Review of Field of Dreams (1989) by Matt B — 16 Aug 2011

Field of Dreams is probably a movie nobody knows I love. It's one of only two movies I own two copies of. But I watch it every august 15th of every year since about 2003 for reasons I'll keep to myself, and what keeps me coming back is not some movie about baseball, but a movie about faith. About the lengths one has to go sometimes with faith, the awkwardness, how you seem crazy, and the rewards.

It's also the single most powerful movie for men that I've ever seen. I'm not saying it's made just for men or women wouldn't enjoy it, but it has a message and climax that strikes deep into a man's soul. See, what us guys don't want to talk about or even deny, is that we all have a conflicted relationship with our father. We all wish things turned out better, that we could communicate better, and have understood our fathers better. However, I've grown to see that a conflicted relationship with one's father is a borderline essential part of the male experience. I'm not sure why, but it is. I don't know a single guy I've ever met that has reached adulthood without a conflicted relationship with their dad.

I'm not going to spoil it, but at least for me, the end brings me to tears each year. I rated this five-stars, and wrote all this stuff, because I think it'd be very cathartic and healthy for the men I know to watch this movie, alone, and see what it does for them. I think it would be an experience, yes an experience, you'd never forget.

Matt.