For Love of the Game (1999) A film review by Steve Lipson
When one thinks of typical plots for movie romances, the love triangle frequently comes to mind. It would seem to be the perfect story line for whatever genre the filmmakers aim for: the tension in a romantic drama over which couple ends up together, the merriment in a romantic comedy as the main characters try to one-up the other to win the affections of their object of desire. Kevin Costner obviously knows the inherent appeal of this scenario, as two of his most popular romantic comedies ("Bull Durham" and "Tin Cup") fit comfortably into the conventions of the love triangle. In a way, Costner's latest film falls into this same tradition. The romantic comedy/ drama "For Love of the Game" stars Costner as a man forced to choose between the two main loves of his life. Only this time, one of these objects of affection is not a person but a concept. This twist in the typical love triangle scenario elevates the motion picture and enables it to easily compensate for the predictability which all too often permeates romantic comedies.
At its heart, "For Love of the Game" features a romantic triangle between Billy Chapel (Costner), Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston), and the game of baseball. Costner stars as a major league pitcher near the end of an illustrious 19-year career. It would seem that Billy enjoys the ideal life--a beautiful girlfriend, tremendous wealth and popularity, the opportunity to work doing what he loves--but his stability and happiness suddenly becomes uprooted on the second to last day of the season. The owner of his team approaches Billy in his hotel room and informs him that he plans to sell his team, the Detroit Tigers; worse, the new owners intend in the off-season to trade Billy away from the organization he has given his heart and soul to for the past two decades. Billy now faces the option of retirement rather than appearing disloyal to the fans and team he loves. But thoughts such as these quickly become secondary in his mind to potentially worse news: his girlfriend of five years, fashion writer Jane Aubrey, announces that she plans to leave him to accept a position in London. She has finally realized that baseball means far more to Billy than she ever could. All these troubles weigh on Billy's mind as he takes the mound that night, determined to do his best in what may be the last game of his career.
The bulk of the story alternates between Billy's pitching performance against the New York Yankees on this momentous yet troubled evening and flashbacks to events in the last five years that show how Billy reached this low point in his life. The baseball scenes are very well-done, with play-by-play by real life baseball announcers Vin Scully and Steve Lyons increasing the realism. (Although the filmmakers seem to have conveniently ignored the "five-and-ten rule," which would make some of Billy's troubles moot. See below.) But the game itself ultimately takes a back seat to the unique love triangle, and fortunately it is in the more emotional scenes of the film where superb acting and directing combine to overcome the limitations of the subgenre.
It would be unfair to single out either Sam Raimi's inventive direction or the performances of Costner and Preston for the movie's success. "For Love of the Game"'s best scenes invariably blend both of these elements for their considerable power. Raimi is best known for his unconventional direction of thrillers and horror movies like "A Simple Plan" and "Evil Dead," and his skill shows here especially through his fascinating use of subjective visuals and sound. For the movie to work at all, it must be clear that Costner's character feels intense love for both Jane and the game. Initially, Billy's love of baseball stands out much clearer in the viewer's mind. Raimi's scenes of Billy on the mound cut between two different shots: closeups of Costner's face exhibiting intense concentration with full-body low-angle shots of Costner making the pitch. Most significantly, all sound disappears as the ball is thrown; Billy fails to even notice the background noise as his whole mind is focused on achieving success in the game. These subjective uses of sound and camera angle cast Billy as he sees himself: a heroic loner proud to take his team on his shoulders and give his all for the game. Costner's penetrating gazes and impressive physique complement Raimi's direction perfectly.
Nevertheless, a flashback scene most clearly emphasizes Billy's apparent conviction that his love of baseball exceeds his love of Jane. Following an incident at his mountain home in which Billy seriously injures his pitching arm, the audience sees him rushed to a helicopter. Jane is most concerned for Billy's safety and well-being; Billy's only worry appears to be how this accident will affect his pitching career. As Billy is being lifted onto the helicopter, we see the emphatic, determined look in Costner's eyes as Billy tells Jane that his trainer is the most important person to him right now. Preston's face immediately registers a deep sense of hurt, and this isolation is given concrete expression by Raimi as the transparent helicopter doors immediately slam shut between the camera and Preston. As this memorable scene continues, we see the gulf between Billy and Jane metaphorically get wider as alternating point-of-view shots show the helicopter taking off and Jane staying mournfully behind. Shots such as these which depict separation between characters are not uncommon in movies; nevertheless, Raimi invests this scene with added force by his unique camera movement. As the camera in the helicopter travels up and away from Jane in a diagonal direction, we sense Billy's apparent abandonment of her all the more palpably.
Given this attitude of Billy's, it is not surprising that Jane decides to leave him. Only after he learns the news does he finally realize how much he needs her. Again, strong direction and acting allow Billy's transformation to appear convincing. As he pitches what may well be the final game of his career, Raimi shows the aforementioned heroic shots of the pitcher. But alone in the dugout, a far different Billy emerges. Frequent close-ups of Costner reveal an anguished expression, as Billy painfully reminisces back on the unfortunate course of his relationship with Jane via memories that spark the flashback sequences. I am probably not giving too much away to say that Billy wins the game, a glorious conclusion to his illustrious career. But Billy does not feel happy. One memorable shot takes us back to his hotel room, but unlike the considerable camera movement earlier in the film, this shot is entirely static. It depicts the enormity of the room, with Billy just a small pathetic figure sitting on the bed. Again, Raimi makes impressive use of subjective sound. We witness total silence and motionlessness for a long stretch of time, until finally a sound starts to swell up on the soundtrack. It is the sound of Billy crying. Without Jane, and despite his incredible success at baseball, Billy feels as isolated and alone as ever.
"For the Love of the Game" adheres to most of the conventions of romantic comedies, but because of the unique nature of the love triangle, they do not feel forced. Of course, we all know the typical outline of romantic comedy in which boy meets girl and then boy and girl break up. But unlike most movies of this genre, where the separation between the two lovers is caused by a silly contrivance, here the events surrounding the breakup are entirely believable. We are entirely convinced of Costner's deep love of the game of baseball, so his choice that his career is more important to him than his girlfriend (in the helicopter scene) does not seem unreasonable. Rather than silly misunderstanding, the drifting apart of Billy and Jane comes from heartfelt emotion.
And, finally, lest I mistakenly leave the impression that this movie is a downer, let me hint at the conclusion. Again owing to the unique nature of this romantic triangle, the object of desire does not need to decide between two flesh-and-blood suitors--thus disappointing one of them and perhaps leaving audience members unhappy with the choice. Because one of the figures in this triangle is an intangible idea, it is possible that Billy can keep his devotion "for love of the game" without sacrificing his human love in the process.
Note: "The five-and-ten-rule" states that any major league baseball player who has served in the majors for ten years, the last five of which were for the same team, has the right to veto any trade in which he would be involved. Thus, since Billy meets these qualifications, he need not have worried about being traded away by the new owners in the real world of baseball. But given the emotional power of this film, I would suggest that even a committed baseball fan should have no problem suspending their disbelief in this manner.
E-mail: sjlips@hotmail.com
© 1999 Steve Lipson
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