This week I received a generous offer to guest blog from correspondent Jacob Holtgraewe. Here he writes about Sam Raimi's For the Love of the Game. Thanks Jacob for your contribution. - Groggy
The movie For Love of the Game (1999), featuring Kevin Costner in yet again another baseball movie, is different from the others he appears in. This time Kevin, playing washed up pitcher Billy Chapel, is the one at a crossroads and needs help. Unlike in other Costner movies like in Bull Durham where he mentors a young and wild pitcher; or Field of Dreams, where Costner’s character helps the deceased players of the past by building them a baseball field on his Iowa farm. This time Costner’s character must not help others, but himself with a tough life decision.
Billy Chapel is a veteran pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who are entering the last game of the season with a record of 63-98 and about to play the playoff-eligible New York Yankees. Billy has struggled in his relationship with Jane, his girlfriend, and finds out that she is moving to London the same day as his last game. Shortly before this, Billy discovers that the Tigers are going to be sold to a new owner at the end of season. The new owner will trade Billy to the San Francisco Giants, ending Billy’s 19 years with the Tigers. After a long, grueling season in which Billy struggles with performance and injury he takes the mound for the final game of the season, and potentially his career.
Throughout the movie, while Billy is pitching, and in the dugout between innings, he has flashbacks to his life. He fears he will lose his relationship with Jane due to his dedication to baseball. Caught up in his flashbacks he dominates hitters throughout the beginning innings, still with a perfect game intact. It isn’t until the bottom of the 8th inning that he realizes nobody has reached base all game.
Another sentimental moment comes when Billy begins the 9th inning throwing three balls. He pauses on the mound and flashes back to practicing baseball with his father. He then completes the perfect game against all odds. Along with watching Billy complete his perfect game and visiting his flashbacks, the viewer sees the internal struggle Jane has at the airport. She sits at the airport watching Billy on the television while her flight is almost done boarding. She too must make a gut decision on whether to watch the game or board the plane.
After the game Billy sits in his hotel room, struggling with the fact that the thing he loved most in life, the game of baseball, is now gone. But he also weeps over the loss of his other love, Jane. The next day Billy heads to the airport to get a ticket to London, and to his surprise Jane is still at the airport. Ironically enough, she missed her flight to watch Billy throw his perfect game. They rejoice in seeing each other, and the viewer believes they'll live a happy life together.
As a fan of baseball and Kevin Costner, I really enjoy the movie For Love of the Game. Throughout the movie you watch a grown man struggle with the fact that he has to give up the game he loves, and deal with the regret for loving the game of baseball so much that it has hurt his relationship with Jane over the years. It is a constant battle of giving up what you love for who you love. This is the first movie that I have seen in which it touches more so on the romantics of the game of baseball and how connected players are to it, rather than the action of the sport itself. Although the ratings for this movie are not the best, I am still a big fan of the movie For Love of the Game.
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