# For Love of the Game (1999)

### reviewed by
Susan Granger

http://www.speakers-podium.com/susangranger.

Susan Granger's review of "FOR LOVE OF THE GAME" (Universal Pictures)

It's Kevin Costner's third time at bat with a baseball movie ("Bull Durham," "Field of Dreams") and, once again, he's got a real winner in this romantic sports drama. Costner plays Billy Chapel, a aging Detroit Tigers pitching ace who's caught in a personal and professional dilemma as he pitches what may be his finest - and last - game at New York's Yankee Stadium. He's 40 years old, arm-weary and aching, and he's just discovered that the Tigers have been sold and the new owners plan to trade him. Plus, his long-time girl-friend, Kelly Preston, is about to leave him, reasoning: "You don't need me. You and the ball and the diamond - you're perfect together." As his buddy/catcher (John C. Reilly) says, "Billy, this ain't your day." During the game, as he pitches to different hitters, Billy replays - in flashback - the vignettes that led up to this pivotal moment in his 19-year career. Based on Michael Shaara's novel from which the contrived, predictable plot was lifted, Dana Stevens has written a character-driven, well-crafted, if overly serious, screenplay, and director Sam Raimi ("A Simple Plan") smoothly blends nostalgia with suspenseful action. His intricate meshing of crisp sound and intense silence is superb. Kevin Costner is heart-wrenching, imbuing Chapel with texture and intensity, giving one of the best performances of his career. Unfortunately, his pairing with Preston totally lacks chemistry - and Preston's character is frustratingly underwritten and indecisive - but young Jena Malone, as her funky daughter, is vibrant and impressive. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "For Love of the Game" is a relentlessly entertaining, All-American 8. On a personal note, I'm not a baseball fan - but I was on the edge of my seat, ready to cheer out loud during the final inning.

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