Bookshelf movie review: For Love of the Game

September 4, 2015 · 1 comment

Note: There’s a hidden message here marking a fairly important anniversary. See if you can figure it out. I had to take a few liberties, but I hope I’ll be forgiven in the form of an autographed copy of 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die plus the bonus checklist to the first correct answer.

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Help! Looking for some backup here. Everyone remembers Kevin Costner’s classic baseball films Field of Dreams and Bull Durham. All but forgotten, however, is For Love of the Game, released in 1999. (Not even going to consider The Upside of Anger, because he was a retired ballplayer in that one.) I, for one, this schmaltzy Costner vehicle doesn’t get the credit it deserves (only a 46 on Rotten Tomato’s “Tomatometer” and a 6.5 out of 10 on IMDB).

Based on the 1991 novel by Michael Shaara, FLOTG (released in 1999) is the story of Billy Chapel, an ace pitcher for the Detroit Tigers winding down his career (think Tom Seaver). As an elite athlete concentrating on his waning status as one of the greats of the game, he’s obviously had to make some compromises in his personal life, especially when it came to women.

Told in a back-and-forth conceit, we learn of Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston), the woman he “met cute” a little longer than the night before. Although obviously smitten, he tells himself, “You’ve got to hide your love away” rather than telling her “I need you.” Maybe he was trying to downplay the moment, trying to convince himself he was content with short-lived affairs, that there was always another girl in the wings.

His friends, however, seeing the depth of feeling he has for Jane and her teenage daughter — the family situation he had long postponed — warn him, “You’re going to lose that girl.”

Nevertheless he delays, taking his ticket to ride from the traveling secretary for the next out of town series.

After a lot of filler about the ups and downs of relationships, we come to the climactic scene. Chapel finds himself pitching what may be the final game of his career. Of course it’s against the hated rival NY Yankees. Of course it’s a nationally-televised game, featuring Vin Scully for some reason. Of course the last batter is a hot rookie at the beginning of his career. “Act naturally,” Chapel tells himself. “It’s just another game.” But he can’t get Jane out of his mind. “It’s only love,” he thinks, trying to focus on the task at hand, which evolves into a perfect game.

His catcher, Gus Sinski, played by everyman John C. Reilly in an improbably athletic role, tries to calm him down with jock banter, but Chapel bristles. Sinski takes it in stride. “You like me too much and I like you,” he retorts, trying to ease the tension.

As the game gets tighter, Chapel’s focus gets sharper and the cinematographer offers the audience some camera tricks to emphasize the pitchers focus. “Tell me what you see,” we hear Sinski saying to himself, in awe of his friend’s date with destiny.

If Chapel could answer, he might have told him, “I’ve just seen a face,” as Jane continues to invade his thoughts and he regrets yesterday when she left for Paris, ostensibly out of his life forever.

Ah, but this is Hollywood, and this is probably the part that has moviegoers rolling their eyes: Chapel completes the prefect game on an incredible play and, realizing what he stands to lose, rushes to the airport to follow Jane. As his faithful old female housekeeper/chauffeur drives, she asks how he feels after his historic finale. Exhausted, he can’t separate the emotions of the game from that of his lady love. “Dizzy Miss Lizzie,” he replies, not bothering to use proper punctuation.

And, scene.

 

 

 

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1 Jody Madron September 8, 2015 at 8:05 pm

I may be late with this answer, but is it the anniversary of the Beatles' last concert on 8/29/66 in San Fran?

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