Back
in the 80s, superstar Kevin Costner made a move that many in the industry thought
to be quite foolish--follow up his hit Bull Durham with another baseball film.
Fortunately, Costner ended up making the right call. Field Of Dreams went on to
become a huge success and solidifed his status as a major Hollywood player.
Over
a decade later and several films later, Costner returns to the baseball diamond
with For Love Of The Game, a rousing romantic sports picture that manages to capture
the spirit of baseball and the importance of love. Like The Natural, Hoosiers,
and many other great sports films of the past, this film shows a great passion
for the sport.
In
this film, Costner plays Billy Chappel, an aging pitcher who reflects on his life
while pitching what maybe the final game of his nineteen year career. Have you
ever wondered what a pitcher is thinking between pitches? This is just one of
the intimate sides of baseball that this film displays.
It
doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who will win the game and it's obvious
what will become of the film's major relationship (it's very reminiscent of Jerry
Maguire), but this film still works because of the strong performances, great
chemistry between Costner and Kelly Preston, and absolutely solid directing from
Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Darkman, A Simple Plan).
This
film deftly meshes two of America's favorite pastimes: baseball and romance. Costner
turns in one of his best performances, and with Bull Durham, Field of Dreams,
Tin Cup, and now For Love Of The Game to his credit, the sports arena is also
his most successful.
