For Love of the Game

I liked this way more than I thought I would or feel I should.

I would have preferred more sports and less romance, but that's just me.

With Costner and Reilly's spot-on performances, as well as a thoughtful script such as this, it probably could have been a great film in the hands of a Ron Howard or Rob Reiner. Raimi isn't yet in that class, but considering his prior directorial leanings, the fact that it remains a good film is a credit to his maturity behind the camera.

best baseball movie!

Kelly Preston does everything she can to destroy this movie and she succeeds most of the time. But Kevin Costner and John C. Reilly are on the same page and their scences, and most of the baseball scenes in general, ring true. As with most sports movie, some of the on-field action is ridiculous, but a good baseball story makes up for that. The off-the-field stuff is just bad, bad, bad, though, and there's not much Sam Raimi could have done when he decided to cast Preston.

Believable action, typical sports movie melodrama.

No film fully comprehends both baseball and love in this fashion. It is one of Kevin Costner's best, and truly an unforgettable watch.

Too long.

Sam Raimi's worst film.

The third in the trio of baseball movies Costner has been in, and definitely 3rd place in quality. It's a good look at what goes through a pitcher's mind when he's on the mound, using special effects without making it into a special effects movie. The reason why I rank it as high as I do is that...well, it's movies like this that make me care about baseball, when in real life I can't make it through a single inning of watching a bunch of millionaires playing catch.

Interesting, well-done adaptation of the book by the same name. I like Costner in this role.

A good mix of romance and baseball. You know this was handled by a real fan the way that Chapel's nemesis on the Yankees cheaply tries to break up his perfect game. Preston's "acting" in the hospital scene is horrible, though. And why would Vin Scully be calling a Yankees game?

Tries to be one part sports movie, one part chick movie. Neither part works. Sam Raimi's visual style has been totally neutered. Bleah

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I hate Kevin Costner, but did enjoy this film.

90 for the baseball scenes and a 0 for the rest. One of the most overly melodramatic and sappy romantic films I've ever seen, to the point that it's just funny

Certainly the weakest of the Costner baseball trifecta. It's not terrible, but there isn't as much depth as can be found in Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. For Love of the Game feels like a baseball movie for women, which isn't meant to be negative but it's more of a romantic drama with cliched relationship turmoil and soppy moments than a movie that was actually going for quality.

68.000

Equivalent of chick flick for guys. Acting is over-dramatic, story is corny, and yet men overlook it because it's about sports. Women go to chick flicks because they want to live vicariously through the romances with exotic men onscreen, and men watch movies like this because they want to live vicariously at the professional sports career they wish they could of had. John C. Reilly is the best part of this and he doesn't get nearly enough screen time.

Nice romance, yet not enough baseball.

Strong all the way up until the end, which was not bad just not as strong.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Kevin's long, slow, big head, soft focus, crappy soundtrack romance is actually a decent idea with some great parts. The interesting parts are usually about baseball, the hard to believe romance however dominates the picture. I kinda wish I'd followed up on my feeling like i should leave somewhere in the first 45 minutes or so.

It was a bit long, but a good movie. Typical for Kevin Costner.

Interesting construction. Features the late, great Tigers Stadium. However, it is ultimately forgettable.

54.250

The epitome of romantic-sports movie. An inspired story and script and fantastically acted scenes make this movie a legend. At points it gets a little tired but in the end leaves you with a warm heart and a big smile.

It's sappy, but baseball has to be one of the most over romanticized sports anyways. I didn't care much for character's drama but within the framework of a perfect game it worked quite well. "Through the mechanism" is something I've actually since used while playing sports.

Corny Costner, but effective nonetheless.