_**Entertaining enough, but hampered by its fanciful premise**_

A family moves to an Iowa farm where the husband (Kevin Costner) hears a voice instructing him to guild a baseball diamond in the cornfield, promising “he” will come. Incredibly, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) shows up, along with seven other members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox who were banned from the game for throwing the World Series. Ray then pursues a reclusive author (James Earl Jones) to assist him with his fantastical situation.

I know respectable people who cite “Field of Dreams” (1989) as their favorite movie and it does have some magic, along with some welcome humor and a fun road movie section, but it’s burdened by the thoroughly unreal set-up, which likely would appeal to hardcore baseball fans. Still, I appreciate the message on spiritual guidance, dreams and the insouciant diligence to act on them.

The film runs 1 hour, 46 minutes, and was shot in Iowa (Dyersville, Farley & Dubuque), Illinois (Galena), and Boston, Massachusetts.

GRADE: B-/C+