Kevin Costner has a long history with Westerns as an actor and director, but his favorite film surprisingly comes from a completely different genre. Although he has acted in films across a variety of media since 1981, Costner’s Western films and TV shows remain his best-known works. Despite its mediocre critical reception, Costner’s Western epic Horizon is a streaming hit, and the series yellow stonewhich he directed and starred in, became one of the most popular TV shows of the last decade.
Costner often directs and acts in emotionally driven stories, with characters going through a personal journey. In McFarland, USA, he plays a mentor determined to redeem himself. In Dances with wolveswhich Costner directed and starred in, his character is a conflicted lieutenant who begins to sympathize with the other side. In the critically acclaimed Field of DreamsCostner plays Ray, a farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield after hearing a mysterious voice. Kevin Costner’s best films often feature themes of self-discovery or valuing life, which could be a decision inspired by his favorite film.
Kevin Costner’s favorite movie is It’s A Wonderful Life
It’s a Wonderful Life and its source material has inspired several modern films
George, the protagonist of It’s a wonderful life, contemplates suicide before his guardian angel shows him the impact he has had on the world. It is loosely based on the novel by Charles Dickens A Christmas songin which the miserable Scrooge learns to find joy. It’s a wonderful life’The finale shows George, as Scrooge, embracing his life and loved ones, and Kevin Costner mentioned the film in Rich Eisen’s programsaying “There is something captivating about this film.“How It’s a wonderful life is Kevin Costner’s favorite movie, It’s understandable that his characters often have similar journeys to Scrooge and George.
Like this A Christmas song inspired countless adaptations and interpretations, the positive message of It’s a wonderful life resonated with modern audiences. Despite being released in 1946, It’s a wonderful life has a 94% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is widely considered the most inspirational film of all time. The story and underlying themes of love and the value of life in It’s a wonderful life have inspired many unexpected films and TV shows, including episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Shrek: Forever After, Donnie Darkoand the Kevin Costner baseball film, Field of Dreams.
How Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams Was Inspired by It’s A Wonderful Life
Costner described Field Of Dreams as potentially “This Generation’s A Wonderful Life”
It’s a wonderful life and Field of Dreams share more than just your themessince both films also deal with the characters’ family relationships and have a supernatural element, with Field of Dreams containing ghosts, and It’s a wonderful life have an angel. Archie”Moonlight” Graham’s storyline is also similar to George’s in that Moonlight realizes that by becoming a doctor, he was valued by the people who needed him most. How It’s a wonderful life, Field of Dreams is considered one of the best films of the 1980s, with legendary film critic Roger Ebert giving it Field of Dreams a perfect score.
Costner suggested to Rich Eisen that Field of Dreams could be “of this generation It’s a wonderful life“ despite the Christmas theme. Costner explained: “It’s really about things that go unsaid between parents and children, and that’s pretty biblical, right?”Which probably means that this aspect of family relationships can be a universal experience. Both films explore this experience in a way appropriate to their time. It’s a wonderful life is iconic, but its narrative might not work in a modern film, although its underlying theme remains identifiable. How is this Kevin Costnerhis favorite movie, it’s understandable that he’s still finding new ways to share his message.
Source: Rich Eisen’s program