Must See Movie...

Don't Believe the Hype

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

.......................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FL "They don't make 'em like they used to!" As regards "For Love of the Game", the above comment applies to both movies and baseball players! Old- fashioned, straight-ahead storytelling, complimented by solid performances, extremely convincing on-the-field action, excellent photography and more than competent direction by Sam Raimi, make for a resoundingly entertaining movie...even if you're not much of a baseball fan! Perhaps the best thing going for the film is its truly innovative integration and balance of rapid- fire on-going game vs. relationship development flashback elements, allowing the viewer to "get inside the athlete's head" in a way no other movie in recent memory does. "For Love" thusly manages to put a signature spin on the subjective experience of a great athlete's swan song by sharing and highlighting the stark contrast between the external precision and perfection of the real-world game in progress, and the turbulent, highly personal, inner-world of the passions that drive him. .......................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FL Kevin Costner, certainly NOT the greatest actor in the world, literally shines in the mother of all tailor made roles. Kelly Preston shows us a highly focused intensity, in just what may be her best on screen appearance to date! John C. Reilly, although cast as the solid-as-a-rock-always- there- when-you-need-him-on-the-sidelines Catcher, plays to the hilt a supporting role, in every sense of the word.There are moments in "For Love", however, that seem a touch too maudlin, trying just a little too hard to jerk that extra tear. A few of these melancholy scenes are drawn out to the point of making the viewer self- conscious and put upon. These occasional excesses are easily overlooked, however, in light of the films many strengths and its overall highly engrossing nature. 8*.....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

The producers were obviously trying to cash in on the popularity of Bull Durham, but this was a bad misfire. 5 percent baseball. 95 percent psychobabble, with Costner and Preston endlessly discussing their relationship, the rules of the game, etc, etc. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan without the humor. And what the Tiger's ace pitcher could see in this messed- up gal is a mystery. At 40 years old, he should have known better. Susan Sarandon was a much more convincing match for him.If you like juvenile dialog about love affairs, you may find this interesting. But if you're looking for a baseball movie like Bull Durham or Field of Dreams, forget this one. It's a love story, and not a very good one.

I have loved baseball since 1955 when I started to play the game at 8 years old. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio...some pretty great players-people plus too many more to name here. As a female, I would never be allowed to play in the majors so must do it vicariously. Billy Chapel allowed me to do just that. As I watched the movie I was on the mound, in Billy's head, It was I who stared down at the batter and said "it's between you and me, ugly". I found the relationship part of the story believable and worth watching. I love all of Kevin's baseball movies and really enjoy Kelly Preston (What a Girl Wants is one of my favorites) I keep hoping it will be released on Bluray. If you want a love story, you should like this, if you want baseball, you should also like this. It has my highest recommendation.

Sam Raimi, who is probably most famous for the Spider-Man films and the Evil Dead films, shows that he can do more than action and horror films with the baseball drama For Love of the Game. He proves that he is a good storyteller.Kevin Costner stars as Billy Chapel, a pitcher in the nineteenth season of his career, all of it spent with the Detroit Tigers. He is in New York to play the Yankees in a series in what may be the last game of his career.As he is playing at Yankee Stadium, at many times on and off the pitcher's mound, Chapel flashes back to many moments in his past. The majority of these flashbacks involve Jane Aubrey, Chapel's on-again and off-again girlfriend, played by Kelly Preston. She is a magazine writer who gets offered a job in London. Unfortunately for Billy, her plane leaves for London during his game.The best parts of this story is the mix of the current game Billy is in and the flashbacks he has. Not sure what he has ahead of him, he is making history with this game against the Yankees.Costner gives a rich performance as Billy Chapel. To me, his character as a baseball player makes me think of pitchers like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez, all of who I watched pitch when I was a kid. When he is not playing, he does great at taking his memories and later using them in the game. The biggest part of Costner's performance is on thinking about if he should try to keep playing, hanging up his cleats, or go after the woman he loves.Preston also gives a great performance here as Aubrey. She does a good job of showing Jane as an independent woman, yet also trying to keep a stable relationship with Billy when they are dating. It may seem like the typical girlfriend role, but she is there to support him at his low points and high points of his career.Also giving a great supporting turn in this film is John C. Reilly as Billy's catcher, Gus Sinski. Both on and off the field, Gus is always looking after Billy, and saying that he's got his back. On what seems like a small role, Reilly knocks it out of the park at being the guy Billy can always turn to, even when he's drunk.If you enjoy baseball films, this is well worth it. I like to think of this, Field of Dreams, and Bull Durham as a trilogy, even though the only things they have in common are that they are baseball films starring Kevin Costner. If you are not a baseball fan, you should still check this out because it is more than a baseball film.