Field of Dreams

[Karlifornia]

Is there something wrong with me? (rhetorical question)

Last night I was looking through On Demand movies for something that I had never seen, but wanted to see. I came across Field of Dreams. I thought, "Hey, it's a baseball movie, and I like baseball. People always say it's touching, and I think I'm in the mood for a poignant sports movie." The movie begins.

*******fast forward to a while later*********

I turn off the movie in complete disgust. I really feel bad about this, as a lot of people seem to view this movie as some sort of treasure, but I just couldn't take it. I put it on again a little while ago from where I left off, just to make sure it looks the same to me in the light of day. Here are some of my complaints:

-The voice starts out at very beginning of the movie. Could we at least get some sort verification that this man is actually sane before just dropping a magical voice on us? I mean, yeah, he ran down his family history at the very beginning, but I'm sure Charles Manson had a family history himself.

-The wife barely even questions him. He holds his ground for a couple of "No way's!" and then she just believes him 100%.

-At the 18 minute mark of the movie, the baseball diamond is built, and Shoeless Joe Jackson appears. Uhm, whatever happened to making the audience earn a huge moment like that? The beginning felt extremely rushed. I mean, the Departed's opening credits didn't even come in until 18 minutes.

-I guess the whole dad angle rang hollow to me, since I've never really been close with my dad. If I had been close with him, then had a falling out, and he had died, would I understand the emotional crux of this movie? Or would I have had to have been close with my dad, we had a falling out he died, [i]and[i] we were both big baseball fans?

-Again, how come nobody ever questions the absurdity of all this? Take, for instance, this conversation between Annie Kinsella and Ray Kinsella:

Ray Kinsella: I think I know what "If you build it, he will come" means.
Annie Kinsella: Ooh... why do I not think this is such a good thing?
Ray Kinsella: I think it means that if I build a baseball field out there that Shoeless Joe Jackson will get to come back and play ball again.
Annie Kinsella: [staring in disbelief] You're kidding.
Ray Kinsella: Huh-uh.
Annie Kinsella: Wow.
Ray Kinsella: Yeah.
Annie Kinsella: Ha. You're kidding.

Ok, first of all, anyone who was presented with this statement would not say "You're kidding". They would say "Haha. What's for dinner?" or something to that effect. It would be already understood that the protagonist was kidding, because nobody would ever fucking believe that someone could believe that.


-"The baseball field's gonna bankrupt you"

-Four words: Moonlight Graham waxing philosophical


Now, I know asking for realism in a movie that features baseball playing ghosts is akin to asking for affordable food at Disneyland, but when things that have clearly never happened before in the history of humankind occur, the lack of questioning makes these characters less than human.

Am I a scrooge? Did anyone else on this board not care for it?

[st.cronin]

I pity you.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I pity you.

lol

[Ben E Lou]

There are very few movies that make me get emotional, even fewer that make my eyes even moisten. When he plays catch with his dad, I pretty much bawl every time....even when Daddy was still alive.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

There are very few movies that make me get emotional, even fewer that make my eyes even moisten. When he plays catch with his dad, I pretty much bawl every time....even when Daddy was still alive.

yep

[DaddyTorgo]

yes. You are weird.

when I was playing my historical OOTP career the other night and I saw Archibald "Moonlight" Graham in the draft, you better believe I traded for him and started him for a week.

[ctmason]

It's a nice sentiment with a great story behind it. I'm sure it reads better than it views.

I hate to say it but as a huge baseball fan, the movie still comes off as an absolute train wreck to me.

[Chief Rum]

Trying to take some movies at face value is simply a mistake, although one people often make and often can't avoid making. There are some people here I know who can't just allow themselves into the world of the movie, and are bothered by every little inconsistent detail. And I understand that. How people view the movie is as important as the movie itself.

I am one of those who can simply allow himself to enter the world of the movie. I have always been able to take it all in, the visuals, the sounds, the characters, the dialogue and accept it at face value without questioning it until after the movie ends. Some people say that is because I or others like me are too dumb to see the details. I don't know that that's not true.

All I know is, my way, I believe I enjoy movies (and TV shows and books, etc.) much more completely because of this ability.

Field of Dreams is a perfect example of the sort of movie where you need to accept the inane rules of that movie's universe and roll with it. Yes, looking it as straight reality, it's ridiculous. Remember how often it was made fun of (especially the voice) when it came out? I saw so many spoofs and jokes on the voice, it was more prevalent than the movie itself.

But when I saw it, I was able to put myself in there and accept things as they were presented to me. That allowed the emotional vibe of the movie to tap into my related emotions, my love for baseball, the quickly vanishing rural setting, and, of course, my dad. So for me, this movie means a lot on many levels. There is a mystery and a wonder to what happens with this field, and if you can get past how ridiculous it is, you get to how beautiful and wonderful the story is.

Thanks, actually, for reminding me. Opening Day is a couple days away. I will have to pull this out and watch it this weekend.

Sorry you didn't get this much out of it, though. I wish everyone could get out of movies what I usually do (especially ones like these), but that's just not often the case.

[DaddyTorgo]

dola

not to mention kinsella

[DaddyTorgo]

maybe i'll "on demand" it tonight. If it's free at least. Although I think the whole...kid choking thing always comes off a little forced to me.

[molson]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I pity you.

Perfect response.

I’ve honestly never heard of anyone not liking that movie. Even non-baseball fans. I can only assume you had some kind of expectations about what the movie was about before you saw it

It’s not an ordinary movie in terms of its pacing, etc, but I really think there’s maybe 1 or 2 movies a year that reach perfection in terms of what it’s trying to do, and this was one of those.

[Chief Rum]

Just to clarify something I said, since I phrased it as a "mistake". People who can't pu themselves into the movie don't do anything wrong nor are they lesser or greater than people who can. They are just different sorts of people.

One person whom I would describe as a critical viewer here on the board is cthomer5000. We have different views of watching movies and often disagree on what makes a good movie, but I respect his thoughts on movies, all the same. It gives me a perspective I don't know I can reach for myself.

[AlexB]

I know nothing about baseball, it just doesn't work this side of the pond. However, it has to be said: Field of Dreams is a great movie - baseball is just a conduit for the underlying message of perseverence, faith, etc.

I guess you just missed it somehow.

[st.cronin]

It always strikes me as weird that people think of this as a "baseball" movie.

[DaddyTorgo]

FWIW CR...I'm the same way with regards to movies. I find I allow myself to enjoy it much more if I suspend disbelief and let myself be drawn into the world of the movie. Makes it easier to overlook the inevitable inaccuracies and what-not and just enjoy the movie for what it is.

[sterlingice]

Sir, what is it like to have the soul of a robot?

SI

[cthomer5000]

You pose questions that make me wonder how you watch any movie.

Did I need to get bit by a radioactive spider and gain superpowers to "get" Spiderman?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

FWIW CR...I'm the same way with regards to movies. I find I allow myself to enjoy it much more if I suspend disbelief and let myself be drawn into the world of the movie. Makes it easier to overlook the inevitable inaccuracies and what-not and just enjoy the movie for what it is.

It's what the world of James Bond is built off of

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

as far as cool "baseball movies"

1. 8 Men Out
2. For Love of the Game (that's the other one with Costner about to retire, right?)
3. Tigertown (which I'm sure in hindsight I would see as a horrible movie, but as a little kid I LOVED this movie, which is funny since we are here in Boston)

Surprisingly I have never even sat through all of Bull Durham, so I can't comment on that.

[heybrad]

You realize it's not a documentary, right?

[molson]

I listened to the DVD commentary for this not too long ago. They said the movie was screened for months without a title – they were completely stumped. The guy said one woman suggested “Dad’s Second Chance”. I think they made the right call.

[bulletsponge]

i thought it sucked

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

i thought it sucked

I'm guessing you don't like The Shawshank Redemption either?

(NB - not a criticism, just a similar ilk of film - long establishment, big payoff)

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

i thought it sucked

Hooray! I'm not alone!

[WVUFAN]

I'm not a baseball fan by any means, but Field of Dreams is a fantastic movie.

I echo Skydog -- when they play catch at the end, it's pretty emotional for me.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

You pose questions that make me wonder how you watch any movie.

Did I need to get bit by a radioactive spider and gain superpowers to "get" Spiderman?

Ok, this is a fair and valid question.

I just felt that this movie totally botched what it was going for. I loved that X-Files episode with the Negro League ballplayer, and obviously X-Files isn't what you'd call "realistic".

I guess how I can explain the difference is: In Spiderman, Willem Defoe hears voices and initially refuses to listen to them. He's in fact tortued by it, until it consumes him. I can relate to that. Not hearing voices, but if I did hear voices, I'd probably be like "WTF, yo?"

Ray Kinsella hears voices and just does whatever they say right from the get go. I can't relate to that.

Just because a movie has an unrealistic premise doesn't mean that they can't have the characters act like real people..at least a little bit.

[st.cronin]

That you think the characters behave "unrealistically" says a lot about how you see the world. To me, they never step out of character.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

IOk, first of all, anyone who was presented with this statement would not say "You're kidding". They would say "Haha. What's for dinner?"

Why would Annie say that? She is the woman and cooking dinner.. she should know.

[Schmidty]

Different strokes for different folks.

I love the movie. I remember going to the movie with my dad. It was the first time I ever saw him cry. He had a similar relationship with his dad before he died, so it really hit him hard.

I'm getting choked up even thinking of that day.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by molson

I listened to the DVD commentary for this not too long ago. They said the movie was screened for months without a title – they were completely stumped. The guy said one woman suggested “Dad’s Second Chance”. I think they made the right call.

I'm pretty sure it was a book first?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

Hooray! I'm not alone!

Nope. I thought Field of Dreams was way, way overrated. (And I think The Shawshank Redemption is an awesome movie. And 8 Men Out is the best baseball movie ever.)

[stevew]

dola, that's right, it was called "Shoeless Joe" though.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by stevew

dola, that's right, it was called "Shoeless Joe" though.

That's not a dola....

[Schmidty]

This is a dola

[FBPro]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

There are very few movies that make me get emotional, even fewer that make my eyes even moisten. When he plays catch with his dad, I pretty much bawl every time....even when Daddy was still alive.

Concur!!!!! If ya don't are ya even human?

[saldana]

i hate this movie...you couldnt tie me to the chair to make me watch it again

[Celeval]

If anyone watches How I Met Your Mother, there is a scene in one of this season's episodes ("Ted Moseby, Architect") that perfectly sums up this discussion.

Specifically, the look of utter and absolute horror and shock when someone doesn't like it.

[st.cronin]

People who hate this movie are like atheists. I realize they exist and their feelings are genuine, but I just don't understand how its possible. To me, its pretty much the perfect artistic experience.

[Groundhog]

FWIW, I've never really liked this movie either. I don't hate it or anything, I just think it feels forced, like they are doing all they humanely can to tug your heart-strings (like quite a few other Costner films, actually). Haven't seen it in many years though, but considering that my father died when I was quite young yet the movie still didn't move me at all back then doesn't give me a lot of hope that anything would change if I saw it again.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

People who hate this movie are like atheists. I realize they exist and their feelings are genuine, but I just don't understand how its possible.

That's what we want you to think. Inside our chests beats a cold, mechanical heart that is hell-bent on destroying mankind.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

That's what we want you to think. Inside our chests beats a cold, mechanical heart that is hell-bent on destroying mankind.

Ah ha! I knew it!

[Flame Eater]

SkyDog has it right, but my dad died young of a heart attack. Every time I see the movie I have to battle fto keep from sobbing. No other movie seems to hit the nerve like this one.

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

That you think the characters behave "unrealistically" says a lot about how you see the world. To me, they never step out of character.

Ditto; the moment you hear a voice and you and your significant other are sure you aren't just insane, it kinda takes you out of the rules of the normal world we live in.

I actually think, given the way the story unfolds, that the characters act very understandably. Well except for the PTA meeting part, that part of the movie always played a little strange for me because the character actions seem a little forced.

[Tigercat]

Dola, at the risk of thread jacking, talking about father-son heart wrenching movies...

Road To Perdition gets me every time. It pretty much nails every father-son relationship in which the father and son are alike. And that quote at the end: "When people ask me if Michael Sullivan was a good man, or if there was just no good in him at all, I always give the same answer. I just tell them, he was my father."

I tear up every time.

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

I'm guessing you don't like The Shawshank Redemption either?

(NB - not a criticism, just a similar ilk of film - long establishment, big payoff)

no i liked the Shawshank

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

That's what we want you to think. Inside our chests beats a cold, mechanical heart that is hell-bent on destroying mankind.

YOU TURNCOAT! shut up! dont mind his comment, hes just jesting. pay no mind to him

[ISiddiqui]

This is my favorite baseball movie of all time and it's by a good margin over #2 (which happens to be "Bull Durham"... what is it with Kevin Costner and good sports movies?). My dad is still living, never been all that close to me, but I can step inside the world of the movie. It's a great fantasy flick (in a far different manner than others considered 'fantasy') and just a wonderful story.

Oh, and for the record, I can't stand Shawshank.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Oh, and for the record, I can't stand Shawshank.

See, now that is way more offensively odd to me than not liking Field of Dreams.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

See, now that is way more offensively odd to me than not liking Field of Dreams.

It is really one of the movies where I am genuinely surprised when someone says they hated it. I can understand thinking it's overrated, but it probably ranks highest on the "difficult to hate" scale of any movie I've ever seen.

[Celeval]

Originally Posted by Flame Eater

SkyDog has it right, but my dad died young of a heart attack. Every time I see the movie I have to battle fto keep from sobbing. No other movie seems to hit the nerve like this one.

I haven't watched it since my dad died last year.. it'll be tough.