Contents



1999



For Love Of The Game (1999)
 
 
Directed by 
Sam Raimi    
  
Writing credits (WGA) 
Michael Shaara   (novel) 

 
Dana Stevens   (screenplay) 
  
Cast (in credits order) 
Kevin Costner ....  Billy Chapel  
Kelly Preston ....  Jane Aubrey  
John C. Reilly ....  Gus Osinski  
Jena Malone ....  Heather  
Brian Cox (III)   
Michael Neeley ....  Horseback Cop  
rest of cast listed alphabetically  
Greer Barnes ....  Mickey Hart  
Maureen Bothe ....  Baseball Fan (uncredited)  
Dave Eiland ....  Kevin Costners pitching double.  
Chris Fischer ....  Detroit Tiger  
Carmine Giovinazzo   
Phil Hawn ....  Fan in Airport Bar (uncredited)  
Tracy Howe   
Sheila Lussier ....  Baseball player's girlfriend  
Eric Lykins ....  Yankees Fan (uncredited)  
Jonathan Marc McDonnell ....  Steve Baish  
Seth William Meier ....  Whelan  
Luis Moro ....  Detroit Tiger  
Ted Raimi ....  Art Gallery Manager  
Bill E. Rogers ....  Davis Birche  
Hugh Ross (II)   
Kevin Craig West ....  Chuckie Dobbs  
  
Produced by 
Marc Abraham   (executive)  
Armyan Bernstein    
Ronald M. Bozman   (executive)  
Amy Robinson    
  
Original music by 
Basil Poledouris    
  
Cinematography by 
John Bailey (I)    
  
Film Editing by 
Eric L. Beason    
Arthur Coburn    
  
Production Design by 
Neil Spisak    
  
Costume Design by 
Judianna Makovsky    
  
Assistant Director 
Bac DeLorme ....  second second assistant director  
Eric Yellin ....  additional second second assistant director  
  
Sound Department 
Kelly Cabral ....  sound supervisor  
Gregg Landaker ....  sound mixer  
Jennifer L. Mann ....  adr supervisor  
Steve Maslow ....  sound mixer  
Jon Title ....  sound designer  
  
Special Effects 
Brian Hanable ....  digital effects compositor  
Christopher Ivins ....  digital effects compositor  
Thomas Rasada ....  special effects technician  
Bob Wiatr ....  digital effects compositor  
  
Stunts 
Christopher Doyle (I) ....  stunt co-ordinator  
Spice Williams ....  stunt double: Kelly Preston  
  
Other crew 
Phil Abraham ....  director of photography: second unit  
JoAnn Atwood ....  on-set dresser  
Anne Gorman ....  wardrobe  
Brian Hanable ....  digital effects compositor  
Sal Lanza ....  key grip  
P.K. MacCarthy ....  storyboard artist  
Nancy Novack ....  second assistant editor: New York  
Michael Parmelee ....  set dresser  
G. Marq Roswell ....  music supervisor  
Javier Salinas ....  apprentice editor: New York  
Sean Valla ....  first assistant editor  
Bob Wiatr ....  digital effects compositor  
  
 
 
 
 

For Love of the Game (1999)

reviewed by
Berge Garabedian


FOR LOVE OF THE GAME
RATING: 7.5 / 10 --> Very Good Movie

For more reviews and movie screensavers, visit http://www.joblo.com/

Range. What exactly is it when a director is said to have "range"? Well, before you go to see this movie, please go rent EVIL DEAD 2 (8/10), a classic horror movie from director Sam Raimi. It contains camera tricks galore, an over-the-top script, a hand which lives on its own, and plenty of blood. Sam Raimi is also the director of this film, which features baseball, Kevin Costner in chinos, and plenty of gooey love and romance stuff. Now THAT'S range!

PLOT: An aging baseball player gets dumped by his girlfriend and asked to consider retirement by management right before what may be his last trip to the mound. As he begins to pitch towards a perfect game, he also looks back at his career, and more importantly, the special moments of his relationship with his girlfriend.

CRITIQUE: Reflective, syrupy and effective adult, romantic drama which deals eloquently with a man torn between his affection towards the game of baseball (i.e. his career) and his ability to open up to a woman for whom he cares deeply (i.e. his love life). Do you have to like baseball to like this movie? Not at all. Would it help you enjoy this movie more if you liked baseball? Probably. This film is definitely not about baseball as much as BULL DURHAM and FIELD OF DREAMS were, but it does manage to spend quite a bit of time on the game in question. In fact, I could have done without some of the baseball scenes, which made me feel like I was watching a play-by-play game at times. The announcers were also welcome to some extent, but their voice-overs sure became irritating after a while. But I digress, since the meat of this film lies in the relationship built between the two people in the movie, Costner and Preston, and it is handled with much care and affection. Raimi also proves that he has an excellent ear for cinema with some pointed scenes featuring the "power" of a pitcher's concentration. Wonderfully crafted.

I also liked the way the film intercuts the progression of Costner's bid for a perfect game, with the reflections upon his relationship with this woman whom he appears to adore. The romance is constructed diligently with genuine believability, with both actors extremely effective in their roles. Admittedly, I never considered Kelly Preston anything more than Mrs. Travolta, but goddamn if she didn't have me sniffling in this film. She and Kevin light up the screen with their affair, and I found myself relating to many of the issues which plagued their relationship as well. If you have ever been in a relationship which competed with your career for the top spot in your life, you will certainly appreciate many of the sentiments realistically delivered in this romantic tale. It definitely could have been cut by about twenty minutes, but all in all, the film made me cry like a baby, further appreciate the talents of director Raimi, and extend kudos to Costner who delivers one of the finest performances of his career (The poignant scene in his hotel room after the game is an ironic and powerful twist). This is definitely an adult drama featuring many moments of heartfelt emotion, and despite not being for everyone, it may just be the best romantic drama since 1997's AS GOOD AS IT GETS (8/10), and certainly worthy of a comparison to the strength of JERRY MAGUIRE (7.5/10).

Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Actor Kevin Costner graduated from the California State University at Fullerton with a degree in marketing. Note that the scene in which Costner sees a vision of his parents in the crowd, is in actuality, his own parents from real-life. Costner was not afraid to voice his disapproval of Universal's "trimming of the film" due to the length and PG-13 rating. Kevin's middle name is Michael. His ex-wife's name is Cindy Silva. They were married for 16 years and have three children together. Kelly Preston was born and raised in Hawaii. Her real name is Kelly Palzis. As a result of her father's position with an agricultural firm, the family moved first to Iraq for one year and then to Australia for two years. It was while she was a teenager in Hawaii that Preston appeared in television commercials and began to develop an interest in an acting career. You could see her topless in the teen comedy SECRET ADMIRER starring C. Thomas Howell, and SPELLBINDER. Nice breasts. She also lived with actor Charlie Sheen from 1989-90. She was accidentally shot in their apartment in 1990 . Soon thereafter, she settled down with actor John Travolta in 1991, with whom she has a son named Jett. Actress Jena Malone, who plays the daughter in this film, also played the daughter in STEPMOM (6/10) with Susan Sarandon. She's pretty good. Director Sam Raimi was originally approached to direct the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie END OF DAYS, but was more interested in this film because he is a gigantic baseball fan, and wanted a chance to present his own tribute to the game which he loves. Raimi's brother Ted Raimi plays one of the doormen at the gallery in this film. Sam Raimi formed Renaissance Pictures with his two College buddies, producer Rob Tapert and actor Bruce Campbell. They are the group behind the TV shows "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: The Princess Warrior". Producer Tapert recently married the Xena star, Lucy Lawless. The baseball scenes which took place in Yankee Stadium used between 800 and 2000 extras for the crowd shots, while the rest of the audience was to be filled in with computer graphics. This film is based on the novel by author Michael Shaara. Shaara's son Jeff found the manuscript of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME among his father's works after his death, ensuring its publication after the man's untimely death in 1988.

Review Date:         September 12, 1999
Director:                 Sam Raimi
Writer:                     Dana Stevens
Producers:             Armyan Bernstein and Amy Robinson
Actors:                    Kevin Costner as Billy Chapel
                                Kelly Preston as Jane Aubrey
Genre:                     Drama
Year of Release:   1999
---------------------------------------
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
http://www.joblo.com
---------------------------------------
(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian



Have I seen this movie: No
Will I see It: probably on video
1