Movie Hall of Fame: Field of Dreams

Initially I had thought that I should try to think of my all-time favorite movie and have that be the first inductee into the brand new Hall of Fame, but I decided against that for two reasons. First, I have trouble deciding my all-time favorite movie. Second, it's nice to pick a movie that's topical, and with the baseball season getting revved up, a baseball movie fits the bill perfectly.

Now, some of you (specifically those of you who are Indians fans) might suggest that Major League is a better baseball movie, and I'll concede one point to you: Major League is much more focused on baseball than Field of Dreams. But Field of Dreams blows Major League out of the water when it comes to simple movie quality. Also, there's a specific aspect of how Field of Dreams treats the sport of baseball that makes it, I think, a better baseball movie (I'll expand on this in a minute).

Back to the movie itself, Field of Dreams stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field in his field of corn. People mostly think he's crazy, but he does it anyways, and magic ensues. For the twelve of you on the planet who haven't seen the movie, I won't ruin it, but there's a lot of traveling, some more voices, and very interesting and well-played characters. Obviously, the movie has a fantastic quality that requires you to let go of the logic centers in your brain, but if you're able to enjoy Disney World or the Super Smash Brothers video games, you shouldn't have any trouble enjoying the film.

The aspect of the movie that sets it apart for me, though, is its treatment of baseball. Throughout the movie (and particularly at the end), baseball is appreciated as something greater than just a game, but a part of American culture, and something that has contributed to the identity of Americans. Is baseball some kind of holy concept? No, but it's certainly more than just the game. It's become an institution, and Field of Dreams highlights the great parts of it, the stuff that has nothing to do with steroids or contract negotiations.

The movie also does a great job of including baseball stories that highlight the particularly dramatic nature of so many baseball situations. That's what makes baseball so appealing, and so American: the drama. Soccer is a fine sport, but the vast majority of soccer games are minimally dramatic, pushing passes through midfield, clearing balls lobbed deep into the defensive territory, and the ball just coasting along, waiting for someone to get to it. In baseball (and football, the two huge American sports), drama is never in short supply.

The last piece of the puzzle for this movie is a story about Kevin Costner's character and his relationship with his now deceased father. It adds an emotional storyline that gets highlighted occasionally throughout the movie but doesn't really get fully addressed until very late. When I was younger, I didn't really care for this part very much, but after losing my own father, I now understand what my mom/uncles/aunts appreciated so much about the end of the movie. I'm a total sap, so I get weepy at most sad moments in movies, but I can usually tell which parts are legitimately heart-wrenching, and which are just standard fare, and this one, though completely understated, is the real deal.

So there you have it, your first member of the House Housington Media Hall of Fame: Field of Dreams. Look forward to a new inductee on March 20th, which will be our first video game member. It's a great PC game by one of the strongest game developing companies ever.