Field of Dreams, which came out on this very day in 1989, is a film that set the bar for all future baseball movies to come afterwards. The movie, widely regarded as a modern classic of baseball, has created and sustained a dreamy mood for the sport.
Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, is inspired by an ethereal message to make a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield. The mystical aspect of the movie is prevalent when Ray finds restoration for himself by connecting his own baseball past with the game’s epic figures. He realizes that his baseball field has been divinely ordained to give another chance to people who have sacrificed greatly in their lives. One of these special people is writer, Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones. Ray takes Terence to a baseball game and then to his farm. Another is Doc Graham, a well-liked doctor who gave up a growing baseball career to pursue medicine. The final person given a second chance turns out to be much closer to home for Ray when he is given the opportunity of a lifetime to connect with his deceased father. Ray is getting his very own second chance to have those talks that he never had the chance to have.
Since Field of Dreams came out 25 years ago, YA shows and baseball movies alike have had to live up to the ideals and themes put forth in the film.Baseball has always been an innocent and genuine American pastime that mirrors traditional familial morals. Current shows such as The Fosters and Switched at Birth have done a great job of bringing these same values to the forefront in their exploration of modern familial relationships. The very same issues that were addressed in Field of Dreams, over 20 years ago, have resurfaced in the YA world. The film also paved the way for future baseball movies to discuss real issues in a playful and innocent way. Such films like The Sandlot and The Rookie focused on camaraderie and nostalgia, themes addressed originally in Field of Dreams.
After 25 years, Field of Dreams still resonates with YA fans seeking a dreamy mood in which the idea of baseball is purified to its deepest essence.