Field of Dreams (1989)
87%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
7 wins & 13 nominations total
Field of Dreams is sentimental, but in the best way; it’s a mix of fairy tale, baseball, and family togetherness
Field of Dreams” is a movie that hits a home run with its heartwarming story about the power of dreams and family. Kevin Costner’s performance as Ray is a grand slam, bringing a contagious enthusiasm to the screen. The film’s mix of sentimentality and humor is a winning combination, and the cameo by Burt Lancaster is a curveball that adds to the magic. It’s no wonder that the movie set field in Iowa became a tourist attraction – this movie is a home run for baseball fans and non-fans alike.
Production Company(ies)
Romaine Film Corporation,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Dyersville, Iowa, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1989
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 46m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 1989 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 2003
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Gaby Hoffmann, Ray Liotta, Timothy Busfield, Burt Lancaster, directed by Phil Alden Robinson, written by Phil Alden Robinson, produced by Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon, Fantasy, Box Office, Budget, PG, reviewed by Duane Byrge, Michael Wilmington, Dave Kehr, Richard Corliss, Mat Snow, Nell Minow, Fico Cangiano, Rene Jordan, Joe Leydon, David Nusair, Mark Jackson, Epoch Times, Danielle Solzman, actor, director, writer, producer, critic, baseball, family, Iowa, ghosts, Shoeless Joe Jackson, fairy tale, sentimentality, humor, father-son relationships, redemption, missed connections, faith, imagination, optimism
Worldwide gross: $84,431,625
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $205,740,619
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 681
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 22,436,273
US/Canada gross: $64,431,625
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $157,005,179
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 495
US/Canada opening weekend: $531,346
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $1,294,769
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,253
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $36,551,580
Production budget ranking: 1,027
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,683,026
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $149,506,013
ROI to date (est.): 266%
ROI ranking: 508
Amy Madigan – Anni Kinsella
James Earl Jones – Terence Mann
Gaby Hoffmann – Karin Kinsella
Ray Liotta – Shoeless Joe Jackson
Timothy Busfield – Mark
Director(s)
Phil Alden Robinson
Writer(s)
Phil Alden Robinson
Producer(s)
Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
7 wins & 13 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (65) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (8)
In Costner, writer-director Robinson has found the perfect player for a personal-stakes game, a guy with a leg-it-out intensity and kidlike enthusiasm. It’s Costner’s eye-on-the-ball exuberance that carries Dreams past its often mechanical aesthetic.
April 21, 2017
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
All of this would work better if Robinson built up the reality of the town more, made the citizens a more palpable presence, as Frank Capra did in Hollywood’s greatest fable-fantasy, It’s a Wonderful Life.
March 20, 2013
Michael Wilmington
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The sentimentality, of which there is plenty, is nicely balanced by a humor of ironic pragmatism, as when Ray, having built his baseball field as a monument to human dreams, decides to charge tourists $20 a head to visit it.
March 20, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Despite a lovely cameo turn by Burt Lancaster, Field of Dreams is the male weepie at its wussiest.
March 16, 2011
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Too idiosyncratic and witty merely to wallow in sentimentality, Field Of Dreams will surely stand as a classic update of what made Old Hollywood so magical. It’s still a wonderful life.
March 16, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Mat Snow
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Instant baseball classic for whole family.
December 24, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
A wonderful, sentimental tribute to father-son relationships everywhere and the lovely game of baseball. A sports classic. [Full review in Spanish]
July 1, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
The maximum pleasure offered here is seeing how far the delirium of the original book can reach… winning my admiration. [Full review in Spanish]
June 21, 2022
Rene Jordan
El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
Situated somewhere between third base and The Twilight Zone, “Field of Dreams” is a modern-day fairy tale about a noble quest for a grand design.
August 13, 2021
Joe Leydon
The Moving Picture Show
…a deliberately-paced yet progressively absorbing drama…
July 31, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
“Field of Dreams” resonated so powerfully with people wishing for a return to traditional values, plus confirmation that parallel dimensions, karma, and clairvoyance exist, that the actual movie-set field in Iowa became a major tourist attraction.
December 13, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Jackson
Epoch Times
Field of Dreams is baseball perfection.
June 21, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t have anything goofy or funny or odd to say about Field of Dreams, but they do mention that Kevin Costner stars as Ray Kinsella.
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