Yet another great work by some very underappreciated talents

Rating: 9/10 (17 September 1999)

I have to start off by saying that this movie is far better than what a lot of people may tell you. So many may go into this film with a few preconcieved notions, namely about Costner's acting ability and whether or not the director of "Army of Darkness" can handle a dramatic film. Rest assured this movie puts such questions to rest. "For The Love Of The Game" may very well be the most finely crafted and executed film about baseball since "The Natural." I think that to even call this a "baseball movie" is to seriously undermine all that this film encompasses.
"For The Love Of The Game" exceeds on so many levels that it is difficult to describe the admiration it deserves. This is so much more than a movie about baseball. It's about relationships, making difficult life decisions, and looking back on those decisions wondering if they were the right ones. It's about so many aspects of our lives: finding love and losing it, making mistakes, and making amends. It's about needing someone, knowing you don't go through life alone. Of course, it is also about the great game of baseball, the players, the teams, and the fans. All of these elements come fluidly together thanks to Sam Raimi's brilliant direction. Raimi deftly utilizes multiple elements such as focus, sound, and framing to thouroughly enhance the story. It has always been obvious in Raimi's work that he knows that style must serve the story, NOT the other way around as so many up and coming directors seem to think. He uses his bagful of clever tricks both technical and stylistic to wrench emotion out of every scene and craft an unforgettable movie-going experience. If anyone had any doubts about his ability to spin a complex dramatic tale even AFTER the brilliant "A Simple Plan", those doubts will noiselessly fade away roughly three minutes into this film, never to return. The other major reservation many people seem to have is the erroneous belief that Kevin Costner isn't much of an actor. This is another falsehood burned to cinders by this film. Costner creates in Billy Chapel a character who is equally charasmatic and enigmatic. Enigmatic in such a way that spurns us to discover his identity throughout the film. What makes him do what he does or say some of the things he says? What decision will he ultimately make? He is a man loathed by some but revered by many. But for all the fans and fame, we see that he is still human. Raimi reminds us of this bipolar aspect of his persona throughout the film, by the presence of autograph hounds and the attention he recieves contrasted by his emotional needs. Costner reminds us as well, playing up Chapel as a volatile celebrity, but in essence a compassionate husband and father figure. He is Superman and Everyman. He experiences what we experience, and feels what we feel, only he is forced to do it in front of thousands of screaming fans.
The film also contains a well-executed soundtrack and heart-wrenching/leaping score by acclaimed composer Basil Poledouris. The use of sound in the film is dynamic and extraordinary, with Raimi cleverly arousing our senses as well as our emotions. The film also contains a highly appreciated cameo by Sam Raimi's brother Ted, who has appeared in a number of his brother's films such as "Darkman", the "Evil Dead" Trilogy, and the Raimi-produced John Woo film "Hard Target." Ted Raimi is undoubtedly best known however for his portrayal of Joxer, a recurring character from the Raimi-produced television series "Xena:Warrior Princess." "For The Love Of The Game" is a film that not only brings some long overdue respect and attention for one of our great actors and one of our premiere directors, but will bring to its audience a finely crafted emotional experience they will remember and cherish for a long time to come.