For Love of the Game (1999)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Michael Shaara (novel)
Dana Stevens (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Billy Chapel must choose between the woman he loves and the game he lives for.

Plot:

A washed up pitcher flashes through his career.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Detroit Tigers | Cult Director | New York City | Flashback

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Billy Chapel
Kelly Preston	...	Jane Aubrey
John C. Reilly	...	Gus Sinski
Jena Malone	...	Heather Aubrey
Brian Cox	...	Gary Wheeler
Addie Daddio	...	Waitress
J.K. Simmons	...	Frank Perry (as JK Simmons)
Vin Scully	...	Himself
Steve Lyons	...	Himself
Carmine Giovinazzo	...	Ken Strout (as Carmine D. Giovinazzo)
Bill E. Rogers	...	Davis Birch (as Bill Rogers)
Hugh Ross	...	Mike Udall
Domenick Lombardozzi	...	Tow Truck Driver
Arnetia Walker	...	Airport Bartender
Larry Joshua	...	Yankee Fan in Bar

Also Known As:

For the Love of the Game (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #36985) | Italy:T | South Korea:12 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-7 (re-rating) | Finland:K-8 (original rating) | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Aspen, Colorado, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The book next to Billy Chapel on the airplane after he finds Heather is "The Killer Angels". This book was also written by Michael Shaara, who wrote "For Love of the Game".

Goofs:

Continuity: We hear the fan say "kiss that bitch goodbye, take it over" and waves towards the stands. After Chapel "clears the mechanism" they show the exact same sequence with the fan, only without the sound.

Quotes:

[writing on a baseball]
Billy Chapel: Tell them I'm through, "for love of the game", Billy Chapel

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Upside of Anger (2005)

This Film Is About Life

This film is much more than a beautiful film about baseball. It's about life....about the continuity of life... about moving on... about taking stock of who you are, and who you are going to be. Billy Chapel stands there, quietly, introspectively, doing what he has always done, what he wants to always do, but knowing at the same time, through his reflections and his actions, that things change nevertheless. At the crux of the pennant game for the Yankees, this Detroit pitcher stands on the pitcher's mound, knowing, seeing, the flow of life. His team sold, knowing his days for the Tigers are over, that his catcher will likely not be there again, that his great love is leaving, that her daughter has grown, his friend playing now for the Yankees, even the last pitcher he faces - who began as a Tiger bat boy for the team his father played for, the Tigers - a boy whom the announcers say has no idea of what this moment is, although he does, his team owner watching the last great game of summer... deciding... about the rest of his life. Through his comments, his thoughts, and his reflections, he evaluates not only where he is going, but who he is and what he will be. And at the precipice of the rest of his life, a perfect game in the balance, he finds it... what his life means. This film never fails to make me cry.