For Love of the Game

Starring: Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone, Brian Cox, J.K. Simmons, Michael Papajohn, Daniel Dae Kim
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Sport, Romance
1999

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An aging pitcher (Kevin Costner) reflects on his life and career during his final game in the MLB.

Review:

Tim: It's pretty amazing that Kevin Costner has made three of the greatest baseball movies of all time. Field of Dreams is still the best of the three, followed by Bull Durham. However, it's pretty amazing at how good For Love of the Game is- the first time I watched it, I was stuck on how long it was. The second time, I recognized how incredible it is. This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie.

The premise is one that I love- a baseball player playing perhaps his final game in the big leagues with the team he's spent his entire career with reflects on his career and his life during the 9 innings of the game. I loved that this film takes place during one game, but it feels so much bigger than that. The film begins and ends during one game, but we see flashbacks from many different moments during the pitcher's life. This gives the film this amazing quality of being very focused and intimate, but simultaneously epic, because we're seeing the most important moments of a person's life depicted on screen. The film does a wonderful job of intertwining baseball and life- they've always gone hand-in-hand and made for easy metaphors. I loved the depiction of both of these in this film.

The cast is pretty incredible. Kevin Costner just works so well in baseball movies. The guy knows how to deliver the goods, and he's so likeable. His Billy Chapel is such an interesting, complex guy. I loved his character, even during the moments where he messed up or did the wrong thing. Kelly Preston was fairly good. I loved John C. Reilly as Costner's catcher. Jena Malone adds a nice, small performance. J.K. Simmons was fun as the manager. The cast as a whole is very, very impressive, even though this movie really belongs to Costner and Preston.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the film is the depiction of Costner's final game. The movie progresses at the perfect pace, and eventually, you start to suspect where the story is going. Director Sam Raimi lets this unfold slowly, and by the end of the film, as it moves toward the climax, you actually care- you care about Chapel, care about this game, and you care about the outcome. The film does an incredible job of creating this suspenseful, thrilling finish. I was on the edge of my seat and was holding my breath. The end of the film is pretty amazing.

When you look at Raimi's For Love of the Game, it is an exceptionally made baseball movie that touches on themes that run much deeper than the game itself. It features an incredible cast, and it's a great movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, Jerry Maguire