The movie was ok! It is better for sport fanatic boys that love sport history!
Field of Dreams
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Instant baseball classic for whole family.
Themes in this movie include: family relationships, loss
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Field of Dreams was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this is a very family- and kid-friendly movie. There are a few swear words and references to drugs.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about why Annie's brother Mark doesn't see the baseball players at first. Why is he able to see them later? What did Ray mean when he talked about how he needed to insult his father's hero when he was a teenager? How do you know when to follow a dream that seems crazy or foolish?
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More on Field of Dreams
What’s the Story?
In FIELD OF DREAMS, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) stands in the middle of his first Iowa corn crop and hears a voice say, "If you build it, he will come." He begins to understand that this means he must plow under the corn crop and build a baseball field so that Shoeless Joe Jackson, barred from baseball since 1919 and dead for years, can play on it. Ray and his wife (Amy Madigan) know this is a crazy thing to do, but they do it. And Jackson does show up, with his teammates. Jackson was the hero of Ray's father, a former minor leaguer, with whom Ray had never been able to connect. The voice speaks again: "Ease his pain." Ray comes to understand that this refers to an iconoclastic author of the 1960s named Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones), now a recluse. Ray finds him, and together they hear the voice say "Go the distance." This leads them back in time to find an elderly doctor (Burt Lancaster), who had a brief career in baseball but never got a chance at bat and they set out to find Mann.
Is It Any Good?
The themes of this movie are dreams, family, and baseball. There are echoes of Ray's father throughout the movie. It begins with Ray's description of growing up, using his refusal to play baseball as his teenage rebellion, and as a way to test his father's love. Ray tells Mann that his father's name was used for a character in one of Mann's books. Ray builds the field to bring back Shoeless Joe, his father's hero, the hero Ray accused of being corrupt because he knew that would hurt his father.
And of course at the end, it turns out that the dream all along was not bringing back the greats of baseball, but of a reconciliation with his father that was not possible before he died. "I only saw him when he was worn down by life," Ray says. His own understanding and maturity are what enable him to see his father as he really was, even before he reappears on the baseball field. Ray asks his father, "Is there a heaven?" and his father answers, "Oh yeah. It's the place dreams come true."
Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures, Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Run time: 107 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1989
MPAA Rating: PG
Run time: 107 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1989
MPAA Rating: PG
Our Members Say
See 8 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
An OK movie???
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Kids ages: 9
I rate this title on for age 8 and give it- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
Good father-son film
This film underscores the relativity of baseball and it's timeless endurance as it transcends the generations. I see little content objectionable material, but the theme may be too complicated for those younger than 8. My son (8) is just the age he can appreciate this type of film and differentiate the reality of future, past, and fiction. Also, he recognized there were a couple of pieces of mildly rough language, from the ball players (as you might expect) and James Earl Jones, who plays a grouch early on in the movie.
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Kids ages: 9
I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
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I rate this title on and give it
One of the best sports moves of all time if not the best.
One of the best sports movie ever done. the ending is great. Just kids under the age of 9 will not get it and get board.One you should SEE!
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I rate this title on and give it
A favorite of mine.
As a baseball lover and a movie lover this movie is a rare treasure. Compleatly approaite for anyone over eight. Some bad lauange and a slightly sophisticated plot may make this a bad pick for young children though. A great family movie for after the small ones are asleep.
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I rate this title on and give it
Not just another baseball movie
I hate baseball, and my dad has tried countless times to get me to watch it. Finally, he did, and it was not just about baseball. It was about following your dreams and it was pretty inspiring. Some kids may be bored in it. There are a few drug references, but nothing that severe. Something commonsense did not pick up on is there is a discussion of banning a book and they say "pornography" and "masturbation." But that will be unnoticed by kids. The littlest kids may be confused, but I'd say good for 10+.
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I rate this title on and give it
Inspirational Film for Ages 12 and up!
Field of Dreams is an excellent story about a man lives on a farm with his wife, Annie, and daughter. One day he hears The Voice, telling him "If you build it, he will come." Ray (Kevin Costner), then sees a vision of a baseball field. He decides to build the field on his land, with the support of Annie. The Voice comes back and tells him to do various other things, and along for the ride comes a retired author (James Earl Jones), and several baseball sensations such as Shoeless Joe and Moonlight Graham. Ray obeys The Voice, and soon he comes to find what he's been missing all his life. This film is very inspirational and carries a message, though the plot may confuse young ones and the language used is much worse than darn and heck. This makes this movie innapropriate for anyone under 12, and maybe some mature 11 year olds. But anyone who watches it will be inspired and will come away loving this movie.
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I rate this title on and give it
An Instant Classic! Magical, Funny, Inventive!
Field of Dreams is a fun family film for all. The CommonSense review can tell you the story. The main problem in the film is language. S**t, D**n, and A** are used frequently, as well as crude names like "nazi cow". Other than that, the acting is terrific and the story magical. Highly reccommended!
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
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