For Love of the Game (1999)
reviewed by
Berge Garabedian

FOR LOVE OF THE GAME
RATING: 7.5 / 10 --> Very Good Movie
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Range. What exactly is it when a director is said to have "range"? Well,
before you go to see this movie, please go rent EVIL DEAD 2 (8/10), a
classic horror movie from director Sam Raimi. It contains camera tricks
galore, an over-the-top script, a hand which lives on its own, and plenty of
blood. Sam Raimi is also the director of this film, which features baseball,
Kevin Costner in chinos, and plenty of gooey love and romance stuff. Now
THAT'S range!
PLOT:
An aging baseball player gets dumped by his girlfriend and asked to consider
retirement by management right before what may be his last trip to the
mound. As he begins to pitch towards a perfect game, he also looks back at
his career, and more importantly, the special moments of his relationship
with his girlfriend.
CRITIQUE:
Reflective, syrupy and effective adult, romantic drama which deals
eloquently with a man torn between his affection towards the game of
baseball (i.e. his career) and his ability to open up to a woman for whom he
cares deeply (i.e. his love life). Do you have to like baseball to like this
movie? Not at all. Would it help you enjoy this movie more if you liked
baseball? Probably. This film is definitely not about baseball as much as
BULL DURHAM and FIELD OF DREAMS were, but it does manage to spend quite a
bit of time on the game in question. In fact, I could have done without some
of the baseball scenes, which made me feel like I was watching a
play-by-play game at times. The announcers were also welcome to some extent,
but their voice-overs sure became irritating after a while. But I digress,
since the meat of this film lies in the relationship built between the two
people in the movie, Costner and Preston, and it is handled with much care
and affection. Raimi also proves that he has an excellent ear for cinema
with some pointed scenes featuring the "power" of a pitcher's concentration.
Wonderfully crafted.
I also liked the way the film intercuts the progression of Costner's bid for
a perfect game, with the reflections upon his relationship with this woman
whom he appears to adore. The romance is constructed diligently with genuine
believability, with both actors extremely effective in their roles.
Admittedly, I never considered Kelly Preston anything more than Mrs.
Travolta, but goddamn if she didn't have me sniffling in this film. She and
Kevin light up the screen with their affair, and I found myself relating to
many of the issues which plagued their relationship as well. If you have
ever been in a relationship which competed with your career for the top spot
in your life, you will certainly appreciate many of the sentiments
realistically delivered in this romantic tale. It definitely could have been
cut by about twenty minutes, but all in all, the film made me cry like a
baby, further appreciate the talents of director Raimi, and extend kudos to
Costner who delivers one of the finest performances of his career (The
poignant scene in his hotel room after the game is an ironic and powerful
twist). This is definitely an adult drama featuring many moments of
heartfelt emotion, and despite not being for everyone, it may just be the
best romantic drama since 1997's AS GOOD AS IT GETS (8/10), and certainly
worthy of a comparison to the strength of JERRY MAGUIRE (7.5/10).
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
Actor Kevin Costner graduated from the California State University at
Fullerton with a degree in marketing. Note that the scene in which Costner
sees a vision of his parents in the crowd, is in actuality, his own parents
from real-life. Costner was not afraid to voice his disapproval of
Universal's "trimming of the film" due to the length and PG-13 rating.
Kevin's middle name is Michael. His ex-wife's name is Cindy Silva. They were
married for 16 years and have three children together.
Kelly Preston was born and raised in Hawaii. Her real name is Kelly Palzis.
As a result of her father's position with an agricultural firm, the family
moved first to Iraq for one year and then to Australia for two years. It was
while she was a teenager in Hawaii that Preston appeared in television
commercials and began to develop an interest in an acting career. You could
see her topless in the teen comedy SECRET ADMIRER starring C. Thomas Howell,
and SPELLBINDER. Nice breasts. She also lived with actor Charlie Sheen from
1989-90. She was accidentally shot in their apartment in 1990 .
Soon thereafter, she settled down with actor John Travolta in 1991, with
whom she has a son named Jett.
Actress Jena Malone, who plays the daughter in this film, also played the
daughter in STEPMOM (6/10) with Susan Sarandon. She's pretty good.
Director Sam Raimi was originally approached to direct the Arnold
Schwarzenegger movie END OF  DAYS, but was more interested in this film
because he is a gigantic baseball fan, and wanted a chance to present his
own tribute to the game which he loves. Raimi's brother Ted Raimi plays one
of the doormen at the gallery in this film. Sam Raimi formed Renaissance
Pictures with his two College buddies, producer Rob Tapert and actor Bruce
Campbell. They are the group behind the TV shows "Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys" and "Xena: The Princess Warrior". Producer Tapert recently married
the Xena star, Lucy Lawless.
The baseball scenes which took place in Yankee Stadium used between 800 and
2000 extras for the crowd shots, while the rest of the audience was to be
filled in with computer graphics.
This film is based on the novel by author Michael Shaara. Shaara's son Jeff
found the manuscript of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME among his father's works
after his death, ensuring its publication after the man's untimely death in
1988.
Review Date:         September 12, 1999
Director:                 Sam Raimi
Writer:                     Dana Stevens
Producers:             Armyan Bernstein and Amy Robinson
Actors:                    Kevin Costner as Billy Chapel
                                Kelly Preston as Jane Aubrey
Genre:                     Drama
Year of Release:   1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian