Field of Dreams - 25 Years Later

Saints Rest

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He sounds like a pompous ass.
  • Phil was absolutely in love with my book 
  • He explained that marvelous characters like Eddie Scissions had to be cut, 
  • All I care about is being properly paid.
  • I wept when I read the finished screenplay. "This is my own work doing this to me," I said. "How can this happen?"
  • I have received letters from every part of the world, mainly from younger men, about how the ending of the movie affected them.
  • When the movie went into wide release and came to my then-hometown of White Rock, British Columbia, I set up a table in the lobby of the local theater to sell books as the crowd exited.
  • every night, one could hear the sniffling and snuffling of the audience, and the unabashed and unashamed tears that flowed as the universality of the father-son dynamic touched even the most indifferent hearts. I realized that my writing coupled with Phil Robinson's genius had made that happen.
:barf: 
 

hittery

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I'm with Saints on this. That was a cringe-worthy read. Plus, his soul patch just makes him that much more annoying.
 

twothousandone

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Jim Harkin, here on SoSH, wrote the most compelling case I have ever read for why Shoeless Joe Jackson did not deserve the punishment. I don't know if I was as convinced by Jim of Charlie Comiskey's possibly entanglement, but there's clearly something wrong with Comiskey in the HoF, and Jackson banned.
 
M

MentalDisabldLst

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The author may be a pompous ass, but it's still the best sports movie ever made, in my opinion.  It's the only movie I can think of which, upon watching the ending for the first time, results in the vast majority of male American viewers openly weeping.  Plus Fenway Franks feature in it.  What's not to love?
 

Mugsy's Jock

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See, I hated this movie.
 
First off, the movie had absolutely no sense of humor.  Nostalgia's great and all, but for Christ's sakes, baseball is a fun game typically played by men with big personalities who are fun guys.  Lighten up.
 
More importantly, it was so unrealistic.
 
Yes, I know it was a fable.  And Shoeless Joe Jackson coming back from the dead and playing baseball in the cornfield Kevin Costner built in his back yard is fine by me.  It's a movie and your imagination should run wild.  All good.
 
But the Fenway scene was ridiculous.  Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones drive to the ballpark, without any traffic, and get a parking space across the street from Fenway.  They walk to the ticket window, walk into the ballpark and proceed to the concession stand to get a beer.  And then... get this... they walk up to the beer stand, where there is NO LINE, buy two beers from a Harry M. Stephens worker who hands them their cups and SMILES at them, and they walk unabated to the beautiful box seats they had just bought on game day.
 
I mean, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is more realistic.  Fatuous tripe.
 

RG33

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I wasn't that put off by the tone of the article, but I can see what those folks are saying.

It was by far my favorite movie growing up. The father-son scene was always spine-tinglling, and was made even moreso a few years later when I saw the "Dad" on Skinemax banging some chick in a garage. "Do you want to have a catch?"

"Peace, love, dope. . . . now get the hell outta here!"
 

SumnerH

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Field of Dreams can't hold Bull Durham's jock. Inducing crying is a parlor trick, and even so I see more guys crying at Rudy, the Natural, or Hoosiers.
 

mabrowndog

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More trivia...
 
A few years back, PT Sox Fan posted in P&G about how Kevin Costner's scorecard had Sam Horn's name written on it. I had previously looked into not only the lineup on the card and the game they were supposedly attending, but the actual Sox game footage shown in the film.
 
The lineup listed on that scoresheet is from this game, vs the A's on 5/16/88, though their results at the plate don't match up with the fictional account.

And the first Fenway action scene they show was from the game two nights later. It's Oil Can Boyd pitching to Ron Hassey, who flies out to Brady Anderson in CF. It's the top of the 4th with a full count (as you can see on the LF scoreboard) and Hassey's batting 6th (as indicated on the CF board).

What originally prompted me to research this was the player's face shown on the message board during that AB. It looked a lot like Canseco, but the batter was a LHH. One look at Hassey's card and it's clear why I did a WTF double-take. They could be brothers.
 
 

StuckOnYouk

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SumnerH said:
Field of Dreams can't hold Bull Durham's jock. Inducing crying is a parlor trick, and even so I see more guys crying at Rudy, the Natural, or Hoosiers.
 
You couldn't be more wrong with just about every word in this post. We'll agree to disagree on BD, but regarding tearing up at movies, the father/son relationship is at the heart of baseball. It's how baseball gets passed from generation to generation for so many people. (not to say tears can't be shed while watching those other three movies, they are terrific movies).
 

doldmoose34

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See, I hated this movie.
 
First off, the movie had absolutely no sense of humor.  Nostalgia's great and all, but for Christ's sakes, baseball is a fun game typically played by men with big personalities who are fun guys.  Lighten up.
 
More importantly, it was so unrealistic.
 
Yes, I know it was a fable.  And Shoeless Joe Jackson coming back from the dead and playing baseball in the cornfield Kevin Costner built in his back yard is fine by me.  It's a movie and your imagination should run wild.  All good.
 
But the Fenway scene was ridiculous.  Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones drive to the ballpark, without any traffic, and get a parking space across the street from Fenway.  They walk to the ticket window, walk into the ballpark and proceed to the concession stand to get a beer.  And then... get this... they walk up to the beer stand, where there is NO LINE, buy two beers from a Harry M. Stephens worker who hands them their cups and SMILES at them, and they walk unabated to the beautiful box seats they had just bought on game day.
 
I mean, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is more realistic.  Fatuous tripe.
MJ, I don't know how old you are but the Fenway scenes aren't that far from reality. Ok getting a space across the street from the park? Maybe but many times in that pre-sellout streak mania days i was able to park at meters on Beacon or Brookline Ave less then an hour before first pitch. That's what sucks about the constant sell outs it's taken away the "it's a nice night, let's go to the game"

The night after Steroids21 threw his 20K game in 86 my roommate and I left our apartment in Quincy at 630, drove in, parked on Beacon St , had a beer and roast beef sandwich at the Cask and were in the bleachers for first pitch. Those days are gone

And yes I was a total fucking puddle the first time I saw FoD
 

johnmd20

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doldmoose34 said:
MJ, I don't know how old you are but the Fenway scenes aren't that far from reality. Ok getting a space across the street from the park? Maybe but many times in that pre-sellout streak mania days i was able to park at meters on Beacon or Brookline Ave less then an hour before first pitch. That's what sucks about the constant sell outs it's taken away the "it's a nice night, let's go to the game"

The night after Steroids21 threw his 20K game in 86 my roommate and I left our apartment in Quincy at 630, drove in, parked on Beacon St , had a beer and roast beef sandwich at the Cask and were in the bleachers for first pitch. Those days are gone

And yes I was a total fucking puddle the first time I saw FoD
 
I felt like his post was satire. I mean, he joked about a guy coming back from the dead, while deriding its lack of realism. Movies aren't realistic, who knew?
 

Leather

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johnmd20 said:
 
I felt like his post was satire. I mean, he joked about a guy coming back from the dead, while deriding its lack of realism. Movies aren't realistic, who knew?
 
Ya, I think it was a joke.
 
The best part about Field of Dreams is Burt Lancaster.  The rest is kind of silly, IMO.  I also want to punch the brother in law in the face.
 
I mean, the father and son thing is just too much.   I get that it's the quintessential thing that American fathers and sons do together, but if you stop and think about it, it's fucking ridiculous.  "Oh hi Dad, it's been forever.  Instead of asking you any questions about you or mom or anything, hey, let's throw a ball back and forth."
 
It's cheap.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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Hendu for Kutch said:
Some trivia you can use to win a bar bet:  Field of Dreams is the first Affleck-Damon movie.  They were extras in the Fenway Park scene.
 
Unconfirmed, uncredited extras according to IMDB. I'm not paying up with that kind of stipulation ("hey, they were there! ...maybe"). School Ties actually, you know, has them in the movie.
 
Dec 10, 2012
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MentalDisabldLst said:
The author may be a pompous ass, but it's still the best sports movie ever made, in my opinion.  It's the only movie I can think of which, upon watching the ending for the first time, results in the vast majority of male American viewers openly weeping.  Plus Fenway Franks feature in it.  What's not to love?
It's possibly not even a top-2 Costner baseball movie ever made.
 
Then again, my favorite baseball movie is/was ALOTO, so what do I know.
 
And I agree with Mugsy. Need comedy in a baseball movie (ML is 2nd on my list)
 

cromulence

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Dan to Theo to Ben said:
It's possibly not even a top-2 Costner baseball movie ever made.
 
Then again, my favorite baseball movie is/was ALOTO, so what do I know.
 
And I agree with Mugsy. Need comedy in a baseball movie (ML is 2nd on my list)
 
You didn't really just say For Love of the Game is better than Field of Dreams, did you? Because no. It's not.
 

mabrowndog

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"Hey, thought some of you might be interested in this Field of Dreams article by the guy who wrote the book, seeing as it's the 25th anniversary and all"
 
"I cried." *sniff*
 
"Field of Dreams sucks! [Insert baseball movie] is WAY better!"
 
"No it isn't, 'cuz FoD was awesome."
 
"No, [This other baseball movie] kicked FoD's ass. It's better, just because."
 
"Well, [yet another baseball movie] was actually the best baseball movie ever."
 
 
Another day, another enlightening SoSH debate.
 

StuckOnYouk

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drleather2001 said:
 
Ya, I think it was a joke.
 
The best part about Field of Dreams is Burt Lancaster.  The rest is kind of silly, IMO.  I also want to punch the brother in law in the face.
 
I mean, the father and son thing is just too much.   I get that it's the quintessential thing that American fathers and sons do together, but if you stop and think about it, it's fucking ridiculous.  "Oh hi Dad, it's been forever.  Instead of asking you any questions about you or mom or anything, hey, let's throw a ball back and forth."
 
It's cheap.
 
The father/son thing is the foundation of the movie. And the ending is perfect. There's nothing cheap about it. 
 

RoyHobbs

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mabrowndog said:
 
Another day, another enlightening SoSH debate.
 
The Natural is way bette........................
 
I loved seeing a 1989 Topps card in this thread. I have so many of those I could shim out an entire face of my house should I re-side it.
 
We read Kinsella in a grad school fiction class at UMass, along with Watchmen and other texts whose connections to each other escape me to this day. I didn't mind the piece linked in the original post; he is neither the most obnoxious writer nor obnoxious-looking writer I know. Try going to AWP sometime for proof.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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Comfortably Lomb said:
 
Unconfirmed, uncredited extras according to IMDB. I'm not paying up with that kind of stipulation ("hey, they were there! ...maybe"). School Ties actually, you know, has them in the movie.
 
http://www.people.com/people/matt_damon/
 
 
 
Matt Damon was an extra in Field of Dreams with friend Ben Affleck when they were just starting out.
 
Boom!  Listed in "Five Fun Facts" (not "Five Fun Rumors", you'll note).
 
Perhaps you think the fine folks at People Magazine would put their collective reputations on the line printing unconfirmed falsities.  Perhaps you've been misled in the past.  But you can't hold a whole magazine responsible for the behavior of a few uninformed falsifying individuals.  For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole periodical system? And if the whole periodical system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our journalistic institutions in general? I put it to you, Lomb - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to me, but I'm not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen!
 

Leather

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StuckOnYouk said:
 
The father/son thing is the foundation of the movie. And the ending is perfect. There's nothing cheap about it. 
 
Baseball has enough myth, history, and legend that it doesn't need to pander to the audience with supernatural and maudlin.  
 

johnmd20

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drleather2001 said:
 
Baseball has enough myth, history, and legend that it doesn't need to pander to the audience with supernatural and maudlin.  
 
You are too cynical. It was a good movie that ended in an earnest and non-ironic way. Not everything has to be ripped apart because it's not real enough for the cool kids.
 

bankshot1

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drleather2001 said:
 
Baseball has enough myth, history, and legend that it doesn't need to pander to the audience with supernatural and maudlin.  
When you first saw this movie, presumably 25 years ago, is this the way you felt?
 
The reason I ask, is that almost without exception, the guys I knew all really liked the movie. And most got dusty during the catch scene.
 

Leather

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johnmd20 said:
 
You are too cynical. It was a good movie that ended in an earnest and non-ironic way. Not everything has to be ripped apart because it's not real enough for the cool kids.
 
Ah, the "You must think you're cool" chestnut because I don't like something that lots of other people do.  
 
Nice to see that one again.
 

Rasputin

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The best baseball movie ever was Long Gone which was, I believe, a made for HBO movie.
 

johnmd20

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drleather2001 said:
 
Ah, the "You must think you're cool" chestnut because I don't like something that lots of other people do.  
 
Nice to see that one again.
 
I didn't realize that was a chestnut. If you happen to be hearing this a lot, it might mean something.
 

berniecarbo1

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doldmoose34 said:
MJ, I don't know how old you are but the Fenway scenes aren't that far from reality. Ok getting a space across the street from the park? Maybe but many times in that pre-sellout streak mania days i was able to park at meters on Beacon or Brookline Ave less then an hour before first pitch. That's what sucks about the constant sell outs it's taken away the "it's a nice night, let's go to the game"

The night after Steroids21 threw his 20K game in 86 my roommate and I left our apartment in Quincy at 630, drove in, parked on Beacon St , had a beer and roast beef sandwich at the Cask and were in the bleachers for first pitch. Those days are gone

And yes I was a total fucking puddle the first time I saw FoD
 
 
Agree Moose. I am just a bit younger than you and the whole movie got to me. My father died the year before the movie came out. My first ballgame at Fenway was with my father when I was 8 years old...sitting in what are now upper boxes on the first base side but were lower grandstands back in the early 70s and it was against the A's of all teams.  Basically the same place Ray and Terence Mann sat for the game. The Sox had Reggie Smith in center field when I went to that game and the big guns on the A's were Sal Bando, Reggie Jackson and Joe Rudi. Catfish Hunter was their ace.  My father used to play catch with me when I was a kid in our backyard. So this movie struck a lot of chords.....
 
....and you were right, in 1988,89 you could walk up to the ticket window and buy upper box seats on gameday...and park down on Beacon Street. It usually was a last minute thing on a warm summer night....not a 6 month in advance planned excursion that costs a family $500...
 
But my favorite baseball movie is Bull Durham....not only because the hero was a guy who never realized his dreams (like many of us),  but he also banged a young Susan Sarandon. Doesn't get much better than that.
 

Leather

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johnmd20 said:
 
I didn't realize that was a chestnut. If you happen to be hearing this a lot, it might mean something.
 
Or it might mean that you'd prefer to start a pissing match rather than actually debate the merits of the movie in question.   
 
Your comment might also mean that you like to take the side of things that are popular, and then try and belittle people who disagree with your side, knowing most people will agree with you, which makes you nothing more than some pathetic type of bully.
 
It might mean lots of things.
 

Reverend

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SumnerH said:
Field of Dreams can't hold Bull Durham's jock. Inducing crying is a parlor trick, and even so I see more guys crying at Rudy, the Natural, or Hoosiers.
 
I agree with this. And if you want a really great sports movie, get a copy of Mystery Alaska.
 
I can't stand the father son stuff. I don't remember when I first saw the movie, but I think it was before my father died, but I don't remember. But it continues to strike me as an imaginary hypothetical about how young males who aren't good at emotions (for a number of social reasons) imagine they would feel and it seems deep. If you want to see a great movie about deep, father son stuff with death, get a copy of Big Fish.
 
And make sure you don't have any plans for after the movie.
 
I don't begrudge anyone's enjoyment of the movie. But it's pop music and candy--which I also enjoy.
 

johnmd20

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drleather2001 said:
 
Or it might mean that you'd prefer to start a pissing match rather than actually debate the merits of the movie in question.   
 
Your comment might also mean that you like to take the side of things that are popular, and then try and belittle people who disagree with your side, knowing most people will agree with you, which makes you nothing more than some pathetic type of bully.
 
It might mean lots of things.
 
Does Field of Dreams need a debate on its merits? I think the goal of the movie is pretty clear and it's been discussed for decades. And its execution was excellent. It is a heartwarming movie that appeals to a lot of people who equate baseball with their fathers and families. If that isn't your cup of tea, that's fine, you're a pretty solid and consistent cynic. But sometimes it's ok to like something that is only trying to be likeable and not turn the other way and laugh at the people who feel some emotions when they watch the movie.
 
I'm not sure where your bullying comments are coming from but that looks a lot like projection to me. I'm a lot of things, most of them not so great, but I am definitely not a bully. Talk to your cool kid friends about who the bullies are on this site.
 

pedro1918

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I can't get past the fact there are no Negro League players out there. You're telling me that Terrence "The Boat Rocker" Mann would have given that monologue without mentioning the Negro Leagues?
 

Average Reds

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Reverend said:
 
I agree with this. And if you want a really great sports movie, get a copy of Mystery Alaska.
 
I can't stand the father son stuff. I don't remember when I first saw the movie, but I think it was before my father died, but I don't remember. But it continues to strike me as an imaginary hypothetical about how young males who aren't good at emotions (for a number of social reasons) imagine they would feel and it seems deep. If you want to see a great movie about deep, father son stuff with death, get a copy of Big Fish.
 
And make sure you don't have any plans for after the movie.
 
I don't begrudge anyone's enjoyment of the movie. But it's pop music and candy--which I also enjoy.
 
This is kind of where I am - it's not a bad movie by any means, but it didn't resonate with me the way it did with others.  I say this as someone who lost his father two years before the movie came out and who appreciated the ending, but still thought it was overly maudlin for my tastes.
 
Mystery Alaska is a much better sports movie (and there are others) and Big Fish is a great call for father-son stuff.
 
 
pedro1918 said:
I can't get past the fact there are no Negro League players out there. You're telling me that Terrence "The Boat Rocker" Mann would have given that monologue without mentioning the Negro Leagues?
 
This was a big, big miss for me as well. 
 
I understand that they had to change the JD Salinger character, and I understand that Hollywood often misses details that seem obvious to people who know the subject.  But if you're going to turn the Salinger character into a firebrand who also happens to be African-American, it's not logical that he's going to celebrate the redemption of Joe Jackson and ignore the great players who were excluded from MLB based on their race.
 

Number45forever

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pedro1918 said:
I can't get past the fact there are no Negro League players out there. You're telling me that Terrence "The Boat Rocker" Mann would have given that monologue without mentioning the Negro Leagues?
You know, I never realized this before.  It now strikes me as something extremely wrong given how they built up Mann's character.  Fine point.
 
Still love FoD unconditionally though.
 

Vegas Sox Fan

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drleather2001 said:
 
Ya, I think it was a joke.
 
The best part about Field of Dreams is Burt Lancaster.  The rest is kind of silly, IMO.  I also want to punch the brother in law in the face.
 
I mean, the father and son thing is just too much.   I get that it's the quintessential thing that American fathers and sons do together, but if you stop and think about it, it's fucking ridiculous.  "Oh hi Dad, it's been forever.  Instead of asking you any questions about you or mom or anything, hey, let's throw a ball back and forth."
 
It's cheap.
 
I always thought the brother in law got a bad rap. I mean, these people stopped paying the mortgage and had no intention in either paying the mortgage or really of generating any income in the near future. And what, they just thought everything will be fine, my brother in law is a banker. But sure enough, the brother in law finds a group of investors willing to buy the land including a stipulation that they can stay, and live on the land, for free! They just have to let them bulldoze their silly empty baseball field.
 
And everyone hates this guy? So he accidentally chokes out his niece and now he's the bad guy. I feel for him. 
 

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The character of Mark, the brother-in-law (Timothy Busfield), carries echoes of Matt Hooper from Jaws (Richard Dreyfuss). Each tries to use reasoning and expertise in their field to get their points across with the best of intentions, but they're continually frustrated by maddeningly illogical resistance.
 
I've always found that interesting, along with how closely the actors resembled each other at a similar age (Dreyfuss is 10 years older).
 
 

Spelunker

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Especially given how good Busfield was in Revenge of the Nerds.

That's some range.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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Since I don't have any strong feelings on Field of Dreams (enjoyed it but it didn't change my life or anything), I'll continue contributing move minutia.  Timothy Busfield, mentioned above, is better known as Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds.  Revenge of the Nerds II was filmed only 2 years before Field of Dreams, and I have a hard time seeing the guy in the picture above as this guy:
 
 

Dave Stapleton

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Little league opening day was this past Saturday and being 12 it's my son's last year of LL. Saturday night we watched FOD together (he had never seen it). He enjoyed it and thought it was pretty cool. That's all I've got.