Receiving a 1990 Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, Field Of Dreams is as close to perfect as a movie can be (character "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's right-handed batting stance is about the only flaw that can be found). Director Phil Alden Robinson provides a Frank Capra-esque performance with his brilliant adaptation of W.P. Kinsella's remarkable book Shoeless Joe. A rare, family-friendly movie certain to captivate and inspire adults both young and old, Field of Dreams is an amazingly memorable film that transcended its sports theme and penetrated American pop culture. Even after almost two decades, variations of the famous whispering voice find their way into TV commercials, sketch comedies, and print headlines everywhere. Like Hoosiers, it provides the sports genre with a level of depth that such films oftentimes lack.
The film begins with the life narrative of Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), highlighting numerous events which shaped and defined his life - his father's love of baseball (especially banned Hall-Of-Famer "Shoeless" Joe Jackson), estrangement from his father at a young age, the upheaval of the 1960s, and finally, Ray's love affair with his wife Annie (Amy Madigan). In their mid-thirties, the couple takes a bold step when they purchase an Iowa corn farm and give birth to their first child, daughter Karin.
Following the narrative, the film moves to the present day where one of the most famous movie lines in cinema history is hoist upon the audience. While Ray tends to his cornfield, he hears a mysterious voice whisper, "If you build it, he will come..." Realizing he is the only one who hears the voice, Ray struggles with the idea that he may be going crazy. His thoughts are later reinforced when, late one night, he gazes out his bedroom window and envisions a baseball field emblazoned in the middle of his backyard. Under the impression that if he builds the baseball field, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) will come to play upon its surface, Ray acquires the blessing of his wife and sets out to make his dream a reality.
He plows up his cornfield and builds a full-size baseball diamond, but when an uneventful year passes by, Ray begins to question the wisdom of his decision. As he and Annie struggle to keep the farm afloat financially, Karin points out that a man is standing on daddy's baseball field. The mystical appearance of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson sparks a chain of equally startling events as long-deceased icon ushers other ex-ballplayers from the depths of the mysterious corn to practice and play ball. More importantly, Ray starts to hear voices once again...
Following his dreams with reckless abandon and placing his faith in the voice, Ray is brought into contact with estranged writer Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) and a charming small town pediatrician named Archibald "Moonlight" Graham (Burt Lancaster). But ultimately, it's the unlikely appearance of another individual that transforms Ray's life when he learns the true meaning of the phrase "If you build it, he will come..."
With an emotional ending certain to touch even the most hardened of audience members, Field of Dreams is a cinematic masterpiece that combines American nostalgia, and love for life into an inspirational and memorable tale of a man bold enough to reach for his dreams. Amazingly, the film has zero explosions, zero sex scenes, and no profanity (unless you count stuff like "gosh darn") yet the film enjoyed widespread commercial success. It's a testament to the timeless nature of its story and the universal reach of its theme of family, faith, and redemption. Overall, unless your spirit is dead, you're certain to be moved by this film...
About the Author
Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a movie review site [http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com] where you can find more reviews like this one of the Field Of Dreams (DVD) Review [http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/03/field-of-dreams-dvd.html].
