Moonlight Graham was a real person. In fact, the two men we see talking about him to Ray and Terry knew the real Doc Graham, and the stories they are telling were real.
I was a teenager when this came out and I remember seeing it in the theater. The theater was pretty full, and you could hear people sobbing at the end of this movie. 30+ years later and I can’t watch this movie without breaking down in tears every dang time.
I'm 48 and lost my dad when I was 13. He was a massive baseball fan and growing up all he wanted to do was play catch with me and my older brother. But I hated baseball at the time. I made every excuse in the book to get out of it. Unfortunately I ended up becoming a huge fan of the game in my 20s. What I wouldn't give to have one last catch with him. And to talk to him about fatherhood now that I'm a dad as well. This movie fucking wrecks me. Every damn time.
@plainOldFool Same here. 51. Lost mine in July 2007. Went to many games with him at Old Yankee Stadium in the 70s, 80s, and 90s - including what wound up being David Cone's Perfect Game in 1999. The last game I ever saw there was Old Timers' Day just a few weeks before he went. It hurt like hell to have been there without him but he was in the hospital with cancer, yet I felt like since he had taken me to so many OTDs, more than sitting in his hospital room with the game on TV holding his hand while he just slept and didn't even see any of it, I had to be there with him even if only in my heart. My mom even said it. "You should go and root for them for him. He'd love that." He didn't want me to see him going through it. When Ray says "I only saw him years later when he was broken down by life..." Forget it. 😭
Fun fact: in the scene when Ray and Terrence go to the Red Sox game, among the extras playing attendees at the game were two teenage aspiring actors named Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, in their official movie debuts. Many years later, after Affleck got famous, he starred in The Sum of All Fears, which had the same director as Field of Dreams. When he first walked on the set of that movie, he told the director, "Nice working with you again", and no one had any idea what he was talking about.
Another fun fact. My high school banner is hanging in the background when they are talking about the book burning. I believe this scene was filmed in Dubuque, IA. The high schools there were in the same conference as the high schools in Cedar Rapids. I live 40 minutes from the field of dreams. I have taken each of my 5 boys there to "have a catch".
Burt was a huge Hollywood Star in the 1940's and 50's. He won an Oscar (Best Actor) for the novel "The Birdman of Alcatraz". He killed it in his last role as Doc Graham.
Burt Lancaster is one of the true Hollywood greats, if you like Burt.... check out the movie... The Train (1964) It's an amazing WWII movie with some fantastic stunts that Burt does on his own w/o a stunt double !
Just a little trivia. The ending scene with the cars coming to the farm, the production sent out notice to the neighboring towns and they got 1,500 people to show up with their cars. They had them park on the road, turn their headlights on and had them flick the high beams up on and off to simulate the cars moving
This movie meant nothing to me and I thought it was boring the first time i saw it back then at 12 years old. The older I get, the more it touches me and make me cry even more each time. And now than I am probably a few months away from my father not remembering me because of his illness, it never touched me as hard.
I saw the movie in theatre as a teenager. I was with my older brother who was then an adult and I remember crying waterworks levels (no surprise there) and having to give kleenex to my brother for the first time in my life…. and seing dozens of men sniffing and wiping their eyes…the movie is still one of the best watch in cinema I ever seen.
As emotional as "Dad -- you wanna have a catch?" is, for me the moment that wrecks me every single time to this day is when Doc Graham steps off the field to help Karen, knowing that he can never go back once he does. Also, when Ray throws the curveball which Joe hits back directly at him -- that was a completely genuine, organic thing that the camera just happened to be perfectly positioned to capture. It was not scripted, but obviously had to be included in the movie.
I loved the scene where Graham finally gets a chance to hit, even drives in a run. Goes back to the bench, turns and looks at Ray and smiles and nods. Ray nods back. No need for dialogue, yet the audience knows what is happening. Doc is thanking Ray for giving him this opportunity and Ray is saying you're welcome! Quality filmmaking!
In early screenings when the ghost of John Consella is about to walk away Kevin Costner initially called out "John" before asking him to play catch. But the test audiences didn't react to that scene like the director hoped, so they ADR'd Kevin Costner saying "Dad" instead and it turned the test audiences into blubbering babies.
@@joehoy9242 In fact, its my interpretation that on every level John is well aware of the situation. He was simply letting Ray take the lead and guide the conversation. In my opinion, there's plenty of evidence and dialogue to suggest that the players, even though they may take on a younger form, know about their lives and are self-aware of their deaths.
One of the greatest films ever. I’ve literally seen it at least 25 times since its release . I bawled everytime. Full on ugly cry every time!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The little effervescence you get in your chest when you get excited seeing other people’s excitement.” Emily perfectly summing up why so many people enjoy watching these reactions without realizing it.
Love this movie! Went to the site in 92 during a family reunion. The house looks lived in because it was. It was owned by a family for years. It’s only recently been opened to the public for tourists. The farm you see behind doc graham before he goes into the corn was owned by my dad’s cousin during the filming. Its still in the family
I am not an American, I don't know literally anything about baseball and I don't really care about it, but this movie is so magical, I always feel like it grabs my heart and squeezes it from start to finish.
This is a movie about redemption, for Shoeless Joe, for Terence Mann, for Ray’s father and of course for Ray himself. A great many things were put right in this story.
I remember watching this movie on a family vacation when I was a kid, and seeing my grandfather, dad, and a couple of uncles all tearing up at the end. And I’d never seen most of them cry at all before. It didn’t get me emotional back then but as a dad myself now I even get teary watching reactions of it.
I love in the credits that it lists The Voice as “Himself”. Another thing I love that took me time to notice is that both Ray and his father know who the other one is but neither are sure the other one knows. The way John loves is at Ray when he introduces him to his family. This is my…..this is John. His dad looks at him hoping he says dad. So subtle but it’s there.
According to a book written about the making of this film, the actors played it as if they always knew who each other were, but they were afraid to break "the spell". Remember, right before that scene, they saw Doc Graham leave the field and lose his chance to go back. In the original cut, Ray says, "Hey, John, wanna have a catch?" but test audiences REALLY wanted the two men to acknowledge each other, so they had Kevin Costner dub in "Hey, Dad?"
The movie hits a nerve because so many understand that the chance of reuniting with a lost love one is more precious than any material object. Who wouldn’t mow a few acres to see a parent, or in my case, grandfather, again?
Oh...OH... When Ray backs it up and introduces him to Karen just as "John" DESTROYS me. I never knew either of my grandfathers. But my paternal grandfather who I hear through stories was such a baseball fan. That hits DEEP. Whenever one of those old questionnaires goes around asking "If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?" My answer is always "My paternal grandfather who I never knew!" 😢
One of my favorite stories about this film is that the producers were interested in Robin Williams for the lead, who was a much bigger star than Costner was at the time (and Robin was also interested). When Phil Alden Robinson decided he wanted Costner instead, Kevin asked him why he didn't go with the bigger star in Williams. Phil's response was essentially that he was fairly sure Robin heard voices in a cornfield, but he was also sure Costner didn't, which would make him a far more believable conduit for the audience. He was correct on all counts.
Robin Williams would have been a mistake i think…. It could have been an ok movie…. A funny movie to be sure….. but robin williams saying “hey dad, wanna catch?” AFTER having the painful relationship in life that Ray describes?
There is such a magical, peaceful and wonderful tranquility built into this films DNA, it's one of my favorite films of all time. That said, I now have a certain amount of fear of this film, I haven't seen it since my father died a couple of years ago and I'm afraid of how badly I'll fall apart when I do watch it again.😢
EVERY.DAMN.TIME My dad and I used to play catch in the yard almost every night if the weather allowed. It was, along with on the golf course, my favorite time with him.
“I’m gonna beat you with a crow bar, until you go away.” “What there are rules here? There’s no rules here.” Are two of the funniest lines ever lol. This is such an amazing movie. Every time.
All the ballplayer characters were real people, including Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham. He finally got his due in this film - those cameos of people remembering him weren't actors, but people who actually knew him. Casting an elderly Burt Lancaster as Doc Graham was a stroke of genius. Still hard to believe this didn't bring home one single Academy Award!
This is yet another example of a movie that is made ten times better by a musical score composed by the great James Horner. 1989 was a darned good year for Jim...he had 5 movies come out, including this one, Glory, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids...but it really should have been much better for him. First, Horner could only be nominated for an Academy Award for one film, even though the score for Glory is just as good if not better than Field of Dreams...but then he LOST to the score for a Disney cartoon that should not have beaten him. And I can see that Emily and Matt both probably agree with me.
One thing I learned in an interview with the director that I and a lot of people didnt realize is that Karen wasnt just a very smart little girl, she was hearing her OWN voices but wasnt telling her parents. Thats why she was so adamant about not selling because she knew the end game was good for the family.
Thank you so much for doing this one. I LOVE watching how excited Emily gets during it. The reactions to my writing this as they walk out of the school meeting match mine exactly. It brings back wonderful memories of watching this every summer a few times a year with my long passed away mom. We always LOVED this movie, as it was one of her favorites. It's run of emotions suits any mood. Even the cries are good cries. Thank you both again for bringing these wonderful memories of good times shared with my mom back to my mind.
Having grown up in a baseball family this is the ultimate childhood fantasy - being able to play catch with your father when you were about same age. He passed a year ago and he went to all our ball games. He played himself through high school. No man can get through that ending - "Hey Dad, want to have a catch?" - without that strong, heartfelt emotion. Maybe this is heaven.
"Dad, you wanna have a catch?" cripples me every time. I had a catch only once with my dad when I was seven. Never had a chance ever since. Now he's 82 and I'm 57. i still would like to find a way to have a catch with my dad again.
I never had the relationship with my father that the catch scene evokes in everyone. Even though my father died before he could meet my three beautiful daughters. But the shot of Doc's feet stepping off the field gets me every damn time. BTW, Emily, that old VW bus is so much fun to drive. I learned to drive as a teen on an old 72 VW bus, and of course it had an 8 track player. Storing the spare tire on the front dented up the front end so much struggling to take it on and off.
You MIGHT want to watch "Eight Men Out", a movie about the 1919 White Sox. Not as heart wrenching as this one, but might give a bit more understanding of the context of this film.
The field is for sure still there. My family is fortunate enough to live only a couple hour drive from Dyersville, IA and we make said drive every fall to it. They even provide balls, bats and a couple hitting tees. It's a hell of good time. Or should I say a HEAVEN of a good time!
Sports was the VEHICLE for the content. The message was clothed in baseball, but the baseballness receded into the background just like the ghostly ballplayers receded into the cornfield. I was raised by my stepfather. My mother had emotional 'issues' and never established a real connection with anyone, including me, her firstborn daughter. When she took off, she left me with my stepdad, who was mother and father to me. He died shortly after my first child was born, and I miss him even now, 50 years after his death. So, when Ray calls after his dad and asks for a catch, EVERT SINGLE VIEWING my tears flow. It's that wish for one more activity with a lost loved one. Bitter-sweet. A little brag here: Decades back, I attended a performance of "Othello" starring James Earl Jones as Othello and Chistopher Plummer as Iago. Exceptional. Faultless Desdemona comes back to her bedchamber, hidden Othello standing in the shadows; her first notice of his presence is Othello gutturally-growling like a jungle cat before he even speaks...
"Yep, every time." Spot on. It hits a little harder every year as i see my father aging and after losing my grandfather earlier this year. It was an entertaining movie when it came out at age 13...hits differently at age 48.
It's baseball ... they don't play in the winter. Once they reached spring, and spring training began, ball players started showing up. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
You really should have said something about Burt Lancaster. He was one of Hollywood's greatest actors of all time. As someone has already said, this was his last performance, he died in 1994.
Would love to see a one-off supplementary reaction to the pregame ceremony/presentation with Kevin Costner from the first actual Field of Dreams game. “Every time,” no matter how many times. Loved the reaction!
Great Reation...... The Wife (Amy Madigan) and the Daughter (Gabby Hoffman) also worked together in "Uncle Buck" which was released 3 months after this movie..... The movie with Jimmy Stewart that the Daughter was watching that got Turned off was the 1950 "Harvey," A Great Movie to Watch/React..... This BallField is still there.... They Created another Field Close by that they have played a couple Major League Baseball Games, and the Teams come to the field through the corfield in the Outfield.... Kevin Costner has done 5 Baseball Related Movies.... Funny: "Bull Durham" Which BoB Hope addressed it as "A movie about America's Favorite Past-Time, With a little Baseball Thrown in," Semi-Serious: "For Love of the Game," "Field of Dreams," "The Upside of Anger," "Chasing Dreams" Dennis Quaid Stars in a True Story "The Rookie"
This field is still there today and is one of Iowa's most popular tourist attractions. So even though Jones talked about people will come and come in the movie, it's true to this day as well which is really magical. Another baseball movie based on a true happening, "A League of Their Own" from 1992 staring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. Also has many other recognizable people.
Hi. Just discovered your channel a day or so ago and really love it compared to other "First Time Watching" reactors I've seen. I think your format of "One person has seen it and one hasn't" is a real breath of fresh air. Lots of others I've seen say it's their first time, but then EVERY well-known joke, line, gag, or plot point is IMMEDIATELY preempted in their commentaries just before it happens, as though they were always just lucky enough to anticipate or "call" it. With your way, the reactions come off as much more believable since Matt can't tip off everything to Em! I also like that you seem to do several movies apart from the usual slew that lots of others cover (PUMP UP THE VOLUME!!!) and that you seem to spend considerably more time after the movies telling stories and fun facts about the actors, the making of the movies, etc. In that light, since City Slickers is a "Western Comedy", may I suggest a somewhat lesser known Gene Wilder work that I NEVER see talked about but which is a lot of fun... The Frisco Kid (1979/80) with Harrison Ford!
I get so much joy from watching these films with y'all, and this one especially. Emily's reactions made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time all over again. Anyway I was hoping for Matthew to talk about building a concert space in the yard and James Horner would magically appear.
Yes .. Everytime 😢 my Dad who only passed away a couple years ago introduced my younger brother and i to baseball when we were young and the 3 of us always enjoyed our time together with baseball. ❤
7:00 has to be a bit frightening for a player who was alive in the 1920s. They played every game during the day because there weren't light's bright enough to play after dusk. In fact, the last MLB team to actually incorporate lights to be able to play night games was the Chicago Cubs in 1988.
This is one of my favourite movies of all time, along with The Color Purple. I have to leave it a few years between each watching, and having recently just lost my father I’m sobbing from the first James Horner chord and “if you build it he will come”.
Her Heart, and the discussion between you both after every film is why I will always stay. I appreciate you both seeking out the classics. The best movies always move us emotionally
"The Natural" (1984) is another great film that is about baseball but also about much more: a man confronting the mistakes of his past. Starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Robert Duvall, Darren McGavin and Wilfred Brimley
I live in Iowa about an hour or so away from Dyersville where the real field and house are. They are in fact still standing. Fun fact, to do that last scene with the cars in the distance, the locals were asked to drive out and park with their headlights turned on. The bleachers from the movie are still there with the initials of the husband and wife carved into it with a heart around them. That was done by Kevin Kostner during filming.
I recently visited the movie site. You can play on the field. Behind the backstop there's a big box with bats, balls and gloves, if you forgot to bring your own. The suggested donation is, in fact, twenty dollars.
15:20 My dad bought one in '86 or '87. Me and my family were riding in it one day and I fell out the back window cause I sitting up there leaning on it at 4 years old. Be careful with Pippin. 🤦🏿♂️🤣🤣😂😅
Thank you so much... All the guys i see watching this try to gut it out. It was impossible for me to do _before_ my Dad died in 2021. For added effect, he passed away from a brain tumor and the Field of Dreams game that August was one of the last games I saw him watch.
I have a tradition with some friends of mine and we all watch Field of Dreams the night before opening day. We always say this is the year we make it without crying then it happens “Hey dad…wanna have a catch?” Every….time….
"Every time"............ I had a similar relationship with my father and never got the chance to tell him how much I loved him before he passed 35 years ago. I'm a 70 years old Brit who grew up in 'Swingin' London' during the 60s and still miss the hell out of dad. Other films that hit me hard in the feels are Forrest Gump, Interstellar, Saving Private Ryan, Umberto D to name a few.
❤oh yeah, one more thing. I love that JEJ was going after Kevin Costner with the Godfather garden sprayer.......then The Godfather marquee pos up a couple of frames later.
❤⚾️Love baseball movies. Kevin Costner is in some of the best. Great reaction y'all....this should lead you to Eight Men Out 1988 if you have not already seen it. Most baseball movies make you cry. The OG baseball film is The Pride Of The Yankees 1942 😢 and my fave The Natural. Amy Madigan's performance in Gone Baby Gone is GOLD and should not be missed.
Burt Lancaster nailed his role. Archibald Graham was a real character and his story was true. The article the librarian was reading was an actual article from the local paper when he died.
"Every time," I have an estranged relationship with my father. This movie helped me rebuild that aspect of us. Cause I took for granted the time he's here and never asked what dreams he had. We now have a close bond and talk throughout the week.
Field of Dreams was all about second chances. Everyone got their chance to do something again that they regretted once in their life, including Ray playing catch with his father. Shoeless Joe Jackson got to play again. Terrance Mann got to find peace and write again (yes he was probably already dead the whole time - lol). Moonlight Graham got to bat and wink at a major league pitcher. My favorite all time movie. I also cry at the end every time I see it!
I don't agree that Terence was dead the whole time, and that he will return. I believe he was chosen to cross over and come back and begin writing about his experiences, thus giving some needed credibility to Ray and to what people in Iowa are about to inexplicably discover. There is also the scene in the hotel that Terence's dad has now reported him missing because Ray kidnapped him.
@@michaeljacyna1973 The movie is open to all interpretations. I respect yours but still beg to differ. Couldn't it have been Terrance had already died in his apartment when Ray showed up and that's why Terrance's father reported him missing since he didn't call? And how could all those people show up so quickly after Ray played catch with his father? The story was already written by Terrance. We really don't know so I still respect your interpretation. Thanks!
Phil Alden Robinson, writer/director was asked by a woman producer to read the original book, Phil asked whats it about and she said its about a farmer who hears a voice, ploughs his crop under and builds a baseball field, Phil said, not my kinda thing thanks. She persisted and said you should read it. Out of courtesy he took the book home, left it on a coffee table, picked it up late at night and read it straight through and said I have to make a movie out of this. So the theme, or one of them, was there in Phils experience, that is having a belief in something, an idea, a vision when everyone else thinks your crazy is so real and true.
Thanks to Emily, Matthew and Pippin! 🧢 Cheers to writer/director Phil Alden Robinson. 🔸 I love this one so much... and it never fails to squeeze some emotion out of me, even through a TH-cam reaction.
Have you guys seen "8 Men Out"? It's no Field of Dreams, but it IS about the 1919 'Black Sox' - and (since it's a John Sayles movie) it's a compelling watch.
You said that you could listen to James Earl Jones read the phonebook. I don't know if there's a recording of that, but my parents have a multi-cassette version of James Earl Jones reading the entire Bible that is absolutely magnificent!
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You said it, brother; "Every time..."
Hell, I cry when I see a reaction channel I like put this on their schedule. Then I cry again along with them when that last 15 minutes hits.
Absolutely,without fail.
Every damn time
Yup.... watching it first time... watching reactions.... saw they had just watched this, knew I was gonna, here I am!
Moonlight Graham was a real person. In fact, the two men we see talking about him to Ray and Terry knew the real Doc Graham, and the stories they are telling were real.
he was big on childhood immunization
@@nealabbott6520 And?
@@zackiej89 and he saved lives, so there
I was a teenager when this came out and I remember seeing it in the theater. The theater was pretty full, and you could hear people sobbing at the end of this movie. 30+ years later and I can’t watch this movie without breaking down in tears every dang time.
"Every time"
We're all right there with you Matthew, I say the same thing every time I watch this movie
At least a hundred times for me.
I'm 36 lost my dad to cancer years ago. We both loved everything baseball. The end still gets me everytime.
“Every damn time”
I'm 48 and lost my dad when I was 13. He was a massive baseball fan and growing up all he wanted to do was play catch with me and my older brother. But I hated baseball at the time. I made every excuse in the book to get out of it. Unfortunately I ended up becoming a huge fan of the game in my 20s. What I wouldn't give to have one last catch with him. And to talk to him about fatherhood now that I'm a dad as well. This movie fucking wrecks me. Every damn time.
@plainOldFool Same here. 51. Lost mine in July 2007. Went to many games with him at Old Yankee Stadium in the 70s, 80s, and 90s - including what wound up being David Cone's Perfect Game in 1999. The last game I ever saw there was Old Timers' Day just a few weeks before he went. It hurt like hell to have been there without him but he was in the hospital with cancer, yet I felt like since he had taken me to so many OTDs, more than sitting in his hospital room with the game on TV holding his hand while he just slept and didn't even see any of it, I had to be there with him even if only in my heart. My mom even said it. "You should go and root for them for him. He'd love that." He didn't want me to see him going through it. When Ray says "I only saw him years later when he was broken down by life..." Forget it. 😭
Fun fact: in the scene when Ray and Terrence go to the Red Sox game, among the extras playing attendees at the game were two teenage aspiring actors named Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, in their official movie debuts. Many years later, after Affleck got famous, he starred in The Sum of All Fears, which had the same director as Field of Dreams. When he first walked on the set of that movie, he told the director, "Nice working with you again", and no one had any idea what he was talking about.
Another fun fact. My high school banner is hanging in the background when they are talking about the book burning. I believe this scene was filmed in Dubuque, IA. The high schools there were in the same conference as the high schools in Cedar Rapids. I live 40 minutes from the field of dreams. I have taken each of my 5 boys there to "have a catch".
I was in a movie with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck?!?! COOL!!!!! (I was an extra that day too)
This was Burt Lancaster's last movie. He played the doctor.
"Hey Rookie, You were good!"- an homage to Burt Lancaster's contribution to film.
Burt was a huge Hollywood Star in the 1940's and 50's. He won an Oscar (Best Actor) for the novel "The Birdman of Alcatraz". He killed it in his last role as Doc Graham.
@@tlm101155 His Oscar win was actually for Elmer Gantry.
Burt Lancaster is one of the true Hollywood greats, if you like Burt.... check out the movie...
The Train (1964)
It's an amazing WWII movie with some fantastic stunts that Burt does on his own w/o a stunt double !
For a great Lancaster film, I recommend "Sweet Smell of Success."
Just a little trivia. The ending scene with the cars coming to the farm, the production sent out notice to the neighboring towns and they got 1,500 people to show up with their cars. They had them park on the road, turn their headlights on and had them flick the high beams up on and off to simulate the cars moving
This movie meant nothing to me and I thought it was boring the first time i saw it back then at 12 years old. The older I get, the more it touches me and make me cry even more each time. And now than I am probably a few months away from my father not remembering me because of his illness, it never touched me as hard.
Every Man cries at the ending scene… including me!
and sometimes us girls.
I saw the movie in theatre as a teenager. I was with my older brother who was then an adult and I remember crying waterworks levels (no surprise there) and having to give kleenex to my brother for the first time in my life…. and seing dozens of men sniffing and wiping their eyes…the movie is still one of the best watch in cinema I ever seen.
As emotional as "Dad -- you wanna have a catch?" is, for me the moment that wrecks me every single time to this day is when Doc Graham steps off the field to help Karen, knowing that he can never go back once he does. Also, when Ray throws the curveball which Joe hits back directly at him -- that was a completely genuine, organic thing that the camera just happened to be perfectly positioned to capture. It was not scripted, but obviously had to be included in the movie.
Another line that gets me is later in the scene when Ray says “Thank you, Doc”, and Doc responds “No son, thank you”.
Me too
I loved the scene where Graham finally gets a chance to hit, even drives in a run. Goes back to the bench, turns and looks at Ray and smiles and nods. Ray nods back. No need for dialogue, yet the audience knows what is happening. Doc is thanking Ray for giving him this opportunity and Ray is saying you're welcome! Quality filmmaking!
I can echo your words exactly... "Every damn time." I almost never cry at movies and I cry every single time at the end of this one.
In early screenings when the ghost of John Consella is about to walk away Kevin Costner initially called out "John" before asking him to play catch. But the test audiences didn't react to that scene like the director hoped, so they ADR'd Kevin Costner saying "Dad" instead and it turned the test audiences into blubbering babies.
Well, yes, because it implies that on some level John's ghost knows that Ray is his son. It'll hit an order of magnitude harder.
@@joehoy9242 In fact, its my interpretation that on every level John is well aware of the situation. He was simply letting Ray take the lead and guide the conversation. In my opinion, there's plenty of evidence and dialogue to suggest that the players, even though they may take on a younger form, know about their lives and are self-aware of their deaths.
@@michaeljacyna1973 Like them explicitly knowing when they died and about how long it's been?
@@AirLancer Exactly. I was just sugar coating to who I was replying to.
One of the greatest films ever. I’ve literally seen it at least 25 times since its release . I bawled everytime. Full on ugly cry every time!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The little effervescence you get in your chest when you get excited seeing other people’s excitement.” Emily perfectly summing up why so many people enjoy watching these reactions without realizing it.
Man, love watching people react to this for the first time.
" It's not my fault you never played catch with your father.."
I just love this film.
Love this movie! Went to the site in 92 during a family reunion. The house looks lived in because it was. It was owned by a family for years. It’s only recently been opened to the public for tourists. The farm you see behind doc graham before he goes into the corn was owned by my dad’s cousin during the filming. Its still in the family
Does MLB use the field for tournaments? I’ve heard they do.
I am not an American, I don't know literally anything about baseball and I don't really care about it, but this movie is so magical, I always feel like it grabs my heart and squeezes it from start to finish.
This is a movie about redemption, for Shoeless Joe, for Terence Mann, for Ray’s father and of course for Ray himself. A great many things were put right in this story.
I never cried during this movie until I became a father.
I remember watching this movie on a family vacation when I was a kid, and seeing my grandfather, dad, and a couple of uncles all tearing up at the end. And I’d never seen most of them cry at all before.
It didn’t get me emotional back then but as a dad myself now I even get teary watching reactions of it.
It certainly adds a level....
I love in the credits that it lists The Voice as “Himself”. Another thing I love that took me time to notice is that both Ray and his father know who the other one is but neither are sure the other one knows. The way John loves is at Ray when he introduces him to his family. This is my…..this is John. His dad looks at him hoping he says dad. So subtle but it’s there.
According to a book written about the making of this film, the actors played it as if they always knew who each other were, but they were afraid to break "the spell". Remember, right before that scene, they saw Doc Graham leave the field and lose his chance to go back. In the original cut, Ray says, "Hey, John, wanna have a catch?" but test audiences REALLY wanted the two men to acknowledge each other, so they had Kevin Costner dub in "Hey, Dad?"
The second film in Kevin Costner’s Unofficial Baseball Trilogy. Just need “Bull Durham” and Sam Raimi’s “For Love of the Game”.
Exactly 💯
The movie hits a nerve because so many understand that the chance of reuniting with a lost love one is more precious than any material object. Who wouldn’t mow a few acres to see a parent, or in my case, grandfather, again?
Oh...OH...
When Ray backs it up and introduces him to Karen just as "John" DESTROYS me. I never knew either of my grandfathers. But my paternal grandfather who I hear through stories was such a baseball fan. That hits DEEP. Whenever one of those old questionnaires goes around asking "If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?" My answer is always "My paternal grandfather who I never knew!" 😢
One of my favorite stories about this film is that the producers were interested in Robin Williams for the lead, who was a much bigger star than Costner was at the time (and Robin was also interested). When Phil Alden Robinson decided he wanted Costner instead, Kevin asked him why he didn't go with the bigger star in Williams. Phil's response was essentially that he was fairly sure Robin heard voices in a cornfield, but he was also sure Costner didn't, which would make him a far more believable conduit for the audience. He was correct on all counts.
I LOVE this
Robin Williams would have been a mistake i think…. It could have been an ok movie…. A funny movie to be sure….. but robin williams saying “hey dad, wanna catch?” AFTER having the painful relationship in life that Ray describes?
@@MrSheckstr you apparently don't know Robin Williams very well.
@@AregPone Yeah, Williams would've nailed it. He was every bit as good at drama as he was at comedy.
@@MrSheckstr Have you not seen “Dead Poet’s Society?”
"Don't wink, kid" I love it.
There is such a magical, peaceful and wonderful tranquility built into this films DNA, it's one of my favorite films of all time. That said, I now have a certain amount of fear of this film, I haven't seen it since my father died a couple of years ago and I'm afraid of how badly I'll fall apart when I do watch it again.😢
i used to tear up every time i watch this movie. but when my dad died now i just ball like a baby at the end. it will be 3 years coming this October.
EVERY.DAMN.TIME My dad and I used to play catch in the yard almost every night if the weather allowed. It was, along with on the golf course, my favorite time with him.
“I’m gonna beat you with a crow bar, until you go away.” “What there are rules here? There’s no rules here.” Are two of the funniest lines ever lol. This is such an amazing movie. Every time.
James Earl Jones' best role, hands down.
“You’re a pacifist!”
The men in the bar were not actors, they were friends of Doc Graham.
Come for the baseball, stay for the modern-day fairy tale.
All the ballplayer characters were real people, including Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham. He finally got his due in this film - those cameos of people remembering him weren't actors, but people who actually knew him. Casting an elderly Burt Lancaster as Doc Graham was a stroke of genius. Still hard to believe this didn't bring home one single Academy Award!
This is yet another example of a movie that is made ten times better by a musical score composed by the great James Horner. 1989 was a darned good year for Jim...he had 5 movies come out, including this one, Glory, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids...but it really should have been much better for him. First, Horner could only be nominated for an Academy Award for one film, even though the score for Glory is just as good if not better than Field of Dreams...but then he LOST to the score for a Disney cartoon that should not have beaten him.
And I can see that Emily and Matt both probably agree with me.
Some of the most Emily, Emily noises caused by this movie. So good!
One thing I learned in an interview with the director that I and a lot of people didnt realize is that Karen wasnt just a very smart little girl, she was hearing her OWN voices but wasnt telling her parents. Thats why she was so adamant about not selling because she knew the end game was good for the family.
Thank you so much for doing this one. I LOVE watching how excited Emily gets during it. The reactions to my writing this as they walk out of the school meeting match mine exactly. It brings back wonderful memories of watching this every summer a few times a year with my long passed away mom. We always LOVED this movie, as it was one of her favorites. It's run of emotions suits any mood. Even the cries are good cries. Thank you both again for bringing these wonderful memories of good times shared with my mom back to my mind.
Having grown up in a baseball family this is the ultimate childhood fantasy - being able to play catch with your father when you were about same age. He passed a year ago and he went to all our ball games. He played himself through high school. No man can get through that ending - "Hey Dad, want to have a catch?" - without that strong, heartfelt emotion. Maybe this is heaven.
Emily knocked it out of the park with her after-movie comments. Very perceptive!
RIP James 😪 - thanks for so many of my best screen moments
"Dad, you wanna have a catch?" cripples me every time. I had a catch only once with my dad when I was seven. Never had a chance ever since. Now he's 82 and I'm 57. i still would like to find a way to have a catch with my dad again.
I love the story of Dr. Graham...it's good to keep in mind that maybe your dream isn't your true calling.
I never had the relationship with my father that the catch scene evokes in everyone. Even though my father died before he could meet my three beautiful daughters. But the shot of Doc's feet stepping off the field gets me every damn time.
BTW, Emily, that old VW bus is so much fun to drive. I learned to drive as a teen on an old 72 VW bus, and of course it had an 8 track player. Storing the spare tire on the front dented up the front end so much struggling to take it on and off.
You MIGHT want to watch "Eight Men Out", a movie about the 1919 White Sox. Not as heart wrenching as this one, but might give a bit more understanding of the context of this film.
Yes! I love Eight Men Out, and it has yet to be reacted to by any channel.
The field is for sure still there. My family is fortunate enough to live only a couple hour drive from Dyersville, IA and we make said drive every fall to it. They even provide balls, bats and a couple hitting tees. It's a hell of good time. Or should I say a HEAVEN of a good time!
My neighbor and her family were part of the car parade at the end of the movie. She said cars were tuned to an AM radio channel for directions.
Archie "Moonlight" Doc Graham was played by Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster. This movie was Burt's final performance.
Sports was the VEHICLE for the content. The message was clothed in baseball, but the baseballness receded into the background just like the ghostly ballplayers receded into the cornfield.
I was raised by my stepfather. My mother had emotional 'issues' and never established a real connection with anyone, including me, her firstborn daughter. When she took off, she left me with my stepdad, who was mother and father to me. He died shortly after my first child was born, and I miss him even now, 50 years after his death.
So, when Ray calls after his dad and asks for a catch, EVERT SINGLE VIEWING my tears flow. It's that wish for one more activity with a lost loved one. Bitter-sweet.
A little brag here:
Decades back, I attended a performance of "Othello" starring James Earl Jones as Othello and Chistopher Plummer as Iago.
Exceptional.
Faultless Desdemona comes back to her bedchamber, hidden Othello standing in the shadows; her first notice of his presence is Othello gutturally-growling like a jungle cat before he even speaks...
"Yep, every time."
Spot on. It hits a little harder every year as i see my father aging and after losing my grandfather earlier this year. It was an entertaining movie when it came out at age 13...hits differently at age 48.
It's baseball ... they don't play in the winter. Once they reached spring, and spring training began, ball players started showing up. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
One of the greatest films ever, any genre, any era!
Amy Madigan is also in the Stephen King movie The Dark Half directed by George Romero.
Yeah. He undersold this one a bit. I also feel "For the love of the game" is my favorite Costner movie. But, I did grow up listening to Vin Scully.
You really should have said something about Burt Lancaster. He was one of Hollywood's greatest actors of all time. As someone has already said, this was his last performance, he died in 1994.
Would love to see a one-off supplementary reaction to the pregame ceremony/presentation with Kevin Costner from the first actual Field of Dreams game.
“Every time,” no matter how many times. Loved the reaction!
Mathew builds that football field I'm buying a ticket hoping to see the legendary Jim Thorpe playing.
Really great sports movies, like this one are almost never about the sport itself. Absolute Winner.
Seeing Eight Men Out ,which is a great film,adds a lot of context to this film.
Great Reation......
The Wife (Amy Madigan) and the Daughter (Gabby Hoffman) also worked together in "Uncle Buck" which was released 3 months after this movie.....
The movie with Jimmy Stewart that the Daughter was watching that got Turned off was the 1950 "Harvey," A Great Movie to Watch/React.....
This BallField is still there.... They Created another Field Close by that they have played a couple Major League Baseball Games, and the Teams come to the field through the corfield in the Outfield....
Kevin Costner has done 5 Baseball Related Movies.... Funny: "Bull Durham" Which BoB Hope addressed it as "A movie about America's Favorite Past-Time, With a little Baseball Thrown in," Semi-Serious: "For Love of the Game," "Field of Dreams," "The Upside of Anger," "Chasing Dreams"
Dennis Quaid Stars in a True Story "The Rookie"
This field is still there today and is one of Iowa's most popular tourist attractions. So even though Jones talked about people will come and come in the movie, it's true to this day as well which is really magical. Another baseball movie based on a true happening, "A League of Their Own" from 1992 staring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. Also has many other recognizable people.
Baseball was just a vehicle, an excuse in which this great story was based.
Hi. Just discovered your channel a day or so ago and really love it compared to other "First Time Watching" reactors I've seen. I think your format of "One person has seen it and one hasn't" is a real breath of fresh air. Lots of others I've seen say it's their first time, but then EVERY well-known joke, line, gag, or plot point is IMMEDIATELY preempted in their commentaries just before it happens, as though they were always just lucky enough to anticipate or "call" it. With your way, the reactions come off as much more believable since Matt can't tip off everything to Em!
I also like that you seem to do several movies apart from the usual slew that lots of others cover (PUMP UP THE VOLUME!!!) and that you seem to spend considerably more time after the movies telling stories and fun facts about the actors, the making of the movies, etc.
In that light, since City Slickers is a "Western Comedy", may I suggest a somewhat lesser known Gene Wilder work that I NEVER see talked about but which is a lot of fun... The Frisco Kid (1979/80) with Harrison Ford!
matthew's yankee hate is one of my favorite features about him
Normally a Braves fan, but during the 2004 ALCS I was the biggest Red Sox fan in the world.
I get so much joy from watching these films with y'all, and this one especially. Emily's reactions made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time all over again. Anyway I was hoping for Matthew to talk about building a concert space in the yard and James Horner would magically appear.
That final scene makes me cry each and every time I watch it.
Yes .. Everytime 😢 my Dad who only passed away a couple years ago introduced my younger brother and i to baseball when we were young and the 3 of us always enjoyed our time together with baseball. ❤
7:00 has to be a bit frightening for a player who was alive in the 1920s. They played every game during the day because there weren't light's bright enough to play after dusk. In fact, the last MLB team to actually incorporate lights to be able to play night games was the Chicago Cubs in 1988.
Ending gets me every time too Matt 😢. Love your reactions. If you film it, they will come.
This is one of my favourite movies of all time, along with The Color Purple. I have to leave it a few years between each watching, and having recently just lost my father I’m sobbing from the first James Horner chord and “if you build it he will come”.
This is so underestimated like Rocky is underestimated. Rocky is really a love story wrapped in a boxing movie
Her Heart, and the discussion between you both after every film is why I will always stay. I appreciate you both seeking out the classics. The best movies always move us emotionally
Thank you so much 💓
“Boo Yankees!” I knew I liked you guys❤
"The Natural" (1984) is another great film that is about baseball but also about much more: a man confronting the mistakes of his past. Starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Robert Duvall, Darren McGavin and Wilfred Brimley
I live in Iowa about an hour or so away from Dyersville where the real field and house are. They are in fact still standing. Fun fact, to do that last scene with the cars in the distance, the locals were asked to drive out and park with their headlights turned on. The bleachers from the movie are still there with the initials of the husband and wife carved into it with a heart around them. That was done by Kevin Kostner during filming.
I recently visited the movie site. You can play on the field. Behind the backstop there's a big box with bats, balls and gloves, if you forgot to bring your own. The suggested donation is, in fact, twenty dollars.
"The Natural" with Robert Redford is a lot like this movie.
This is my favorite Ray Liotta performance. He really captured something magical.
The magic of flatness, almost contempt ? There’s a reason his career wasn’t great.
Amy Madigan met her husband, Ed Harris, on the set of “Places in the Heart.” It is definitely worth watching.
No one reacts to that perfect movie.
@3:55 You should recognize Amy Madigan from Uncle Buck as well. She was Buck’s girlfriend.
15:20 My dad bought one in '86 or '87. Me and my family were riding in it one day and I fell out the back window cause I sitting up there leaning on it at 4 years old. Be careful with Pippin. 🤦🏿♂️🤣🤣😂😅
Thank you so much... All the guys i see watching this try to gut it out. It was impossible for me to do _before_ my Dad died in 2021. For added effect, he passed away from a brain tumor and the Field of Dreams game that August was one of the last games I saw him watch.
Underselling of the century indeed. - Field of tears.
I have a tradition with some friends of mine and we all watch Field of Dreams the night before opening day. We always say this is the year we make it without crying then it happens “Hey dad…wanna have a catch?” Every….time….
One of those rare movies that I'd like to erase from my memory simply so I could watch it for the first time again. And again. And again.
"Every time"............
I had a similar relationship with my father and never got the chance to tell him how much I loved him before he passed 35 years ago. I'm a 70 years old Brit who grew up in 'Swingin' London' during the 60s and still miss the hell out of dad.
Other films that hit me hard in the feels are Forrest Gump, Interstellar, Saving Private Ryan, Umberto D to name a few.
❤oh yeah, one more thing. I love that JEJ was going after Kevin Costner with the Godfather garden sprayer.......then The Godfather marquee pos up a couple of frames later.
❤⚾️Love baseball movies. Kevin Costner is in some of the best. Great reaction y'all....this should lead you to Eight Men Out 1988 if you have not already seen it. Most baseball movies make you cry. The OG baseball film is The Pride Of The Yankees 1942 😢 and my fave The Natural. Amy Madigan's performance in Gone Baby Gone is GOLD and should not be missed.
One of the greatest movies of all time.
Yep, every single time. It doesn't matter if i'm watching it or if i'm watching someone else watch it, the ending makes me cry.
Burt Lancaster nailed his role. Archibald Graham was a real character and his story was true. The article the librarian was reading was an actual article from the local paper when he died.
One of James Horner's most brilliant heartbreakingly beautiful scores! RIP Maestro. ❤
"Every time,"
I have an estranged relationship with my father. This movie helped me rebuild that aspect of us. Cause I took for granted the time he's here and never asked what dreams he had. We now have a close bond and talk throughout the week.
I Remember My Late Dad Taking Me To See This At The Movie Theater,I Thinks Of Him Now, When I Watch This Now, Great Reactions Guy's
I remember going to the movie theater to see this movie. ... My wife and I.
Great review.
Field of Dreams was all about second chances. Everyone got their chance to do something again that they regretted once in their life, including Ray playing catch with his father. Shoeless Joe Jackson got to play again. Terrance Mann got to find peace and write again (yes he was probably already dead the whole time - lol). Moonlight Graham got to bat and wink at a major league pitcher. My favorite all time movie. I also cry at the end every time I see it!
I don't agree that Terence was dead the whole time, and that he will return. I believe he was chosen to cross over and come back and begin writing about his experiences, thus giving some needed credibility to Ray and to what people in Iowa are about to inexplicably discover. There is also the scene in the hotel that Terence's dad has now reported him missing because Ray kidnapped him.
@@michaeljacyna1973 The movie is open to all interpretations. I respect yours but still beg to differ. Couldn't it have been Terrance had already died in his apartment when Ray showed up and that's why Terrance's father reported him missing since he didn't call? And how could all those people show up so quickly after Ray played catch with his father? The story was already written by Terrance. We really don't know so I still respect your interpretation. Thanks!
Phil Alden Robinson, writer/director was asked by a woman producer to read the original book, Phil asked whats it about and she said its about a farmer who hears a voice, ploughs his crop under and builds a baseball field, Phil said, not my kinda thing thanks. She persisted and said you should read it. Out of courtesy he took the book home, left it on a coffee table, picked it up late at night and read it straight through and said I have to make a movie out of this. So the theme, or one of them, was there in Phils experience, that is having a belief in something, an idea, a vision when everyone else thinks your crazy is so real and true.
Thanks to Emily, Matthew and Pippin! 🧢 Cheers to writer/director Phil Alden Robinson. 🔸 I love this one so much... and it never fails to squeeze some emotion out of me, even through a TH-cam reaction.
Have you guys seen "8 Men Out"? It's no Field of Dreams, but it IS about the 1919 'Black Sox' - and (since it's a John Sayles movie) it's a compelling watch.
You said that you could listen to James Earl Jones read the phonebook. I don't know if there's a recording of that, but my parents have a multi-cassette version of James Earl Jones reading the entire Bible that is absolutely magnificent!
"Eight Men Out" is a nice companion movie to this.