John Mulaney's 'Field of Dreams' Oscars bit proves he should've hosted

A great bit!
 By 
Elena Cavender
 on 
John Mulaney presenting the award for Best Sound.
Credit: Kevin Winter / Staff / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Before presenting the award for Best Sound at the 2024 Oscars comedian John Mulaney explained, in rapid-fire detail, the nonsensical plot of Field of Dreams.

For those who don't remember the iconic film, in Mulaney's words, "He mows done corn and then there is a field and then he's like, 'I'm going to watch ghosts play baseball.' And the bank is like, 'You want to pay your mortgage?' And he's like, 'Nah, I'm going to watch ghosts play baseball.' And then he finds James Earl Jones who wrote The Boat Rocker which I thought was a real book late into my 20s."

Then he explains what's weird about it: "Timothy Busfield pushes little Gabby Hoffman off the bleachers and she falls down and she's unconscious. Then Bush Lancaster is moonlight graham and he comes up and pats her on the back a couple times and he's like, 'Hot dog in the throat.' And then he can't go back in the game because I guess there is a rule in ghost baseball."

The detail, precision, and audacity of this explanation proves one thing: This is a man who clearly loves the movies! Let him host the Oscars next year.

Topics Oscars

Mashable Image
Elena Cavender

Elena is a tech reporter and the resident Gen Z expert at Mashable. She covers TikTok and digital trends. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American History. Email her at [email protected] or follow her @ecaviar_.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
How to watch the 2026 Oscars online for free
Oscar statues adorn the stage

Google, Apple hosted dozens of deepfake nudify apps, investigation reveals
close-up view of apple app store logo on screen

The 'Sinners' cast and Misty Copeland bring the house down with 'I Lied to You' Oscars performance
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Misty Copeland, Miles Caton, Brittany Howard, Raphael Saadiq and Raphael Thomas perform at the Oscars

'Sinners' just smashed an Oscars record
Michael B. Jordan as Smoke, Wunmi Mosaku as Annie, Hailee Steinfeld as Mary, Michael B. Jordan as Stack, Miles Caton as Sammie, and Omar Benson Miller as Cornbread in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Sinners."

What does 'Sinners' Actor Awards win mean for the Oscars?
The cast of "Sinners" accepts their Actor Award.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!