Field of Dreams: A Movie of Baseball, Sentiment, and Dreams

Some movies never grow old. Field of Dreams is one of those movies. Agreeably, the directing and acting in the film is fantastic, and as an Academy Award nominee, reviews practically dubbed it an American classic upon its release. Whether if it's a DVD you have in your collection, or a stumble upon while surfing through the channels, there is a magic to the film that keeps it fresh with every viewing.

We have all had our regrets, feelings of guilt, and dreams of a second chance to set things right. In the film Field of Dreams, we are taken on a once in a lifetime journey to fulfill those dreams. Set with a theme of redemption, the story is a modern fantasy placed on the backdrop of the national past-time of baseball. The film is based on the novel Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, and although the sport is prevalent throughout, it isn't about baseball, making it a film that appeals to a very wide audience. The story takes place in rural Iowa, with Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella, a farmer who lives with his wife Annie (Amy Madigan), and his daughter Karin (Gaby Hoffmann). Upon hearing a mysterious whispering voice while out in his cornfield, Ray, unknowingly begins his quest for personal redemption.

"If you build it, he will come" has joined the ranks of American pop culture's most famous movie lines, along with classics such as "I'll be back." and "Bond, James Bond." While questioning the meaning of the voice that only he hears, he sees a mirage of a baseball field on his farm. Much to the confusion of the local townspeople, his brother-in-law Mark (Timothy Busfield), and to his uncertain yet supportive wife, Ray builds the baseball field. The immediate result is nothing less than financial ruin, yet we, along with Ray, want to know why a ball field, and now that its built, "who will come?"

During his journey, Ray encounters characters who in their own unique way, wanted to professionally play the game of baseball, yet never had the true chance to do so. The ghost of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson (Ray Liotta) appears on the field, followed by ball players from the past, including others banned from the game in the historical 1919 "Black Sox Scandal." After hearing the whispering voice again, he then tracks down 60's author Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), who wrote about his dreams of playing professionally as a kid, and eventually Archibald "Moonlight" Graham (Burt Lancaster), a ball player from the 1920's who never had a chance at bat while playing only a single game in the major leagues.

All the while, Ray has been giving small glimpses and insight into his personal life. Throughout the film, he explains the strained relationship with his father. He tells of his disrespectful behavior, how he left home as a teenager, and how he only made it back home for his father's funeral. You can feel his sense of regret and guilt, something that speaks to all of us in one way or another.

The movie is touching throughout, but the ending is a home run filled with emotion. As the movie draws to a conclusion, it's hard to hold back a tear. Mann and Graham find their hopes and dreams in the field that Ray has built. As Mann, James Earl Jones gives an inspirational speech that will give you goose bumps. "Doc Graham" has had his turn at bat as a young kid, but with a heartwarming decision, returns to his later self as a family doctor. Ray, however, who has done everything with selflessness, does what many of us would do, and finally asks the question, what is in it for him? It is at this point, that he discovers that his father is one of the ball players on the field. Described by many as being a film that can make a man cry, the film touchingly ends at dusk with a small exchange between father and son, ultimately leading to the last two lines of the film. "Hey Dad, you wanna have a catch?", "I'd like that."