For Love of the Game Rated: PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexuality. Runtime: 137 mins. Director: Sam Raimi Writer: Michael Shaara, Dana Stevens Tagline: Billy Chapel must choose between the woman he loves and the game he lives for. Cast: Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly....complete cast Genre: Drama/Romance
Most memorable quote: "I need a regular guy. Not the guy in the Old Spice commercials"
Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, Tin Cup...What do these all have in common? All three are great sports movies, and all three star Kevin Costner. I see a copy of For Love of the Game sitting on the shelves in the local video store. Am I looking at the fourth jewel in the cinematic crown of Costner sports movies, or am I looking at the cocklebur stuck in the saddle of The Postman? The endless stream of bad memories from The Bodyguard, Waterworld, The Postman and 3000 Miles to Graceland tells me to move on to the G's. But then I remember "is this heaven...no it's Iowa" and "This is for Venturi who thinks I should lay up" and "I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball...". Remember?...I head to the checkout counter with the last copy of For Love of the Game in my hand.
The movie opens with Billy Chapel, (Kevin Costner) a 40-year old major league pitcher nearing the twilight of his career, sitting in a hotel room with a candlelight dinner and a date that no-shows. He drowns his sorrows in the champagne, ices his sore elbow in the ice bucket, and empties the minibar. As the movie progresses, the script jumps from past to present and does a great job of unfolding the plot, revealing circumstances and characters as Billy pitches his final game in a Detroit Tigers uniform. We go back several years and find out how he meets his girlfriend, Jane (Kelly Preston) and then back to the present as he is pitching a perfect game (9 innings pitched with no opponents reaching base). Sam Raimi does a great job directing the sports scenes of Billy's perfect game, featuring wonderful cinematic techniques. The audio goes completely silent as he blocks out the noise of the crowd adding great tension and suspense. He talks to the batters in a sort of personal dialogue showing us what actually could be going through a real Major League pitcher's mind. "Sam Tuttle. I can't think of a better reason not to be a Yankee."
Meanwhile, we see that Billy's relationship with Jane is anything but perfect. I didn't really understand why it didn't work out (how could you not work it out with Kelly Preston). Maybe her character just wasn't played well or perhaps the script left too many holes in this area, not real sure. Anyway, Jane struggles with the fact that her man is a baseball player and the most important thing in his life is baseball..."I need a regular guy. Not the guy in the Old Spice commercials." I mean, she knew he was a baseball player when she started going out with him, so why does she have a problem with him being a baseball player? He's pitching his last game before retirement so perhaps they can work it out.
Kevin Costner turns in a convincing performance as a major league pitcher and the sports scenes seem real. Nothing ruins a sports movie faster than fake looking actors trying to move like athletes, matted-in crowd scenes, or fake sports team logos and fake names. For Love of the Game is not the fourth jewel in Costner's sports movie crown. But, the movie and his performance were good enough to keep him afloat until his next role. The movie is worth watching and I appreciate the fact that it didn't deliver a fastball right down the "typical Hollywood ending" middle. There is enough romance to entertain the female viewers, and the sports scenes are good enough to entertain the male viewers (not to mention Kelly Preston). I returned For Love of the Game to the video store a little disappointed. But not by Costner's performance. Probably a little more disappointed in the movie as a whole. It just doesn't live up to the Costner sports movie standard. Frank Wilkins
Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround).
Other Features: Not available.
Hidden Features: On Universal home video's release of For Love Of The Game you can find a trivia game that will reveal a hidden feature when finished correctly. Play the 'On the Mound' Trivia game and try to get all 12 answers about perfect baseball games right before you get three strikes for incorrect answers. Make it to the end of the game before getting your third strike and hit a 'Grand Slam'. Your reward is a special Universal short 'Play Ball With Babe Ruth' from 1931 entitled 'Slide, Babe, Slide'... a great 15 minute black and white short starring the old Bambino himself! If you need a little help with the answers, here's a list with the correct replies for the tirivia question. 1-C, 2-B, 3-C, 4-A, 5-B, 6-A, 7-C, 8-C, 9-B, 10-C, 11-A, 12-A... but only if you really need them.
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For Love of the Game
