For Love or Baseball

Rating: 6/10 (11 April 2013)

Forty-year-old superstar pitcher Kevin Costner (as Billy Chapel) receives a personal and professional double shock. He learns his Detroit Tigers team has been sold. Even worse, the new owners want to trade him. As if that wasn't enough, Mr. Costner's girlfriend, pretty Kelly Preston (as Jane Aubrey), announces she is leaving him for a job in London. Costner must deal with these life changing events while pitching against the New York Yankees in a World Series playoff game. Preoccupied with both these facts and an ailing shoulder, Costner doesn't realize he's playing the game of his life...
Costner and director Sam Raimi do very well with the sports-related segments, as excitement builds during the proverbial big game. The other part of the film has to do with Costner's romance with Ms. Preston. It gets off to a good start, with them meeting over her stalled car, but it gets sappy quickly. We expect the flashbacks to cover Costner's life, yet the focus is on his relatively recent love story; we're left wondering what he was doing the rest of his life. There are good performances in support from catcher pal John C. Reilly (as Gus Sinski) and daughter figure Jena Malone (as Heather).
****** For Love of the Game (9/15/99) Sam Raimi ~ Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone