Notebook Reviews: FOR LOVE OF THE GAME

Sam Raimi – 1999

For Love Of The Game is a major change of pace for horror director Sam Raimi. This baseball drama sees Kevin Costner excel as the ageing player forced to chose between his love for his girlfriend (Kelly Preston) and his love of the game. Costner, like Billy Chapel and the diamond, is perfect. 

It might lean heavily on sentimentality, but there’s a lot to enjoy in For Love Of The Game. The performances are excellent and Basil Poledouris‘ score is outstanding. It’s a shame that the film didn’t really connect with audiences when it opened and that there was a brouhaha about who got final cut around the time of he film’s release – because For Love Of The Game is excellent entertainment for gown-ups.