For Love of the Game (1999) Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone, Brian Cox, J.K. Simmons, Vin Scully, Steve Lyons, Carmine D. Giovinazzo, Bill Rogers, Hugh Ross. Screenplay by Dana Stevens, based on the novel by Michael Shaara. Directed by Sam Raimi. 137 minutes. Rated PG-13, 3 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com
One of the best moments of the '98-'99 season of "The Simpsons" came when young Lisa visited the video section of a superstore and paused in front of a TV set showing the DVD version of "The Postman." The commentary track for the epic dud featured star and director Kevin Costner apologizing to viewers for the film. Upon closer examination, Lisa discovered it wasn't really a commentary track at all; Costner himself was standing behind the television set, personally telling each passerby how very, very sorry he was for foisting such a disaster on the public.
Hopefully, "Waterworld" and "The Postman" have taught Kevin Costner that he is far better playing likable, flawed regular guys in down-to-earth settings than disaffected loners in post-apocalyptic societies. But then again, isn't that true for most of us?
In "For Love of the Game," Costner revisits the world of baseball which has served his career so well. "Bull Durham" explored the nuts and bolts of life on the minor league circuit, while focusing on a raucous romantic triangle between Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. "Field of Dreams" waxed poetic on the majesty and mystical beauty of the sport, taking a moving look at the nature of regret along the way. While not nearly as strong as either film, "For Love of the Game" is still one of Costner's best recent efforts.
The production opens with a nice title montage of photos and home movies depicting young Billy Chapel (Costner) learning the rudiments of the game from his dad, playing Little League ball and eventually becoming a superstar pitcher with the Detroit Tigers (the images are from Costner's own childhood and the older couple seen in the stands later in the film are his real-life parents).
We join the adult Chapel in the autumn of his career, on a particularly momentous day. The aging vet has just learned that his team is about to be sold and part of the deal includes his being traded to San Francisco. As if that wasn't enough, Billy's girlfriend Jane (Kelly Preston) is leaving him. "You don't need me," she says, hours before her scheduled departure for London. "You and the ball and the diamond - - you're perfect." Dejected and hung over, Chapel heads for the ballpark to pitch what might very well be the last game of his career. While memories of his rocky five-year relationship with Jane flash through his head, Billy focuses totally on throwing as hard and true as possible, blanking out everything from the jeering Yankee fans to the scoreboard itself.
And so goes the 137 minute feature, jumping from the game to numerous flashbacks of Billy and Jane. Director and baseball enthusiast Sam Raimi ("A Simple Plan") is at his best during the game sequences. He presents major-league play from a first-person perspective with great verisimilitude, with Chapel verbally sizing up each opponent before firing fast balls and curves through the air like bullets. The images are searing and, even though the outcome of the game is easy to anticipate, Raimi establishes and maintains a sense of tension that is totally engrossing.
The only problem with the game segments comes from the inclusion of overly obvious remarks from play-by-play announcers Vin Scully and Steve Lyons like "He's not just pitching a game. He's pitching against time. He's pitching against age." Thanks, fellas. We would never have figured that out on our own.
The many romantic flashbacks are less dynamic, but achieve their goal of depicting a couple who have trouble with trust and commitment. Baseball is everything for Billy and, though he cares deeply for Jane, he cannot take his eyes off the ball long enough to give their relationship the attention it requires. As for Jane, after building a successful career and raising a daughter on her own, she is wary of becoming the "other woman" in Billy's love affair with the game. Costner and Preston are effective in their roles, but because the two characters are so tentative in the area of romance, their interactions lack electricity. Both actors display more chemistry with Jane's teenage daughter Heather, nicely played by Jena Malone.
Even though the less-than-sizzling romance hits most of the clichés of the genre (including two scenes that appear simply as excuses for MTV pop song moments), Costner and Preston succeed in rising above the sometimes- tired dialogue. John C. Reilly also provides strong support as Chapel's catcher and best friend (At one point, Billy teases his overprotective pal by referring to him as "the ugliest wife in the league").
Though uneven and occasionally sluggish, "For Love of the Game" is a surprisingly satisfying hybrid of an old-fashioned sports film and a contemporary date movie. It's nice to see a story with the message that, regardless of age, we all still have the capacity for greatness and growth. While the film is the least of Kevin Costner's baseball trilogy, he has nothing to apologize for this time around.
© 1999 Ed Johnson-Ott
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