1. Field of Dreams
It took an amazing movie for me to rank it higher than Cinderella Man. So, what makes Field of Dreams so great? This movie is ultimately about keeping faith, having another chance at missed opportunities, and continuing to do what someone loves, not for extrinsic glory but for intrinsic appreciation.
As viewers, we don't know a ton about the relationship of Ray Kinsella (Costner) and his father, but we know it was marked by missed opportunities, notably on the part of Ray. In a wild and great adventure, Ray builds a baseball field, nearly destroying his family financially, and travels across the country based on his faith in a whispering voice, "if you build it, he will come."
Eventually, Ray is able to witness some of the great baseball players from the 1919 Black Sox (one of which is his father) play baseball on his diamond in rural Iowa. In a very touching moment of cinema, Ray also realizes that by building the baseball diamond, he (his father), did come. Being able to play catch with his father seemed to tie up any loose ends Ray formerly had with his dad.
In addition to Ray's connection with his father, Roger Ebert reminds us what sport used to be, and still can be, if athletes reflected on their motivation. According to Ebert, "There is a speech in this movie about baseball that is so simple and true that it is heartbreaking. And the whole attitude toward the players reflects that attitude. Why do they come back from the great beyond and play in this cornfield? Not to make any kind of vast, earthshattering statement, but simply to hit a few and field a few, and remind us of a good and innocent time."
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