For Love of the Game (1999)

Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) is having a bad day. His girlfriend Jane (Kelly Preston, stunning as ever) says she's leaving, and his boss (Brian Cox) says he's selling the business and ace employee Billy may be out of job. Sounds like business as usual for an old-fashioned veteran. However, the business is baseball and for Billy Chapel, the 40-year old former all-star for the Detroit Tigers, it means his career--and his life--is at a crossroads.

Although it is no Bull Durham, For Love of the Game finds a solid and very believable role for Costner. The film is based on Michael Shaara's (The Killer Angels) stream-of-consciousness novel (the rough manuscript was found after his death 1988). The entire film takes place on Billy's day on the mound against the Yankees, a meaningless late-season game for the Tigers, but everything for Billy. In flashbacks, he lingers over his long relationship with Jane and his baseball career (from World Series heroism to a career-threatening injury). His one viable link to the game at hand is his catcher, played winningly by John C. Reilly. Costner, like Chapel, is looking for one more great performance, but the film is too simplistic and loopy at times to resonate. The love story has an extra helping of cuteness, and legendary baseball announcer Vin Scully nearly takes on a leading role, waxing grandiloquent. It's no grand slam, but a solid double. --Doug Thomas Amazon.com

My Love for "For Love of the Game"

I bought the movie for my boyfriend. We watched it together solely because it was written by one of his favorite authors. To be honest, I was not expecting anything tremendous. We both really enjoyed it. It had a little bit for both of us. Really good film. September 15, 2008

Kevin Baseball

Costner has made about 5 or 6 good movies, and three of them are about baseball. Bull Durham is the comedy, Field of Dreams is the spiritual, but For Love of the Game is the more realistic of the bunch.
Billy Chapel (Costner) is an aging veteran pitcher for a bad Detroit team in the twilight of his career who must decide on retirement, or accepting a trade. The movie takes place over the course of just 1 game, with back flashes of his relationship with Jane (Kelly Preston).
The movie touches on the celebrity of athletes, and the difficulties of having a normal relationship. I personally thought that the underlying theme was about choosing between a career or a relationship, but I'm sure it was probably deeper than that.
I have always thought that Costner was a bit of a ham who takes himself way too seriously, and while at times in this movie he tends to fall into that role, Billy Chapel is more of an understated character, and Costner is by far at his best when he plays that kind of role.
April 7, 2008

For The Love of the Game

Kevin Costner gives a very compelling performance as a baseball player at the end of his career. He is very realistic in the role and brings thought provoking issues to light. How do you decide to hang up your glove and leave a game that has been the most important thing in your life? It was great that he could personally do the pitching in this movie because it would have lost a lot of the realism and credibility if they had to use someone else. March 30, 2008

Another Good Baseball Movie From Costner

For Love of the Game is a very enjoyable film. Costner, as usual, gives a fine performance surrounded by excellent performances from the supporting cast. The video and audio on the HD DVD are completely involving; on good AV systems, the film will play better than at a movie theater. If you like serious baseball movies (The Pride of the Yankees, The Natural, etc.), For Love of the Game will make a fine addition to your disc library. March 11, 2008

Excellent

Not being a baseball fan at all, I hesitated to get this movie. I have Bull Durham, and like it the more I see it, great humor in that movie, but For Love of the Game is the best ever. It has almost made me a baseball fan. Kevin Costner does an outstanding job in this movie--he throws all the pitches and makes the catches himself--that alone is amazing to watch, to hear the wind whistle past the ball, see the rosen powder fly from the catcher's mitt--it doesn't get any better. The camera work is outstanding, camera angles/replays/closeups, overall film techniques used to produce realism of an actual professional game, actual umpires from the league in the role of umpires, actors with experience in minor and major league play in the role of players and coaches, fan/crowd responses, etc., it's as real as it can get.

John C. Reilly is outstanding, he portrays the essence of a real friend. Kelly Preston is good, if I had a choice I would have chosen someone with more electricity and spark with Kevin but Costner makes up for the lack of spontaneous chemistry between the two. I would have bought this movie just to see the outstanding job Costner does, however, the story line is powerful; the relationship between Billy (Kevin) and Jane (Kelly)is so real depicting the ups and downs of a relationship with two flawed people and the difficutly of having a normal life and developing love interest with someone in the public eye. It just doesn't get any better, in my opinion, than For Love of the Game.

The story in For Love of the Game is the story of life--only told from the perspective of a single baseball game. We focus on one aspect of our life--our career--and almost ride it too long and risk missing out on the most important part of our overall existence. There are flaws in this movie but only those looking for flaws can get sidetracked by that and miss one of the best movies ever. This one is a keeper and one to be watched over and over. I don't know which I like best, the love story or the shots of the baseball game--and this from someone who doesn't like baseball--both are intertwined so skillfully they can't be separated. I almost want a second copy to make sure I never lose this outstanding movie.

January 16, 2008

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