Field of Dreams

I have to confess that I really thought this movie was too hokey when I first saw it in the theaters. I was a HUGE Kevin Costner fan at the time and so it was essential I see it. I was 14 at the time and I thought this film was OK, but nothing special and WAY too silly for me. So, I’m not sure if it is age or life experience or what, but seeing it again after all of this time…almost 20 years later…lent a different perspective to this film that I definitely did not have as a teenager. It’s a movie about second chances. About regrets. About living in the NOW. About not letting things fly by you without notice…because one day when you feel like it’s time to finally take notice, it’s way too late. Sure, the “hoke” factor is still there, but it’s not what the movie is about. The fantasy element is just to get to the main point of the film…which I feel is to live life like everyday is your last. And to ENJOY life and try not to alienate too many people along the way because you never know when they might turn up in your yard and want to play catch.

Bull Durham

A minor league veteran (Kevin Costner) trains an undisciplined, cocky pitcher (Tim Robbins) whose goal is to get to “the show” (the major leagues). Susan Sarandon as the team’s groupie convincingly plays a women who feels she must train one player per season in ways that have little to do with their performance on the field. This film features great comic dialogue about baseball and relationships between men and woman, as well as star-making performances for Costner, Robbins, and director Ron Shelton. Her role as Annie also put Sarandon back on the map as a sexy leading lady.