For Love of the Game (1999)

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)
Aus Liebe zum Spiel (Austria) (Germany) [de]
A pálya csúcsán (Hungary) [hu]
Ask oyunu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Au-delà du jeu et de l'amour (Canada: French title) [fr]
Beshem Ha-Ahava (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Enamorado (Argentina) [es]
Entre el amor y el juego (Spain) [es]
For Love of the Game (Denmark) [da]
Gioco d'amore (Italy) [it]
Por Amor (Portugal) [pt]
Pour l'amour du jeu (France) [fr]
Rakkaudesta peliin (Finland) [fi]
Ston erota tou paihnidiou (Greece) [el]
Ultimul joc (Romania) [ro]

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 cast lists the Tigers second baseman as Marcus Random, played by Earl Johnson, but in the eighth inning when he fields a ground ball his jersey says "Ransom", not Random. It also sounds like Vin Scully calls him "Ransom" in the play by play.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mickey Hart saves the would-be Davis Birch home run in the 8th inning, the initial close-up shot sees the hands of fans vying for the ball, but when shown from distance Hart makes the catch on a part of the wall that is nowhere near any spectators.

Quotes:

Gus Sinski: The boys are all here for ya, we'll back you up, we'll be there, cause, Billy, we don't stink right now. We're the best team in baseball, right now, right this minute, because of you. You're the reason. We're not gonna screw that up, we're gonna be awesome for you right now. Just throw.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Comebacks (2007)

great!

A great movie about a great player in a great game. A pitcher about to retire pitches one last hurrah, reflecting on his life as he does so.

Baseball is a game to relax as you watch it, and so is this movie. I rank it with Field of Dreams as great baseball films. To anyone who wants to remember how great baseball is as a game and as a pasttime!

*** out of ****