaptation of W.P. Kinsella's delicate baseball novel "Shoeless Joe". On a mysterious night while working in his farm, average family man Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner in a heartwarming, brilliant performance) hears the faint whispers proclaiming "if you build it, they will come". Ray has no idea what this means and why he hears these voices, but he is determined to find answers to his questions. With the guidance and support of his loving wife (Amy Madigan), Kinsella decides to use all of his family's money and land to build a beautiful baseball field-not knowing its purpose and why Ray felt he had to build it. Ray is also compelled to track down a once-famous novelist (James Earl Jones) and an unknown baseball star named "Moonlight Graham" (Burt Lancaster) because they are somehow connected to the spiritually enveloped ball diamond. Seen by only himself, his family, and the novelist, Ray's field becomes the playing ground for the spirits of former ballplayers whose careers were cut short by fate and tragedy. As Ray learns more about the purpose of the field, he continues to lose money from not growing crop. He is on the brink of losing his land and home, but Ray is still obligated to understand his true destiny-and he believes it is the field. Kevin Costner delivers one of the defining performances of his career, capturing Kinsella in a fashion that only he could produce. James Earl Jones is a fine choice as the cloistered activist Terrance Mann. "Field of Dreams" cultivates from being a standard baseball story and becomes a miraculous metaphor for the American dream, the love for family, and the incredible bond of father and son. It is a tale that symbolizes what is good about cinema, how movies can carry an audience into a fantasy world that we all wished we were still a part of, and brings out the child in all of us. A brilliant feature for the whole family.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie
Review: Field of Dreams is one of the best movies ever made. You dont expect the ending and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. You think the whole while that he is doing everything for Shoeless Joe only to realize at the end that he was doing everything to get reunited with his father. If the ending of this movie doesn't bring a tear to your eye then you are missing the whole point of this movie. Dreams Can Come True
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