| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kevin Costner | ... | ||
| Amy Madigan | ... | ||
| Gaby Hoffmann | ... | ||
| Ray Liotta | ... | ||
| Timothy Busfield | ... | ||
| James Earl Jones | ... | ||
| Burt Lancaster | ... | ||
| Frank Whaley | ... | ||
| Dwier Brown | ... | ||
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James Andelin | ... |
Feed Store Farmer
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Mary Anne Kean | ... |
Feed Store Lady
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Fern Persons | ... |
Annie's Mother
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| Kelly Coffield Park | ... |
Dee, Mark's Wife
(as Kelly Coffield)
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| Michael Milhoan | ... | ||
| Steve Eastin | ... | ||
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice in his corn field tell him, "If you build it, he will come." He interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series. When the voices continue, Ray seeks out a reclusive author to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose for his field. Written by Scott Renshaw <as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu>
The movie is a rarity in one respect: a non-violent film that is almost strictly a man's film, one that brought tears to millions of men who watched it. For one thing, anyone who has ever played catch with his dad will be very touched by this story.
This is pure fantasy and has some schlock, if I'm using the right word, mixed in with some sickeningly-Sixties Liberalism but the good parts are SO good that they far outweigh anything else and make this film one I've always treasured.
To me, this movie has many memorable scenes, too many too mention here especially since there are enough reviews already. Suffice to say it's hard to beat those nighttime shots of the ball diamond between the house and cornfield and those mystical moments when the players suddenly appear on the diamond. My favorite character in the movie was "Doc" Graham, played superbly by Burt Lancaster in the last movie role he ever played, and by Frank Whaley as a younger "Archie."
Kevin Costner, as "Ray Kinsella," the star of the film, is outstanding, too. It's nice to see a guy who knows how to play baseball. Costner is a fine ballplayer in his own right.
I didn't care for his wife, "Annie," in here, played by Amy Madigan, who supplies us with a lot of the Liberal propaganda with her PTA "debate," a few other comments and just the way she sees things, although she is a great wife in here to a husband who appeared to have lost his marbles. She was supportive and loving: what more does a husband need?
James Earl Jones is good as the former leftist radical who would rather leave his past behind and just extol the virtues of baseball, which he does here expertly. I loved the scene with he and Kevin Costner at Fenway Park in Boston. Ray Liotta, who plays "Joe Jackson," became a star because of this movie.
Politics aside, this a special movie to anyone who has dreams, yearns at times for the good 'ole days, loves baseball, enjoys a good time-travel-type of story and is a sentimentalist at heart. I plead "guilty" on all counts.
If you own the special-edition, or rent it, please check out some of the features. They are among the best I have ever watched on a DVD. This is one of those films that inspired me to buy the book, too.