'For Love of the Game'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin take the mound for their final game as they rewatch the 1999 baseball classic 'For Love of the Game,' starring Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston.
Cast
Kevin Costner as Billy Chapel
Kelly Preston as Jane Aubrey
John C. Reilly as Gus Sinski
J.K. Simmons as Frank Perry
Brian Cox as Gary Wheeler
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Notes
- Budget of $50 million, grossed $46 million – didn't make its money back. Originally taped in 2019 for Luminary's 20th anniversary of 1999 series, re-posted to main feed in 2024.
- Bill and Mallory describe it as 'the most flawed sports movie probably ever' – '50 minutes of maybe the best baseball movie ever' being 'suffocated to death by a terrible rom-com.'
- Costner's third baseball movie (after Bull Durham and 'Field of Dreams'), forming a trilogy. He was in his mid-40s, threw about 85 mph with multiple arm angles.
- On the last day of the long shoot, Costner's shoulder was destroyed and he asked the Yankees trainer for the strongest stuff they'd never given him. The trainer warned 'you're going to growl at some people.'
- Costner won a Golden Raspberry (Worst Actor) – Bill and Mallory think it was more about the Costner backlash from Message in a Bottle also coming out that year.
- The full-frontal Costner shower scene was cut. Conflicting reports: studio wanted PG-13 or audience 'giggled at Kevin's penis.' Costner was reportedly furious, said the studio lacked 'real courage.'
- Costner had to convince George Steinbrenner to let them use Yankee Stadium because Steinbrenner didn't want the Yankees losing in a movie.
- Major plot hole: Billy Chapel spent 19 years with the Tigers and would have had 10-and-5 rights (a no-trade clause), making the entire trade subplot invalid.
- Vin Scully as the announcer had a lot of freedom to ad-lib; he'd called multiple real perfect games.
- Billy Chapel reads 'The Killer Angels' in the movie – written by Michael Shaara, who also wrote the novel this movie is based on.
- Brian Cox (future Logan Roy), J.K. Simmons (then known as Vern Schillinger from Oz), and John C. Reilly were all in this before they were huge stars.
- Annette Bening was allegedly supposed to play the Kelly Preston role but cancelled – 'like finding out Brady was supposed to be the QB and instead it was Marcus Mariota.'
Categories
Quote from Rog's review:
“It's the most lugubrious and soppy love story in many a moon.”
Ebert gave it 1.5 stars. Also said: 'I cannot recall a single thing either character said that was worth hearing in its own right, apart from the requirements of the plot.'
- Bill: The Mickey Hart catch and the first inning Sam Tuttle at-bat.
- Mallory: The 9th inning / sealing the perfect game, on the strength of Vin Scully's commentary.
- Other contenders: The baseball signing between 8th and 9th innings ('Tell him I'm through'), Billy realizing he has a perfect game going ('We don't stink right now'), the hilariously bad Kelly Preston scenes.
- Bill: 'Clear the mechanism' – Billy's mental focusing technique. 'I still use this.'
- Mallory: Costner as a ballplayer.
- Vin Scully's performance – the best ongoing evidence of how great Scully was.
- Brian Cox, J.K. Simmons, and John C. Reilly being in it before they were huge stars.
- Yankee fans being assholes.
- Bob Seger's 'Against the Wind' usage.
- Bill: Kelly Preston – 'a one-woman movie momentum tsunami.'
- Billy stalking Jane (standing in rain watching her through a window).
- The daughter runaway subplot in Boston.
- The impossible shortstop play for the 27th out.
- Billy threatening to murder Jane on a phone call.
- Cutting the full-frontal scene.
- Mallory: Kelly Preston.
- Bill: The Yankee fan in the airport bar – 'I have no idea what movie he's in.'
Bill: J.K. Simmons – the mustache, limited screen time but memorable.
Domenick Lombardozzi (Herc from The Wire) as the tow truck guy – Bill's pick.
Annette Bening was allegedly supposed to play the Kelly Preston role but cancelled. Re-casting Jane with almost any actress in 1999 would have been an improvement.
- Full-frontal scene cut: studio wanted PG-13 or audience giggled. Costner was furious.
- Costner convinced Steinbrenner to let them use Yankee Stadium.
- Billy reads 'The Killer Angels' – same author who wrote the source novel.
- Costner took PEDs on the last day of filming to keep his arm going.
- The 10-and-5 rights plot hole – 19 years with Tigers means untradeable.
- J.K. Simmons wanting to bench Gus before the game for a better hitter on Chapel's potentially last game.
- J.K. Simmons coming out to pull Chapel during a perfect game when the team is 64-97.
- The shortstop play on the 27th out is physically impossible.
- John C. Reilly running bases 'like he's on ice.'
- The movie should have ended in the hotel room, not with the airport reunion.
Vin Scully debated – this movie is great ongoing evidence of his talent, but his real moments (Koufax perfect game, Kirk Gibson homer) outweigh the movie.
Both pick Kevin Costner, with honorable mention to Vin Scully. Mallory: 'I love him unapologetically.' Bill: 'The fact that he had to take PEDs just to give a good enough performance, he wins it.'
Bill's ideal: Bull Durham + 'For Love of the Game' (Costner baseball double feature).