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Written by: W.P. Kinsella (based on the book 'Shoeless Joe' by), Phil Alden Robinson (written for the screen by)
Directed by: Phil Alden Robinson
Starring: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Timothy Busfield, Amy Madigan, Burt Lancaster
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a baseball field where dreams can come true.
Verdict
It starts out as a man chasing a dream while not wanting to become his father and not wanting to be a person that avoids risk. This movie doesn't explain the how, there's no way it could. It's a vehicle. Along the way Ray gets to see his heroes, but it's about more than that. It's about the pain he feels, never able to reconcile with his father. Baseball is about boys playing catch, men that feel like boys when a bat is in their hand, sons and fathers, and the magic that happens between the foul lines. This movie manages to capture all of that. Ray manages to generate a feeling, and in doing so, we see how many people harbor that same nostalgia.
Watch It.
Review
A quick introduction shows us Ray's (Kevin Costner) past. He met his wife in college and ended up buying a farm. He never did anything crazy until he heard a voice in his cornfield. The voice told him, "If you build it, he will come." Ray thinks he's going crazy, but he wonders if the voice is telling him to build a baseball field so that his hero Shoeless Joe can come back and play baseball again. Ray's also afraid of becoming his father, old and boring. Nothing defies the expectations like plowing up your cornfield to build a ball field. Ray knows it is illogical, but he can't ignore the voice. If you don't know Shoeless Joe, you'll get a history as Ray builds the field.
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| Kevin Costner plays Ray Kinsella |
This ride reaches the peak when Ray is faced with the farm or the field, and that's the very moment it happens. There's a baseball player standing on his field. It's Shoeless Joe Jackson. It defies all logic, but so does a voice in your corn field telling you to build a baseball field. Ray gets to meet his hero. When does that every happen? Then, more players arrive.
Everyone thinks Ray has gone mad. We wonder if other people can see the players or just Ray and his family. It turns out it's just Ray's family.Ray's wife draws the line when Ray states he must go to Boston, but the madness soon envelopes her too and she relents. Ray meets famed author Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) on his quest, and they both just might be crazy as they decide to head to Minnesota for Moonlight Graham.
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| Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan play Sholess Joe, Terence, Ray, Annie |
The events of this movie defy logic, blending time and space. The movie doesn't explain it, not that any explanation would be sufficient. It doesn't matter, sometimes things, however inexplicable, just happen.
There are several touching moments in this. Moonlight Graham leaving the field and becoming a doctor is the lead into the conclusion. Ray didn't build the field for Shoeless Joe, it was to reconcile with his father. Son and fathers, baseball and boys. There's something about baseball that evokes nostalgia. Maybe less so now, but the game has been around a long time. It's one of the few a father and son can play while standing still, having a game of catch. Sometimes a game of catch is enough, enough to bridge the decades and heal wounds.
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