For Love of the Game

1999
PG-13
2h 17m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

38K

YOUR RATING

Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

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2 Videos

94 Photos

Baseball Drama Romance Sport

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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

38K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 7 nominations total

Trivia
According to Kevin Costner, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was becoming agitated that the Yankees would be seen losing in a movie filmed on location at Yankee Stadium. Costner said he was able to calm Steinbrenner down by explaining that Billy Chapel, and not necessarily the game itself, was the movie's major focus. Costner also explained that the game would mean nothing to the Yankees, and that it wasn't played as a "Winner Take All" scenario. Costner convinced Steinbrenner that in the movie's universe, the Yankees would clinch the AL East division the next day, keeping alive their World Series chances. Costner said that he later received a Yankees 1999 World Series ring as a thank-you gift from Steinbrenner.

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 Siskel & Ebert: 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 reviews263

Review

Featured review

6/10

Baseball & Romance, Costner-Style

Boy, is this a movie for New York Yankee haters. The lead character is a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and played by Kevin Costner, guy who can play the game at a high level, not just some actor faking it. And, of course, his big pitching effort is against the mighty Yankees.

My only complaint, besides the overuse of the Lord's name in vain, is that there weren't more baseball scenes in it, since they were so well done. The best character of the film was the catcher, played by John C. Reilly. There's a big romance angle in here between Costner and Kelly Preston. Some of that was good, some was annoying. Neither of those characters was particularly appealing.

What was very cool, if you have a good surround system, was the sound of Costner's fastball hitting the catcher's mitt. The loud "whoosh" sound was awesome.