Field of Dreams

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Field of Dreams Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 12+

Baseball crowd pleaser with a supernatural twist.

PG 1989 107 minutes
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 11 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 14 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Stands out for .

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this story about following your dreams and reconciling relationships could appeal to young teens, older teens, and adults, especially families who like baseball. Some positive messages about tolerance and believing in yourself go along with a bit of strong language ("s--t" and "son of a bitch"). There are a couple references to past drug use, as well as a couple tense scenes.

Community Reviews

Clax11
Clax11 Adult
August 9, 2022
age 7+

Touching story about relationships uses baseball as its medium.

As long as a kid is old enough to understand some of the spiritual, emotional, and symbolic moments they are old enough to see it. There are some curse words and a drug reference, but besides that there isn't anything inappropriate. There is the concept of death, the afterlife, and a poor relationship with a parent suggested, but nothing darker or more complex than more most animated movies.
Val Vashon
Val Vashon Adult
August 20, 2021
age 8+

Nostalgic film enjoyed with our kids (8 and 16)

We watched with our 16-year-old and 8-year-old. I explained the supernatural aspect to my 8-year-old by comparing ‘the voice’ in the movie with the spirit that leads Elsa into the unknown in Frozen 2. It’s the same concept, and not at all unfamiliar to anyone who’s ever watched a Disney film. I didn’t have an issue with the language and prepped my kids ahead of time. Other reviews have falsely mentioned frequent use of certain phrases. The phrase ‘son of a’ is used frequently, but not ‘son of a bitch.’ You’ll hear s**t one or two times and a**hole once. The PTA ‘book burning’ scene has one sexual reference that, admittedly, is unnecessary but will go over the heads of younger viewers. When in doubt, parents should always preview a movie before letting their kids watch it. There’s a scene where the young girl appears to be injured. I told my 8-year-old that I’d seen the movie before and reassured her that the character would be fine. My 16-year-old appreciated the story telling style in that it doesn’t over explain every detail. This is a nostalgic movie where the viewer is allowed to discover the meaning behind the story on their own.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 11 parent reviews

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 pleasantly satisfying 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."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about dreams. How do you know when to follow a dream that seems crazy or foolish? What thoughts go into weighing the risks of certain choices? Is there a way to know for sure whether an idea is a good one?

  • How did Ray's experience with the baseball field help him heal his pain related to his relationship with his father? What could you do to mend some family wounds?

  • What kinds of stereotypes are discussed or displayed in this movie?

Movie Details

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