Starring: Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone, Brian Cox Directed By: Sam Raimi Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: April 04, 2000 Running Time: 137 minutes Studio: Universal Studios Theatrical Release Date: September 17, 1999
Product Description: FOR LOVE OF THE GAME (DVD) ANAMORPHIS W/S 2.35/DOL
Amazon.com: Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) is having a bad day. His girlfriend Jane (Kelly Preston, stunning as ever) says she's leaving, and his boss (Brian Cox) says he's selling the business and ace employee Billy may be out of job. Sounds like business as usual for an old-fashioned veteran. However, the business is baseball and for Billy Chapel, the 40-year old former all-star for the Detroit Tigers, it means his career--and his life--is at a crossroads.
Although it is no Bull Durham, For Love of the Game finds a solid and very believable role for Costner. The film is based on Michael Shaara's (The Killer Angels) stream-of-consciousness novel (the rough manuscript was found after his death 1988). The entire film takes place on Billy's day on the mound against the Yankees, a meaningless late-season game for the Tigers, but everything for Billy. In flashbacks, he lingers over his long relationship with Jane and his baseball career (from World Series heroism to a career-threatening injury). His one viable link to the game at hand is his catcher, played winningly by John C. Reilly. Costner, like Chapel, is looking for one more great performance, but the film is too simplistic and loopy at times to resonate. The love story has an extra helping of cuteness, and legendary baseball announcer Vin Scully nearly takes on a leading role, waxing grandiloquent. It's no grand slam, but a solid double. --Doug Thomas
great movie ^ have watched this movie several times (on VHS) till the tape broke so we bought it on DVD and it is even better. great quality
Great movie about life. ^ I kept catching this movie part way thru on TV. You can't fully understand the movie unless you watch it from the start. A lot is explained in the opening credits alone. It reminds me of "The Natural" starring Robert Redford which set up the movie in the first 10 minutes. Both films are about the people we encounter in life - good people, mean people, people down on their luck, loyal people who support you to the end, friends, family, etc. My favorite thing in the movie is the interaction between Billy (Costner) and Gus the catcher (Reilly).
Overall, a great movie about life - good times, bad times, things we cherish, things we regret. A good deed done will pay you back later (heartfelt advice to an outfielder who gets hit on the head by a fly ball who later catches a potential home run during the perfect game). A bad deed done can always be forgiven. All that matters is that we do the right thing in the end.
"Tell them I'm through, For Love of the Game"
The Mind of a Pitcher ^ I love this film and have seen it several times. One of my favorite running themes is how the "For the Love of the Game" takes the viewer into the mind of a pitcher and helps the viewer understand the relationship between the catcher and the pitcher. I still remember that to this day as I watch my favorite team: the Boston Red Sox :)
This is a nice baseball flick with a love theme weaved into it and a lot about the psyche of baseball and team spirit. I loved it and recommend it for baseball fans and non-baseball fans alike. There is enough substance for both. I enjoy Kevin Costner as an actor and this movie is one of my favorites.
5 stars :)
Great mix of baseball and drama ^ I enjoy how the film switches between game and the story of the romance. It has enough sports action and drama to satisfy many types of movie watchers. After watching the movie several times on television I finally went ahead and purchased it here.
I always wonder what the coaches say when they go to the pitcher's mound, now I can compare Bull Durham (wedding gifts ideas anyone?) and For Love of the Game (where is the pat on the butt).
Luckily, it had arrived a short time before Buehrle's perfect game in July 2009 and it was the right movie to watch that evening. Checking out the extras made it even better. Having a baseball quiz (where you can try again after "Strike Three") allowed some to remember games they had seen in the past. There is a short bonus video if you can make it through the entire quiz.
Giving it all ^ Michigan State's own Sam Raimi demonstrates once again that his directorial range extends well beyond horror movies (like 30 Days of Night) and superhero flicks (Spider-Man - The Motion Picture DVD Trilogy (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 / Spider-Man 3)). Raimi is a talented director to be reckoned with, and this film is a testament to that.
Kevin Costner portrays a baseball player who in the twilight of his career. He was once a dominating pitcher, but time has eroded some of his skills and he can sense his last stroll to the pitcher's mound is near.
Kelly Preston plays his on-again / off-again love interest after a chance meeting. Kelly has always been beautiful, and this might be her finest performance to date.
The story is told via flashbacks while the Detroit Tiger's hurler pursues every baseball pitcher's dream: a perfect game. It comes on the last game of the season vs. the most storied franchise in the game (the Yankess) at perhaps the most storied stadium in all of sports (Yankee stadium). It also is the last game of the season, and perhaps the last game of his career.
While some may find the story a bit longwinded, I thought that the film was evenly paced & told well. We have to remember that they're trying to encompass a player's entire career with various anecdotes & memories (some good, some not-so-good). Costner can be bland in some movies, but this was one of his better outings - up there with Dances with Wolves - Extended Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) and The Guardian.
If you're looking for a date movie, this one just might be perfect. Women will love it as it can pass for a chick flick. Men will like it because it's also a sports movie. Both genders will appreciate the satiric humor that's directed towards sports "know-it-alls" that we've all encountered in our lives. All in all, this is a good movie - step up to the plate & check it out!
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