NNDB
This is a beta version of NNDB
Search: for
For Love of the Game (15-Sep-1999)

Director: Sam Raimi

Writer: Dana Stevens

From novel: For Love of the Game by Michael Shaara

Music Composed and Conducted by: Basil Poledouris

Producers: Armyan Bernstein; Amy Robinson

Keywords: Sports Drama, Romantic Drama, Baseball

NameOccupationBirthDeathKnown for
Kevin Costner
Actor
18-Jan-1955   Dances with Wolves
Brian Cox
Actor
1-Jun-1946   The original Hannibal Lecter
Michael Emerson
Actor
7-Sep-1954   Ben Linus on Lost
Carmine Giovinazzo
Actor
24-Aug-1973   Det. Danny Messer on CSI: NY
Daniel Dae Kim
Actor
4-Aug-1968   Jin Kwon on Lost
Domenick Lombardozzi
Actor
25-Mar-1976   Herc on The Wire
Jena Malone
Actor
21-Nov-1984   Saved!
Kelly Preston
Actor
13-Oct-1962   What a Girl Wants
Ted Raimi
Actor
14-Dec-1965   Joxer on Xena, Warrior Princess
John C. Reilly
Actor
24-May-1965   Boogie Nights
Vin Scully
Sports Journalist
29-Nov-1927   Voice of the Dodgers
Bob Sheppard
Sports Journalist
20-Oct-1910 11-Jul-2010 Voice of Yankee Stadium
J. K. Simmons
Actor
9-Jan-1955   J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man

CAST

Kevin Costner   ...   Billy Chapel
Kelly Preston   ...   Jane Aubrey
John C. Reilly   ...   Gus Sinski
Jena Malone   ...   Heather
Brian Cox   ...   Gary Wheeler
J. K. Simmons   ...   Frank Perry
Vin Scully   ...   Himself
Steve Lyons   ...   Himself
Carmine Giovinazzo   ...   Ken Strout
Bill Rogers   ...   Davis Birch
Hugh Ross   ...   Mike Udall
Domenick Lombardozzi   ...   Tow Truck Driver
Arnetia Walker   ...   Airport Bartender
Larry Joshua   ...   Yankee Fan in Bar
Detroit Tigers
Greer Barnes   ...   Mickey Hart
Scott Bream   ...   Brian Whitt
Jose Mota   ...   Jose Garcia
Earl Johnson   ...   Marcus Ransom
Chris Lemonis   ...   Lee Giordano
Jesse Ibarra   ...   Dennis Skinner
Pedro Swann   ...   Juan Vasquez
Michael Rivera   ...   Jimmy Pena
Dave Eiland   ...   Relief Pitcher
Joe Lisi   ...   Pete
Jim Colborn   ...   3rd Base Coach
Paul Bradshaw   ...   Tiger Pitching Coach
Gene Kirley   ...   Tiger Bench Coach
Tiger Bench
Chris Fischer   ...   Tiger Bench
Jonathan Marc McDonnell   ...   Tiger Bench
Barry Bradford   ...   Tiger Bench
Kevin Craig West   ...   Tiger Bench
Wes Said Drake   ...   Tiger Bench
Luis Moro   ...   Tiger Bench
New York Yankees
Michael Papajohn   ...   Sam Tuttle
John Darjean, Jr.   ...   Jonathan Warble
Donzell McDonald   ...   Lenny Howell
Scott Pose   ...   Matt Crane
Vick Brown   ...   Jesus Cabrillo
Chris Ashby   ...   Nardini
Bill Masse   ...   Mike Robinson
Mike Buddie   ...   Jack Spellman
Eric Knowles   ...   Ted Franklin
Ricky Ledee   ...   Ruiz
Juan Nieves   ...   Francisco Delgado
Augie Garrido   ...   Yankee Manager
Rick Reed   ...   Home Plate Umpire
Rich Garcia   ...   1st Base Umpire
Jerry Crawford   ...   2nd Base Umpire
Bob Sheppard   ...   Yankee Stadium Announcer
Eddie Layton   ...   Yankee Stadium Organist
Robinson Frank Adu   ...   Locker Room Attendant
T. Sean Ferguson   ...   Heckler
Victor Colicchio   ...   Heckler
David Mucci   ...   Heckler
Jacob Reynolds   ...   Wheeler's Nephew
Maurice Shrog   ...   Yankee Stadium Usher
Karen Williams   ...   Kisha Birch
Tracy Middendorf   ...   Blonde Player's Wif
William Newman   ...   Fitch
P. J. Barry   ...   Waldorf Doorman
Frank Girardeau   ...   Waldorf Bellhop
Caterina Zapponi   ...   Waldorf Singer
Monty Alexander   ...   Waldorf Pianist
Daniel Dae Kim   ...   ER Doctor
Judith Drake   ...   ER Nurse
Bill Vincent   ...   X-Ray Technician
Billy V. Costner   ...   Billy's Father
Sharon Rae Costner   ...   Billy's Mother
Mark Thomason   ...   Billy's Father (Early Years)
Laura Cayouette   ...   Masseuse
Christopher Cousins   ...   Ian
Ted Raimi   ...   Gallery Doorman
Michael Emerson   ...   Gallery Doorman
Shelly Desai   ...   Taxi Driver
Lucinda Faraldo   ...   Airline Ticket Agent
Ed Morgan   ...   Man at Café
Brian Donald Hickey   ...   Autograph Seeker
Tracy Perry   ...   Autograph Seeker

REVIEWS

Review by Walter Frith (posted on 12-Jul-2007)

Kevin Costner was on top of the world at the end of the 1980's. He had 'The Untouchables', 'Bull Durham' and 'Field of Dreams' all on his list of accomplishments and he still would win two Oscars for directing and co-producing 'Dances With Wolves' in 1990 and would give his best performance ever in 1991's 'JFK'. How things change. By the end of the 1990's, Costner has had a string of turkeys and/or lukewarm projects far below his potential. 'Waterworld' and 'The Postman' would bring him severe ridicule (although I thoroughly enjoyed and rated 'The Postman' highly). All actors struggle at some point in their career but it's been an 8 year struggle for Costner now and things don't get any better with 'For Love of the Game'. In this film, Costner plays Billy Chapel, a 19 year pitching veteran of the Detroit Tigers. The opening credits show newspaper headlines and home movies of Chapel's early life throwing the ball around with his father and his rise from the little leagues to the minor leagues to the major leagues. Set for a place in the hall of fame, Chapel is about to come face to face with his most important game ever as he takes the mound at the loneliest place in baseball, as a visiting player at Yankee Stadium. As he is the midst of pitching a perfect game, Chapel reflects on his past, predominantly on his 5 year relationship with a writer named Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston) and her teenage daughter (Jena Malone). Costner's reflection on the past is not an easy one since he met face to face with Jane on this game day and she tells him she is ending their relationship and moving to London to accept a better job. When I first read about the plot for this film where Chapel reflects on his past while possibly pitching a perfect game, I assumed we would see Billy Chapel in his glory days as a player and the many things that a pitcher remembers. Winning his first World Series, hitting his first batter, being involved in his first bench clearing brawl and his overall relationship with baseball and his fellow team mates. Instead, the film takes a shallow and overly repetitive turn and reflects only on Costner's romantic past with the woman in his life so the film turns out to be more about the needless romantic sub plot instead of about the game that Costner says he loves. This is a major disappointment, especially to people such as myself who truly love baseball. Using baseball as a metaphor for 'Field of Dreams' worked because that film possessed a dream like quality about life's transcending moments of regret, the desire to fulfill dreams and the question of whether there is another world after this one. It was a film that had hypnotic beauty and looked very original. 'Bull Durham' was an authentic look at life on the road in the minor leagues but the film was riddled with too much sexual innuendo and I have never really enjoyed it very much as it failed to nail down what it was REALLY about. 'For Love of the Game' is written by Dana Stevens based on the novel by Michael Shaara and is directed with ordinary tendencies by Sam Raimi who made 1998's 'A Simple Plan' which was very depressing but was better film making than this movie which has absolutely no memorable qualities whatsoever and is just another exercise in telling another love story which neither convinces us that the people involved really care about each other nor does it do anything for the game of baseball. Incidentally, if you've seen a particular clip from the advertising spots for the film and know the plot going in, it won't be too hard for you to figure out whether or not Chapel gets his perfect game. If Costner is smart, maybe he will make a truly authentic baseball movie to celebrate the game he is crazy about. Maybe a biography of a famous player would be a good idea. Visit FILM FOLLOW-UP by Walter Frith


Have you seen this film? We would love to see your review.
Submit your review for this film


Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile



Copyright ©2019 Soylent Communications