Field of Dreams (1989)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Phil Alden Robinson

Writers (WGA):

W.P. Kinsella (book)
Phil Alden Robinson (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 April 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sport

Tagline:

All his life, Ray Kinsella was searching for his dreams. Then one day, his dreams came looking for him.

Plot:

An Iowa corn farmer, hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the Chicago Black Sox come.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Iowa | Farmer | Shoeless Joe Jackson | Hearing Voices

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 11	5:30 PM	CMTV
Sat. July 11	10:00 PM	CMTV

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Ray Kinsella
Amy Madigan	...	Annie Kinsella
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Karin Kinsella
Ray Liotta	...	Shoeless Joe Jackson
Timothy Busfield	...	Mark
James Earl Jones	...	Terence 'Terry' Mann
Burt Lancaster	...	Dr. Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham
Frank Whaley	...	Archie Graham
Dwier Brown	...	John Kinsella
James Andelin	...	Feed Store Farmer
Mary Anne Kean	...	Feed Store Lady
Fern Persons	...	Annie's Mother
Kelly Coffield	...	Dee, Mark's Wife
Michael Milhoan	...	Buck Weaver - 3B
Steve Eastin	...	Eddie Cicotte - P

Also Known As:

Shoeless Joe (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Spain:T | Iceland:L | West Germany:6 (f) | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Gordon Company

Trivia:

After the movie was completed test audiences didn't like the name "Shoeless" Joe Jackson because they said it sounded like a movie about a bum or hobo. Universal called director-screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson to tell him that "Shoeless Joe" didn't work, and the studio changed the title of the film to "Field of Dreams". When Robinson heard the news of the change, he called W.P. Kinsella, the author of the book, and told him the "bad" news, but apparently he didn't care, saying that "Shoeless Joe" was the title the publishing company gave the book. Kinsella's original title was "Dream Field".

Goofs:

Factual errors: Doc Graham actually batted left-handed.

Quotes:

Ray Kinsella: My name's Ray Kinsella. You used my father's name in one of your stories: John Kinsella.
Terence Mann: You're seeing a whole team of psychiatrists, aren't you?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Bitch Is Back (1995)

Soundtrack:

Crazy

Beautiful Film

It is truly a rare movie indeed to which I would give a 10. But this is one of my all-time favorites.

This is a movie about themes like reconciliation, destiny, redemption, idealism, disappointment, the difficulty of relationships, especially that of the father-son relationship.

In this movie, the baseball field is where all such issues achieve resolution.

This is such a gentle movie, full of such sincerity, and moving emotions. Although it is by no means an upbeat movie, it is nevertheless ultimately a very optimistic and positive movie.

As some reviewers have noticed, some suspension of disbelief is required.

A movie with no guns, violence, gangsters, no gratuitous sex, just down-to-earth good people, and a good message. What a gem.

P.S. Interestingly, there really was a Moonlight Graham. See his baseball career stats here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/grahamo01.shtml. Some of the details of his life are altered in the movie; cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_Graham.