I really like this movie, for a sports fan, 8 of 10!

Rating: Null/10 (13 September 2000)

This movie, "For Love of the Game", spans one complete baseball game, Detroit at NY Yankees, last game of the regular season. In a series of flashbacks Costner's character, the aging all-star pitcher, reminisces over the past 5 years, particularly in his relationship with Kelly Preston's character. In the process, about 2/3 through the game he realizes that he has a perfect game going. In 120 years of baseball, only 18 perfect games have been pitched. So, the drama mounts as we see whether he will succeed, or, as he did in "Tin Cup", hit it in the lake on #18.
If you generally like Costner, like I do, then you will like this movie. The writing is very good, and unlike many modern "action" movies, this one does a lot of character development. One memorable line - "No matter what happens during the next 5 minutes, I want you to know my heart lept when you showed up at my door. My heart lept in my chest."
As you find out from the DVD "extras", real professional baseball players and real major league umpires were used to film the game. For 30 days in Yankee Stadium, just after the season ended, they filmed the action. For that reason the ball play is very realistic, very game-like. Overall a very fine movie.