For Love of the Game (1999)

Fantastic!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Great story line and acting. I like how the movie describes the realism of a major league pitcher: a fundamentally- fantastic player but with a far-from-perfect record. I like how the movie climactically wraps his career up after all the ups and downs he's been through with a potentially perfect game to show the world who he is. I would've rated this a 7 (a rating for a solid movie) if it wasn't for the following conversation Billy has with Jane. Jane: "So, how does this work? When you're AWAY, I do MY own thing and YOU do YOURS? What I do has nothing to do with what YOU do and vice versa? And none of this 'Why didn't you call me?' crap?" Billy: "You said that perfectly." Then when they're away from each other, he becomes interested in having his masseuse over to hang out, Jane suddenly shows up and flips out, and he goes, "Well what about the deal?" Jane: "What deal??" Billy: "Ya know, you do what you do, I do what I do." Jane: "You believe that??" She and the audience knew exactly what he's talking about because we're all watching the movie. Whether it's right or wrong is beside the point; she shouldn't have had that reaction, making him explain it, because we all know what he's talking about. A better dialogue would be to omit that and just go right to her coming back with, "You believe that??"

This movie didn't take long to get sappy and cheesy. It begins with a montage of Billy Chappel's (Kevin Cosner) life leading up to his final pitching performance in New York against the Yankees. Before the game, he finds out that the Tigers' beloved owner is selling the team and his girlfriend is moving to London. "There's a job there Billy. A good job. An editor's position." It gets worse. Before taking the field, he takes a whiff of his old glove and there it is, his first flashback to his childhood; playing ball in the back yard. As he's warming up in the bullpen before the game, his manager wants to start a young catcher, but Billy insists that his buddy Gus start instead. "If Gus doesn't play, I don't pitch." OK then. As the game rolls along, he flashes back to his romance with Kelly Preston and everything is just dandy. He's got a perfect game until, wait, what? The young prospect he met before the game that used to be his bat-boy comes to the plate... Only redeeming factor is the actual baseball action. Looks real enough and it was filmed in Yankee Stadium.

Forty-year-old superstar pitcher Kevin Costner (as Billy Chapel) receives a personal and professional double shock. He learns his Detroit Tigers team has been sold. Even worse, the new owners want to trade him. As if that wasn't enough, Mr. Costner's girlfriend, pretty Kelly Preston (as Jane Aubrey), announces she is leaving him for a job in London. Costner must deal with these life changing events while pitching against the New York Yankees in a World Series playoff game. Preoccupied with both these facts and an ailing shoulder, Costner doesn't realize he's playing the game of his life...Costner and director Sam Raimi do very well with the sports-related segments, as excitement builds during the proverbial big game. The other part of the film has to do with Costner's romance with Ms. Preston. It gets off to a good start, with them meeting over her stalled car, but it gets sappy quickly. We expect the flashbacks to cover Costner's life, yet the focus is on his relatively recent love story; we're left wondering what he was doing the rest of his life. There are good performances in support from catcher pal John C. Reilly (as Gus Sinski) and daughter figure Jena Malone (as Heather).****** For Love of the Game (9/15/99) Sam Raimi ~ Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone

I've watched this movie 2,000 times since it came out 13 years ago and let me tell you, it gets better with age. There are many holes to poke here of course (several sappy scenes that are, quite frankly, severely over dramatic) but there's plenty to love (including the iconic Vin Scully). The best stuff here is the wonderfully authentic NYC moments... Jane's car broken down on the FDR, their discussion on the risers at a north meadow field in Central Park (any New Yorker will recognize that), the shots of old Yankee Stadium (replete with the subway train rushing by the right field bleachers, ruining Billy's concentration), Bob Sheppard announcing the starting lineups (Gus Sinski, number 27, number 27), JFK and the inevitable delays, Vin Scully on the call... all of it priceless if you know what to look for.You couple that with a terrific score that peaks at exactly the right moment and you have a truly enjoyable film, one that hits the right notes at the right time.