Field of Dreams Reviews

• Don't trade in your OLD copies of this movie....!!!

  
  By on 2004-06-08
  Hi...
  this is a great movie..great transfer and great extra features...commentary, roundtable with hall of fame baseball players...bravo special ...current day update on the actual field of dreams location....BUT , and its a big one...it does NOT contain the fabulous hour long making of documentary from the initial release!!! as well as many of the other bonus features....
  so.....if you are a fan , you will most likely want both editions...
  I don't understand why they couldn't have included the bonus features from the first "collectors" edition to make this the definitive issue...but Like ON GOLDEN POND ...you get a newer edition with great extras which don't duplicate the original....
  anyway...just thought I'd warn fans out there who are thinking of "trading up" for the new edition...
  
  

• Baseball + Metaphysics = Perfection

  
  By A11PTCZ2FM2547 on 2003-01-31
  I love baseball. Not only in its purest form is it the greatest game ever invented, it is also the only game that completely and thoroughly transcends and binds our country to past, present, and future--generation to generation.

  Director Phil Alden Robinson's FIELD OF DREAMS pays homage to baseball's majestic, magical link to nostalgia. When a struggling Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) begins "hearing voices" and subsequently plows under his cornfield and builds a baseball diamond, he becomes a pariah to his community--to his family. But Ray knows he's tapped into a special level of consiousness: a beautiful, soothing karma that slowly but wonderfully manifests itself throughout this incredible film. The baseball field itself becomes a portal to another world, enabling players from baseball's Golden Age to return. To play baseball. As the film draws to its dramatic, moving ending, Ray surveys his field of dreams and remarks, "This is perfect."

  And it is.

  Kevin Costner turns in his finest performance. Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan, Timothy Busfield, and the great Burt Lancaster are exceptional. But it is James Earl Jones, who plays disgruntled author Terrence Mann and eventual soul mate to Kinsella, who is the catalyst that takes this film to a higher level. And FIELD OF DREAMS goes to that level, and beyond, like a homerun leaving the upper deck. Highly, highly recommended.
  
  

• Listen to your inner voice.

  
  By AK6UVFSU07NXH on 2000-08-14
  Most of the time we're told that God moves in mysterious ways. There is a grand plan but it is too complex for any one person to understand. Well, that has never sat comfortably with me and it is this feeling that "Field of Dreams" addresses. We watch spellbound as one act on the part of an Iowa Farmer, brings about positive changes in a great many lives. What at first seems a crazy act, blossoms into a miracle, as the full scope of the plan becomes apparent.
  
  This movie speaks to many parts of the human heart but the common theme is redemption. Most of us have regrets, some big, some small. But all we can usually do is dream about the world of "what if". When Ray Kinsella, (Costner), starts to hear voices, "what if" starts to become very real indeed. Psychiatrists would not hesitate to diagnose a farmer, who hears voices and then plows his corn crop under to build a baseball diamond, as schizoid. But Ray has more faith than most doctors, and his wife, Anni, supports him all the way.
  
  Despite the financial problems of the farm, Ray listens to the voice and takes off on a road trip. He aims to find Terrence Mann, (James Earl Jones), a famous writer from the 60's who has dropped out of the public eye. Interestingly, the voice never told him to do this. It tends to be very general about things, saying "If you build it, he will come" or "Go the distance". But Ray becomes adept at reading the signs and interpreting the specifics.
  

  
  As he travels across the country, Ray picks up partners. And in the end he manages to participate in several transformation which are much more remarkable than a cornfield turning into a ballpark. A burned-out writer gets an injection of passion. A small town doctor gets to play out a lost opportunity. A disgraced ball player is able to pick up the bat one more time. Ray is finally able to forgive and apologize to his father, and his family farm gets a new lease on life.
  
  It's true that "Field of Dreams" is a feel good film with a happy ending but it's more than the standard Hollywood treacle. Powerful themes are woven amongst some very real characters. Themes like faith, trust, perseverance, selflessness and hope. Of course it also says a lot about baseball, which is not surprising given that Kevin Costner is the star. You walk away from this movie believing in miracles and suspecting that God may know what he's doing after all, at least when he's not busy playing ball down in Iowa.
  
  

• A NEAR PERFECT COLLECTOR'S DVD

  
  By A2JP0URFHXP6DO on 2005-02-09
  Field of Dreams is a modren day fable. A fantasy played out not in an enchanted realm of dragons and faeries, but in a middle American Iowa cornfield. Costner plays Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who one day hears a voice telling him "If you build it, they will come." Build what and who will come? Well the answer is, of course, a regulation baseball diamond right in the middle of his cornfield. Townspeople think Ray is nuts but his idealistic wife Annie (Amy Madigan) has faith in Ray.
  
  Ray continues to get new messages from the voice that leads him to Boston to track down a reclusive author Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) where, in films funniest moment, Ray explains to Mann that he has to take him to a baseball game at Fenway Park and Ray fakes having a gun in his jacket to coerce the skeptical writer.
  
  Eventually THEY do come...spirits of deceased baseball players, right out of his cornfield to play ball on Ray's diamond, including Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) the wrongfully banned player from the Black Sox scandal. All the while Ray's brother in law Mark (Tim Busfield) is trying to get Ray to sell his farm before the bank forecloses on it. Eventually, as in any mythical fairy tale, all things work out and one could end the film by saying they all lived happily ever after!
  
  Costner's "aw shucks" All-American boy style was perfectly suited to his role in this film. James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster (as Moonlight Graham) also stood out although Liotta's Jackson was a bit too refined for a guy who was supposed to be something of a country bumpkin. This is a magnificent film and one of the best of the 1980's.
  
  This 15th anniversary release features a host of special features including a remastered anamorphic presentation of the film. There's a new 90 minute documentary, A roundtable discussion between Costner and several former pro baseball players discussing the film, deleted scenes, Director commentary, a visit to "moonlight Graham's" hometown, and much more. Truly a worthwhile collectors edition. Highest recommendation!
  
  

• Truly One of the Best Movies Ever Made

  
  By A13910TC3NZ6LE on 2000-01-08
  If any one of the many movies Kevin Costner has made established him as a major box office star, it would have to be this one (although Dances With Wolves ranks a very close second).

  As I've mentioned to many of my friends, when you mix Costner with Iowa and baseball you have a entertainment trifecta (of course I grew up in Iowa so I may be prejudiced). This movie is superb and succeeds on every level. It's a beautiful story of hope and redemption. Costner plays the Iowa farmer portrayed in W. P. Kinsella's novel with just the right amount of wide-eyed wonder mixed with a spirit of adventure. Amy Madigan is also well cast as his wife Annie. I only wish my wife were as indulgent of my crazy ideas. Although I disagree with a previous customer reviewer who thoroughly trashed this picture, I do agree with him that Tim Busfield was irritating (as he is in virtually every movie or TV show in which I've ever seen him).

  Two or three really great scenes stand out in "Field of Dreams". James Earl Jones' speech about baseball is one of those classic pieces of solliloquy in motion pictures that people will remember 50 years from now, right up there with "here's looking at you, kid" from Casablanca. The scene near the end of the movie where Ray plays catch with his father is enough to bring a tear to the eye of every man, and the wistfulness of a time gone by that Burt Lancaster shows us as "Moonlight Graham" is simply elegant.

  I often think about what I would personally rate as the top ten movies I've ever seen in my life, and I have to say that the top spot on my list is a tossup between this movie and "Pleasantville". Perhaps I'll watch "Field of Dreams" this weekend and think about it some more.
  
  

• Definitive (so far) version of a magical movie
  By A3GO30NMGCLOQV on 2007-01-09
  OK, I'll start by admitting my bias when it comes to this film. Field of Dreams is my favorite all-time movie--there, I've said it! So this release was obviously among my first HD DVD purchases, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed in the least. It looks and sounds better than ever. A lot of reviewers have taken this HD DVD to task for the apparent grain and false hues in the image, but my conclusion is that this transfer is the very best that can be had from the original film stock. The release shouldn't really be criticized for decisions the director and DP made 15 years ago! So, yes, I agree that this isn't the best image I've seen on HD DVD, but it ain't bad, either. By no means does it distract from the engrossing, emotional storyline. The extras, ported over from the 15th anniversary DVD release, are abundant and interesting, especially for the legions of fans still captivated by this film. They just don't make 'em like this anymore, so don't dare miss this movie (and HD DVD), which makes you who believe that anything is possible if you have faith.
  
  
• Great movie and extras but missing earlier extras
  By A2068BC3ZXAVJQ on 2004-12-14
  Field of Dreams is an incredible movie. It is about the importance and timeliness of belief and hope and family and even baseball. It has a fine cast with Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster and Amy Madigan who all work so well together. This is also one of a handful of movies that is even better then the book.
  
  I also agree with and want to thank a prior reviewer who suggested keeping your old Field of Dreams DVD (mine is the Collectors Edition) and buying the new two DVD version (rather than trading the older version for the newer one). The extras on both are great. I especially loved the deleted scenes included in the new version as well as a piece on how people still visit the field where the movie was made. Still, The Making of Field of Dreams on the earlier DVD, which is not included in the new version, taught me much about the movie and movie making and added to my appreciation of the movie. If you can--keep both copies in your DVD library.
  
  
  
• Just about perfect
  By A1UNJ46NSB352E on 2004-10-18
  Ray Kinsella hears a voice telling him to build something. He makes a leap of faith, supported by his wife, and builds a baseball field. Lo and behold, none other than Joe Jackson appears and brings some of the other tarnished 1919 "black sox" with him. Eight in all, to be exact. Ray continues on his trip, following the mysterious voice, trying to figure out what to do. He may lose everything, yet he still continues.
  
  Kevin Costner was at his finest in this movie, and the supporting cast is nothing short of astonishing. It is one of the most moving sports stories ever told and one of the most moving father/son movies ever told.
  
  
• "I have just built something totally illogical!"
  By A3MCQSIBV7QW8Q on 2002-07-16
  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"
  
  

• Sentimental nonsense
  By on 2004-07-12
  Sports fans tend to be both nostalgiac and sentimental and sports movies tend to fall into the same trap. This movie is a perfect example of why sports, and especially baseball, rarely makes for great cinematic subject matter. Corny, predictable and manipulative- perhaps baseball fans might enjoy it, but I can't imagine anyone else sitting through it.
  
  
• WANNA HAVE A CATCH?
  By A84UFSF2SZS2W on 2001-02-11
  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.
  
  
• Possibly the best. . .
  By A3MSB482DIB9SL on 2001-08-03
  . . .baseball movie of all time.

  I saw this movie in the theatres back when it was first released (and nominated for the Academy Award). I now own it (and have for years) and re-watch it periodically.

  The movie succeeds on a number of levels.

  First, it shows great love and respect for the game of baseball -- the National Pastime. (Yes, I enjoy other sports as well -- but there is something very nearly religious about baseball -- and this shines through in the movie).

  Second, the cast is wonderful. This is possibly Costner's best role -- certainly his best baseball role. Amy Madigan was perfect in this picture as well, as was James Earl Jones (always a treat) and Burt Lancaster. Even Timothy Busfield (whom many of us loved to hate in "Thirtysomething")is wonderfully despicible. And Shoeless Joe could not have been depicted better.

  Third, the movie demonstrates what many of us truly believe in our hearts: Fairy tales are real, and dreams do, indeed, sometimes come true.

  Can a true lover of baseball get through this movie without emotion? Doubtful.
  
  

• Heaven On Earth....
  By A2ZSC81MXLBELX on 2003-11-12
  This review refers to "Field of Dreams"(VHS edition)....

  "Field of Dreams" is just one of those films that everybody can agree on. It's like your favorite comfort food.....you just can't get enough of this wonderful feel good story that is as American as apple pie and baseball! It's poignant, funny, will warm your heart and will make you want to follow your dreams.

  Ray Kinsella(Kevin Costner), graduate of Berkley University has decided to settle down to a quiet farming life in Iowa.Along with his wife Annie, and Karin, his little daughter, they settle into quiet contentment.That is until Ray hears "the voice".A voice in his cornfield,telling him "if you build it, he will come".He is confused not only to the meaning of this message, but as to why he is the only one to hear it.The voice is not going away though, and Ray finally gives in to it(after
  ruling out a 60's kind of a flashback), and listens. He gets a vision of a baseball field and now knows what he must do.To the dismay of all but Annie and Karin,he turns his crop of corn into a "Field of Dreams".

  It's heaven on earth, as the field comes alive with baseball ghosts of the past.But Ray is not finished yet, there's more..the voice sends another message and Ray feels compelled to listen once more,even though it may cost him his farm.

  It's a wonderful story that will leave you with a smile and one that the whole family may enjoy(mild language). The cast is fabulous. Amy Madigan is the fiesty, funny Annie, a young Gabby Hoffman is Karin, and legendary greats James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster also have substantial parts and turn in superb performances.It is beautifully directed by Phil Alden Robinson("Sneakers"), and the music by James Horner is hauntingly perfect and sounds great in stereo surround.

  This is one you might want to put on that "if you could only take 3 movies to a deserted island" list, as it is one that never loses it's hold on you.

  Enjoy....Laurie
  
  

• Not really about baseball
  By A2WJSVSBXEYEF on 2004-06-02
  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.
  
  

• It was you. -- No, it was YOU.
  By A2WSI8HOWHFDOT on 2004-06-26
  When I attended the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, we were given one rule: "Never write about Christmas, the circus or baseball." The reasoning was that these three topics were just too ingrained in the American psyche, they were too iconic, and that they had been used too often. Well, I'm glad that Ray Kinsella (author of the book "Field of Dreams") and screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson didn't attend the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

  FIELD OF DREAMS is a marvelous examination of America's infatuation with baseball and a moving exploration of family loyalties. Ray (as sensitively played by Kevin Costner) has a loving wife (Amy Madigan, making it look so easy) and a doting daughter, but something is missing. A voice tells him that he must build a baseball field in his corn crop (in Iowa!). When he does, the apparition of Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) shows up to play. What follows is a series of baseball adventures on and off Ray's baseball diamond, as well as in and out of the present day. Eventually, it becomes apparent that what was missing in Ray's life can only be addressed through baseball, and through a cultural icon from his past, played by the ubiquitous James Earl Jones.

  When everything is resolved, there's a bit of throwaway dialogue that, in reality, is very moving. "It was you," Ray tells Shoeless Joe Jackson in reference to the voice he'd heard early in the film. "No, it was YOU," Jackson replies, indicating that
  Ray's conscience prompted the entire adventure. Don't let anyone tell you that FIELD OF DREAMS is just a baseball movie. That would be like someone telling you that baseball is just a game.
  
  

• I always cry when I see "Field of Dreams..."
  By A228WIUM8QL0FW on 2006-04-17
  I lost my Father Bob almost 11 years ago and my life changed forever. Every time I see this film, I think about my regrets, my past, and my Father. I cry every single time I see this great American classic film. I always feel better at the end of the film. As an aspiring Screenwriter, I urge everyone who has lost a parent or love baseball or love film, to own this film. Learn from it and learn that perhaps dreams can come true. And perhaps Heaven is somewhere in Iowa...
  
  -Mark McLaughlin, marknetproductions.dyndns.ws
  
  
• A magical journey about making your dreams come true!!!
  By A3KXV8AFQ550DY on 2007-01-23
  I saw Field of Dreams in 1989 at the theater with my wife and cried my eyes out at the end of it. She thought I was totally crazy and freaked out over the tears that I was shedding over a movie about baseball. When she asked me what was wrong, I didn't know what to say because I had no control over the tears that were flowing. It surprised me as much as it did her. I've since seen Field of Dreams about twenty-five times, and it's now an American classic. I no longer break out in tears when viewing the film, but my eyes still get kind of watery for the magic of the movie hasn't diminished with time. It's just as powerful now as it was eighteen years ago.
  
  As all of you probably know by now, Field of Dreams deals with an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella (played wonderfully by Kevin Costner), who hears a mysterious voice in his cornfield one day, saying the famous words, "If you build it, he will come." Since Ray's the only person who can hear the voice, he has to wonder if maybe he's going just a little bit crazy. As the movie progresses, Ray decides to do what the "voice" wants and plows under a third of his major crop so that he can build a baseball diamond for no apparent reason. Now, everybody in town thinks he's absolutely nuts. His wife, Annie (played by Amy Madigan), sticks by him through thick and thin, but she does worry about how all the mounting bills are going to get paid. In time, however, the ghosts of baseball players from the past appear from out of the cornfield to play on this rather unique ball diamond, including the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (played by Ray Liotta in one of his first acting roles). The catch here is that only Ray and his family can see the ghosts. With the bank threatening to foreclose on the farm, the "voice" tells Ray to go on a long journey to get a reclusive novelist, Terence Mann (played by James Earl Jones), who lives in Boston and an elderly doctor, Archibald "Moonlight" Graham (played by the late Burt Lancaster), who lives in Minnesota, and to bring them both back to the ball field. What happens after that is for the viewer to find out as the film delves into the emotional need for a special "reunion" and the sheer magic of making your dreams come true.
  
  Let me just say that at the end of the film, the camera rises up to show hundreds of cars approaching the Kinsella farm at night, which is poetic in that it eventually happened in real life. Since 1989, over a million people from all over the world have visited the real Field of Dreams, which is located on the eastern side of Iowa about seven miles outside of Dyersville. This movie not only touched my heart, but evidently the hearts of millions of others. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture of 1989. I consider this film to be # 1 on my personal top-10 list because it not only deals with the reunion of father and son, but the possibility that you can actually make your dreams come true if you believe in yourself. This special two-disc anniversary edition is definitely worth the upgrade. I spent the money without a second thought. The first disc contains the complete theatrical release, plus a full-length commentary by its director, Phil Alden Robinson, and the director of photography, John Lindley. The second disc contains a number of featurettes. The first is a thirty-minute get together between Kevin Costner and three baseball stars, Bret Saberhagen, Johnny Bench, and George Brett. They watch the movie at Kevin's house and then discuss their careers in baseball, their sons, and how the movie has affected their lives. The second feature is a look at Galena, Illinois, which was used in the movie to represent the small city where "Moonlight" Graham lived--Chisholm, Minnesota. The third feature is a look at the real Field of Dreams outside of Dyersville, Iowa, and how it's grown since its construction in 1988. This is a great little documentary that discusses how this magical field has affected the hundreds of thousands of people who have visited it over the last fifteen years. The fourth feature is the Bravo show: From Page to Script, which deals with the novel, Field of Dreams, and how it was turned into an Academy Award nominated movie. If you love the film, you're going to enjoy this fifty-minute documentary. You finally get to meet the author of the book, William Kinsella, and to hear how the director, Phil Alden Robinson, began to doubt himself during the making of the film. All in all, this is a very special movie with wonderful behind-the-scenes stuff that certainly adds to the enjoyment of the movie. As Phil Robinson says, though the film didn't win Best Picture of 1989, it turned out to be a movie that literally changes people's lives for the better. That's the big reward for him. Highly recommended.
  
  
  
• Touching
  By A9RBYQI96FQ4K on 2000-03-04
  This movie is my favorite movie of all time. I cry like a baby (honestly) just THINKING about when Ray says, "Hey, Dad, wanna have a catch?" I have that movie sound clip on my desktop and listen to it at least every day. But it's not just that that makes this movie special. Burt Lancaster's performance is absolutely breathtaking. James Earl Jones as well. To those who call this movie "syrupy" and "overblown" all I can say is that your hearts are black. It's a baseball movie, a father-son movie, a movie about passion and hope, etc. etc. Beautiful in every way.
  
  
• One of the Best Movies I've Ever Seen
  By A2HNJHIJBT385K on 1999-11-26
  This is probably my all-time favorite movie; however, people who are not idealistic may not appreciate its message. It's a movie of hope, love, and how dreams do come true. The subtle but wonderful special effects are true genius.

  I've probably watched this movie at least seven times, and when I get the time, I'll watch it seven more. The combination of James Earl Jones and Kevin Costner is a stroke of casting genius. These wonderful actors play well off each other. It's that rare movie that you can't leave even to get popcorn; however, with a vcr, you don't have to worry about that. I would recommend this to anyone at almost any age. I feel that this movie is in the same league as Gone With the Wind and Ghandi.
  
  

• Greatest Movie Ever
  By on 2000-10-11
  I met W. P. Kinsella, the author of "Shoeless Joe," at a book-signing in Dallas.Since "Field of Dreams" is my favorite film, I naturally asked him if others were as deeply affected by it as I was. He said that he still gets a couple of calls every week from viewers who fell under the spell of the film. His favorite was a call from a man in Houston who told Kinsella, "I saw your damn movie, then drove a couple of thousand miles to Seattle to visit my dad and tell him I love him. I damned near lost my job. I hope you're happy, Kinsella." Well, that's the kind of movie this is. It tells each of us a little about ourselves and makes us better individuals just for having watched it. Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones give unforgettable performances. Why Jones has never won an Academy Award is beyond me. The final scene is so moving and so uplifting, it is hard to imagine anyone not moved by it. Do yourself a favor. Buy the DVD and get ready to watch this film over and over again.
  
  
• If you build it, he will come....
  By A2I4V9GVQULYG2 on 2001-06-21
  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.
  
  

• Greatest Film in Human History
  By ACGSFSXLSUAF4 on 2005-06-03
  You may not feel it as you read this review. You may not believe it when you hear someone tell this story. But watch this film. All of it, beginning to end. This is the greatest film ever made.
  
  Not for special effects. Not for production values. Heart. Imagination. Emotions stirred that transcend this world. If you've seen Field of Dreams, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
  
  This is the greatest motion picture of all time. It won't be recognized as such. And that doesn't matter.
  
  Do one thing. Show this to your grandchildren.
  
  
• HD ROCKS
  By A1TT08TTR5HMUV on 2007-03-08
  I love this movie anyway, I played in the minors and my dad was a big Joe Jackson fan. The HD enhancement is really great and makes the voice sound really good. The extras on this disc are great. The Galena tour and the Costner interview at his home with the baseball greats is excellent. I am a big Kevin Costner fan and this in one of his best and the HD is really an upgrade.
  
  
• Okay, I admit it
  By on 2000-03-04
  I love this movie. I don't really know why. I think it may be my complete fanatical devotion to baseball, particularly to Shoeless Joe. I must say that Ray Liotta does a PHENOMENAL job portraying this character (gotta love those eyes,) but is often overlooked because of bigger names and parts like Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. Though there are a few historical inaccuracies, I really enjoy this movie. I remember watching it when I was 9 and it first came out. I still love it. I love the book, I love the movie. It's that simple. It's a simple movie with the family values and devotion and then there is all sorts of symbolism and all that good stuff, but it's also just a fun baseball movie. Fans of Shoeless Joe and the 1919 Black Sox scandal will like it too.
  
  
• The mystic power of baseball.
  By A10Q8NIFOVOHFV on 2001-04-04
  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. ;-)
  
  
• If you don't cry at the end, then you are no real man.
  By A297VYZT601MUZ on 2002-04-04
  Everyone thinks this movie is about baseball, but it isn't, not really. It is about much more. It is about fathers and sons, and how baseball, since the early 20th century, is able to tie them together, even when they can't bring themselves to speak to one another. Every time I see this movie, I am reminded of my own relationship with my father, and the ups and downs we have traversed in our relationship. No matter how much we would argue, and antagonize each other, we always had baseball to fall back on as our common denominator. In this movie, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is so haunted by the mistakes he made in his relationship with his father, that he manifests The Voice, which tells him to build a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield. To show you how bad his relationship with his dad had gotten, Ray tells James Earl Jones's character that he once refused to play a game of catch with him. But by building the field, Ray helps to resurrect Shoeless Joe Jackson, his father's disgraced baseball idol, and maybe make a little bit of ammends. Ray gives Shoeless Joe, and the other "Black Socks" players a chance at redemption by being able to play in this magical field. Through other acts that Ray commits on order from The Voice, he helps others fulfill their baseball tinted dreams. The others being a writer, Terrance Mann (James Earl Jones), who yearns for the days of Ebbets Field and Jackie Robinson, and a country doctor and former minor league baseball player, Moonlight Graham (Burt Lancaster), whose one unfulfilled wish is to bat against a big league pitcher. During the movie, we are led to believe that he commits these acts out of some random nature, the only reason being that The Voice told him to. But in the end of the movie, we, along with Ray, realize that everything he has done is connected, and has a reason. And it all comes back to fathers and sons, and the dreams we share, and our almost spiritual connection through the greatest game ever dreamt by God or man, baseball. If you are a man, and as a boy you ever played catch with your father, then this film should touch you in a very personal way. If you shed no tear at the wonderful ending, then you aren't a real man.
  
  
• The Unpleasantries that Crops Like To Share
  By A96JD9312DHWC on 2002-06-28
  This quintessential horror movies of the late 80's/90's pits Kevin Cosner against something we haven't seen the likes of since a certain Stephen King adaptation introduced us to He Who Walks Behind the Rows, a beast that lurks somewhere in the fields and promises strange phenomenon to those who abide by its wishes. We watch this epic struggle unfold as this something speaks through the corn, trying again and again to force Cosner into building something insidiously terrifying-despite the objections of his concerned family -- until, at last, this poor rural farmer succumbs and constructs his unholy shrine to the damned. It is then that the dead begin to walk the earth, invoking fashions that died with them, closing on an ending that recollects many and many a boyhood nightmare.
  Its not to be watched alone (or sober).
  
  
• great, magical movie
  By A182M922SDMOP3 on 2002-11-13
  Don't pass this movie, it's not that much about baseball (thankfully) or heaven (thankfully again, the writer was agnoistic), those are merely just metaphores, this is a movie about dreams. I could watch this movie a millions times and not get sick of it. Amazing screen play, great cast, even Kevin Costner is tolerable... it's wonderful. This movie will reinstill the importance of dreams and paying no mind to those who can't see them. If you truly deep down believe in something and go for it that you will see your own Field of Dreams.
  
  
• That's my corn out there! You're all guests in my corn!
  By on 2003-04-21
  Ah, just one of many quotable lines from the movie -- from being "guests in my corn" to "Is this Heaven? -- No, it's Iowa" to the famous tagline, "If you build it, he will come." This is easily in my top 10 favorite movies of all time. The haunting music, cued at just the right times during the movie just drives home its poignancy. As stoic as a guy tries to be, if there's a bit of love for baseball or for his father in him, the line where Kevin Costner says "Hey... Dad? Wanna have a catch?" just produces such a swell of emotion, it's hard to contain. Truly outstanding performances by Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan, Burt Lancaster and Frank Whaley as the young Archie Graham make this movie one of my very, very favorites.
  
  
• Jones & Lancaster Outstanding!
  By A3ESH80B2WZB7R on 2003-07-03
  Two of the most underrated (or underdiscussed) performances in 1980s cinema was James Earl Jones' and Burt Lancaster's bravura supporting roles in "Field of Dreams." The entire cast was wonderful (my only favorite Kevin Costner role), and Ray Liotta and Amy Madigan were especially terrific. But Jones & Lancaster showed a truth and honesty in their performances that were unequaled, except to each other. Jones was so natural as to have actually BEEN Terrence Mann. The idiosyncracies of his movements and his speech were infectious and completely believable. Lancaster, as "Moonlight" Graham, gave one his finest performances ever and, to me, BECAME one of the most lovable screen characters I've ever seen.

  See this movie for James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster but, as some others have written here, also see it because it will not only warm your heart, it will inspire you. This movie really isn't about baseball -- it's about what you dream for yourself in life, whatever it might be, and it will lift you spiritually in ways you cannot know. I watch this film at least every 6 months to revive my creativity and spirituality.

  And it's just a plain good old-fashioned cinema experience!
  
  

• The Natural (Director's Cut)
• For Love of the Game
• A League of Their Own
• The Rookie (Widescreen Edition)
• Eight Men Out (20th Anniversary Edition)