I'm not a sports fan, but I was pleased at how director Sam Raimi made the sport interesting for those who don't normally watch it. I wish more care had been taken on making the romance part of the story stronger. Chemistry between Costner and Preston was not spectacular enough to make their characters' romance stand out enough. The romance should have been as breathless as the baseball game. Preston (Jane) is an appealing actress, however, and the camera seems to love her face. Costner (Billy Chappel) did a great job of portraying the weariness and confusion of a man in mid-life. It also helps that he looks like a real-life ballplayer. Raimi has some great sequences that show Chappel blocking out everything to concentrate on the game. The Chappel character is the only one that's really fleshed out. The audience doesn't learn much about his friend Gus (good job by John C. Reilly), Jane (even after some secrets about her are revealed) or the rest of the ballplayers, other than what Chappel thinks about them. Jena Malone is effective in her small role. There is another actor who is shown commenting on the game while watching it on tv in an airport bar. The guy is so annoying that if I was sitting next to him, I would have slapped him. While not the greatest of Costner's baseball films, this is an welcome antidote for adults sick of the entertainment that geared towards teenagers.
Review of For Love of the Game
For Love of the Game
(1999)
Excellent job of making baseball exciting, but romance missed having a spark.
20 September 1999