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IMDbPro

For Love of the Game

  • 19991999
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 17m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
35K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,734
1,265
For Love of the Game (1999)
Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
87 Photos
DramaRomanceSport
After 19 years of playing the game he's loved his whole life, Detroit Tigers pitcher Billy Chapel has to decide if he's going to risk everything and put everything out there.After 19 years of playing the game he's loved his whole life, Detroit Tigers pitcher Billy Chapel has to decide if he's going to risk everything and put everything out there.After 19 years of playing the game he's loved his whole life, Detroit Tigers pitcher Billy Chapel has to decide if he's going to risk everything and put everything out there.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
35K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,734
1,265
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Sam Raimi
    • Writers
      • Michael Shaara(novel)
      • Dana Stevens(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Kevin Costner
      • Kelly Preston
      • John C. Reilly
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Sam Raimi
    • Writers
      • Michael Shaara(novel)
      • Dana Stevens(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Kevin Costner
      • Kelly Preston
      • John C. Reilly
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 252User reviews
    • 77Critic reviews
    • 43Metascore
    • Awards
      • 7 nominations

    Videos1

    For Love of the Game
    Trailer 0:31
    For Love of the Game

    Photos87

    Kevin Costner in For Love of the Game (1999)
    John C. Reilly in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner and Sam Raimi in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kelly Preston in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, and Jena Malone in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Sam Raimi in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner and Sam Raimi in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner and John C. Reilly in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner in For Love of the Game (1999)
    Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston in For Love of the Game (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kevin Costner
    Kevin Costner
    • Billy Chapel
    Kelly Preston
    Kelly Preston
    • Jane Aubrey
    John C. Reilly
    John C. Reilly
    • Gus Sinski
    Jena Malone
    Jena Malone
    • Heather Aubrey
    Brian Cox
    Brian Cox
    • Gary Wheeler
    J.K. Simmons
    J.K. Simmons
    • Frank Perry
    • (as JK Simmons)
    Vin Scully
    Vin Scully
    • Vin Scully
    Steve Lyons
    Steve Lyons
    • Steve Lyons
    Carmine Giovinazzo
    Carmine Giovinazzo
    • Ken Strout
    • (as Carmine D. Giovinazzo)
    Bill E. Rogers
    • Davis Birch
    • (as Bill Rogers)
    Hugh Ross
    • Mike Udall
    Domenick Lombardozzi
    Domenick Lombardozzi
    • Tow Truck Driver
    Arnetia Walker
    Arnetia Walker
    • Airport Bartender
    Larry Joshua
    Larry Joshua
    • Yankee Fan in Bar
    Greer Barnes
    Greer Barnes
    • Mickey Hart
    Scott Bream
    • Brian Whitt
    Jose Mota
    • Jose Garcia
    Earl Johnson
    • Marcus Random
    • Director
      • Sam Raimi
    • Writers
      • Michael Shaara(novel)
      • Dana Stevens(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The shots of Billy Chapel's parents at the beginning of the movie are Kevin Costner's actual parents.
    • Goofs
      Baseball has a rule saying that any player who has been in the MLB for 10 or more years, and has played the last 5 or more consecutively with the same team has a full no-trade clause. Having played the last 19 for the Tigers, so they could not have traded Kevin Costner's character without his permission to do so.
    • Quotes

      Vin Scully: The cathedral that is Yankee Stadium belongs to a Chapel.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: American Beauty/Blue Streak/For Love of the Game (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Summer Wind
      Written by Johnny Mercer, Henry Mayer, Hans Bradtke

      Published by WB Music Corp. o/b/o The Johnny Mercer and Edition Primus Rolf Budde KG (ASCAP)

      Produced by Russ Titelman & Billy Williams

      Performed by Lyle Lovett

      Courtesy of Curb/MCA Records

    User reviews252

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Even If You Hate Baseball -- and Kevin Costner -- This Movie Still Rocks!
    Why do I love this movie so much? I'm not a baseball fan. I didn't really like FIELD OF DREAMS. And I hated BULL DURHAM. Yet this movie just captivates me every time I watch it.

    Part of it is the tight, real-time structure -- the whole movie takes place in a man's head while he pitches a perfect baseball game on the mound. It therefore combines the tension of a thriller with the poignant emotions of an elegy.

    But what I loved most about this movie is that there are no clichés. Kevin Costner's character, Billy Chapel, is not a "sports underdog." It's very clear he is a great athlete who has had a great career, and that he can walk away at any time with lots of money and lots of respect. The only reason that pitching the perfect game matters to him is purely for the perfection of his art -- for the love of the game.

    At the same time, not all the action is on the baseball diamond. In the romantic drama, Kevin Costner does much more than play the usual Costner "nice guy." Billy Chapel can be cold, egocentric, and difficult -- just like any other creative artist. But he always surrounds himself with people who are strong enough to challenge him and help him stay grounded. It's no exaggeration to say that the supporting cast in this film -- John C. Reilly as the catcher, Kelly Preston as the girl friend, and Jena Malone as the girl friend's adorable teenage daughter -- are very much the stars. They really set Costner up for an unusually mature, disciplined performance. Just the way Chapel's team mates set him up for the perfect game! This movie wasn't that well received by the critics. I remember one frightfully cultured fellow at the NEW YORKER sniffing that Costner's character is "arrogant." Note well that if an artist or an intellectual is cold and demanding, it's okay. But athletes should be jolly, ape like simpletons, the kind who know their place. This complex, poignant movie is actually quite subversive, since it forces you to realize that baseball is a thinking man's game and that athletes (and their working class fans) are not nearly as stupid as the real simpletons who write for the NEW YORKER.

    Shocking!!!
    helpful•62
    9
    • Dan1863Sickles
    • Oct 12, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 17, 1999 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Universal Pictures
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • For the Love of the Game
    • Filming locations
      • Depot Place ramp over RR tracks, Bronx, NYC, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Beacon Pictures
      • Tig Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $80,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $35,188,640
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,041,685
      • Sep 19, 1999
    • Gross worldwide
      • $46,112,640
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 17 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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