Field Of Dreams

Released 1989
Reviewed April 7, 1998
Stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson

This is one of my favorite movies. It's pure magic. I don't know how many times I've seen it, because I get sucked in so many times while channel surfing. Every time I run across it, I watch it to the end. I can't help myself.

It's about a couple, Ray and Annie Kinsella, who are played by Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan. They're children of the sixties. Although they're in their mid-thirties and have a young daughter, they haven't lost their sixties ideals. In fact, their personalities exude those ideals.

The movie opens shortly after they have moved to a small farm in Iowa. Ray may not be much of a farmer, but he knows he shouldn't be hearing voices in the cornfield. "If you build it, he will come," whispers the voice. Unfortunately for Ray, only he and the audience can hear it. Also, unfortunately for Ray, the voice is insistent. What does it mean? Ray decides it's telling him to plow under a large portion of his crops to build a baseball field. If he does this, he thinks Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) will get to play baseball again. None of this makes sense, but Ray's ideals lead him to do it. Furthermore, Annie's ideals allow her to go along with it. This is no easy decision, because they can't afford the farm without that acreage, and they are considered completely crazy by the rest of the folks in the county. What others think of you and money are two of the biggest motivators in our society. They were also two things that were rebelled against in the sixties. Without their convictions, this setup would seem contrived. It doesn't, and everything flows naturally.

Shoeless Joe does show up, and this is where the movie really takes off. It becomes mystical. It also becomes the best commentary on men's relationships I've seen. It does so through baseball. When I was growing up in Michigan during the 1970's, I loved baseball. I loved to play, and I loved to follow the Detroit Tigers. I spent countless afternoons listening to Ernie Harwell on the radio while working on our farm. This movie brings back all of those memories in glorious detail. I remember the players names (Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Tom Veryzer). I remember the smell of my glove. I remember traveling to the nearby towns with my teammates...

Best of all, I remember my relationship with my dad. After all, that's what this movie is really about. I remember playing catch with him. I remember him helping me oil my new glove. We used a rubber band to hold a ball in the pocket while we soaked it in the tub overnight (I'll pass this onto my son). We discussed the Tigers' fortunes and (mostly) misfortunes. They're such fond memories, and "Field of Dreams" brings them back in waves.

One thing women don't really understand about men is how much our relationships are defined by sports. It's a topic we can always discuss with each other. Regardless of how well I know or don't know someone, it's always safe to talk about the Packers, for example. Especially with fantasy sports today, sports are a big component of my closest friendships. Women don't understand this. They think the time we spend discussing sports is wasted, but it's who we are. Competition is deeply ingrained in men. In a civilized society, we need some way to express that competition, and we use sports. As we age and lose our ability to play them, we need to replace the competition that we lose. We do so by living vicariously through other athletes--whether they're professional, college, or our children. "Field of Dreams" understands all of this, and it explores that aspect of our relationships without overtly discussing it.

Eventually, other dead members of the "Black Sox" come back to join Shoeless Joe, and the players practice on Ray's field. The way the movie handles the dead players is perfect. They're not ghosts, and they seem as real as anyone else. Yet, they are confined to the ball field, and they do have somewhere to go after practice. They joke about it ("I'm melting"), which makes it seem even more real. It also removes any unnecessary reverence for their situation.

In a supporting role, Burt Lancaster plays a country doctor named Archie "Moonlight" Graham, who had a brief stint in the major leagues as a youngster. Graham provides two of the more poignant moments in the movie. One is when he explains that it doesn't bother him that he was only able to play professional ball for a short time; that he got within an inch of realizing his dream. He tells Ray, "If I had only been a doctor for five minutes, now that would have been a shame." Graham serves to put sports in its proper perspective, and I greatly admired the character. He epitomized small town doctors who bypass the lure of big money to practice medicine where they're needed so badly. Lancaster lights up the screen. You can feel he's completely content with the choice he made. You feel his love for his wife and the townspeople he serves.

It's a shame I can only give this film four stars. It deserves more.

Reviewed by Bill Alward  Home

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