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For Love of the Game poster

For Love of the Game

year 1999decade 90sdirector Sam Raimigenre Dramagenre Romance

138 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

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
Joe Lisi Pete
Vin Scully Himself
Steve Lyons Himself
Bob Sheppard Himself
Mike Buddie Jack Spellman
Augie Garrido Yankees manager

For Love of the Game | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Mallory Rubinproducer Craig Horlbeck
Explore episodeClose episode

Casting What-Ifs

Annette Bening

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:49Read transcript
  • Annette Bening reportedly almost played Jane; the lost casting opportunity is regretted.
  • The casting what-ifs category returns to Annette Bening as the preferred alternative.
  • The late discussion again favors Bening and jokingly suggests almost any actress from 1999 could improve the role.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:57Read transcript
  • Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars and strongly criticized the romance.
  • The quoted review reverses who asks and answers the disfigurement question, a mistake explicitly corrected in the discussion.

Producer review

Likes it; baseball appeal; Preston reservation

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:13Read transcript
  • The producer enjoyed the film, especially compared with recently watching Never Been Kissed.
  • After the discussion, the producer still likes it because baseball films appeal to him, while acknowledging the Preston problem.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Mickey Hart’s catch; ninth inning

In the discussion (25)
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:00Read transcript
  • The first-inning sequence is nominated, from insisting on Gus as catcher through the confrontation with Sam Tuttle; the manager exchange and J.K. Simmons are praised.
  • Access to Chapel's thought process makes the pitching duel compelling, contrasting the hostile Tuttle at-bat with his affection for Birch and comparing the mental approach to Bull Durham.
  • Talking aloud on the mound and the dialogue itself are considered devices that should fail but work because they feel convincing.
  • The apparent full crowd and grandeur of the old Yankee Stadium are praised, with preference expressed over its replacement.
  • The mound dialogue supplies welcome baseball history missing from the romance flashbacks, but the brief moving-out scene leaves the bond with Birch underexplored.
  • The masseuse sequence is nominated by both speakers: the suggestive massage, Jane's surprise arrival, his greeting and the masseuse appearing upstairs make the comic situation work.
  • The established relationship with the masseuse and immediate response to Jane declining the invitation are considered believable behavior for a professional athlete; the massage timing inspires a happy-beginning joke.
  • Chapel discovering the perfect game and Gus's reassurance are nominated; the speech is praised as Reilly's standout scene despite reservations about the rest of his performance.
  • A veteran pitcher failing to recognize a perfect game is challenged, especially given teammates avoiding him; the distraction is nevertheless accepted as useful for the scene.
  • The manager warming relievers and insisting he needs the game is considered less believable given the team's losing record and the perfect game in progress.
  • The attempt to replace Gus before what might be Chapel's final Tigers start is criticized as an implausible prioritization of the backup catcher's at-bats.
  • Mickey Hart saving the perfect game is nominated and praised for its payoff, cap acknowledgment and the manager's reaction; the actual catch is criticized as insufficiently athletic.
  • Mickey's earlier ball-off-the-head error recalls Jose Canseco, but the depicted Fenway wall is challenged as nonexistent.
  • Chapel discouraging Mickey from becoming a media joke is praised as valuable evidence of his generosity as a teammate and as material that should have formed more of the movie.
  • Mickey's failed-prospect setup leaves open the possibility that the catch could turn his career around.
  • Signing the retirement message on the baseball before the ninth is nominated; the delayed reveal, owner's reaction, manager's exclamation and Scully transition are praised.
  • The ninth inning is nominated, but the increasingly spectacular defensive outs culminate in an implausible diving shortstop play against an apparently quick runner.
  • A strikeout is proposed as the more fitting final out for the story's individual achievement theme.
  • An alternative ending in which the runner is safe and Chapel loses the perfect game is welcomed as interesting, while the filmed achievement remains emotionally effective.
  • Scully's climactic commentary is praised, with relief that Steve Lyons recedes from the broadcast late in the game.
  • The first dinner is nominated for engrossing badness: the notebook and lip-gloss exchange, awkward kissing question and later yes note create unintentional comedy, while Costner's appeal partly sells the moment.
  • The hand-saw accident and hospital sequence are nominated for their excessive drama, especially Jane's outburst, not joining the helicopter and visibly aggrieved reaction.
  • The makeup-smashing argument is nominated for unintentional comedy, particularly Chapel's solemn promise to hire a driver.
  • Mickey Hart's catch is the final scene choice, with the first inning also strongly praised.
  • The ninth inning sealing the perfect game is the other final choice, chiefly for Scully's commentary on baseball history.

What’s Aged the Best?

Clear the mechanism; Costner as a baseball player

In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:19Read transcript
  • Clear the mechanism is praised as an enduring phrase.
  • Sam Tuttle is praised as an ideal Yankees villain, especially his attempt to bunt against the perfect game.
  • Brian Cox, John C. Reilly and J.K. Simmons are aged-best candidates; Simmons's genial manager is contrasted with his then-familiar violent racist character on Oz.
  • Against the Wind is an aged-best choice.
  • The old Yankee Stadium is an aged-best choice.
  • Vin Scully is credited with elevating the baseball from ordinary to exceptional; a reported interview suggests freedom to alter dialogue, and his real perfect-game experience adds authority.
  • Costner as a baseball player and in various states of undress are praised, particularly the locker-room changing and sensual handling of his glove.
  • Jane's restrained sexual presentation is criticized in contrast to Costner's, while a defense argues it differentiates her from his usual partners; her museum appearance is praised.
  • The relationship with Birch, nicknamed Scarecrow, is praised for handling friendship and a player's move for family and money without excessive emphasis.
  • Signing autographs during the couple's argument is praised as realistic for 1999, but also considered dated because phone cameras would now expose the conversation.
  • Gus’s reassurance speech is an aged-best candidate.
  • Obnoxious Yankees fans are an aged-best candidate; the caricatured hecklers remain amusing.
  • Gus's .184 batting average inspires a joking theory that the Tigers valued pitch framing before its wider recognition.
  • The catching footage is thought to rely on a double for Reilly, which is considered understandable given the fastballs.
  • The initial sexual arrangement is praised for honesty about Chapel’s behavior.
  • The flashback structure is preferred to conventional narration despite the weak romance.
  • Final aged-best choices split between Clear the mechanism and Costner as a baseball player, with Scully acknowledged as a tempting alternative.

What’s Aged the Worst?

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:27Read transcript
  • Preston's performance is the first aged-worst nomination, characterized as stopping the movie's momentum.
  • Chapel watching Jane and Ian through her window in the rain is criticized as stalking.
  • The runaway-daughter subplot and Jane obtaining Chapel's direct stadium phone line are criticized; detailed objections are deferred.
  • The changed experience of seeing Simmons after his broader fame is an aged-worst observation: the surprising contrast with his Oz role has diminished.
  • The final diving play and comfortable margin at first are criticized as unrealistic; the batter's failure to beat it out inspires jokes about demotion.
  • Removing the reported full-frontal scene is an aged-worst nomination; the quoted studio executive's doubts are rejected.
  • The players holding up numbers when Heather boards the plane are interpreted as jokes about her age and an imagined relationship with Chapel, with the interpretation explicitly qualified as uncertain; this is judged poorly aged.
  • Chapel's remark about wanting to kill Jane at the end of their phone argument is criticized.
  • The owner's complaint that modern developments ruined baseball is rejected in favor of progress.
  • Kelly Preston is the final aged-worst answer.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Dominick Lombardozzi

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:05Read transcript
  • Michael Papajohn as Sam Tuttle is initially chosen for the that-guy award; his other credits and reported baseball background are discussed.
  • Dominick Lombardozzi as the tow-truck driver becomes the agreed that-guy choice, recognized from The Wire and other television roles.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Kelly Preston; Yankees fan in airport bar

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:40Read transcript
  • The obnoxious Yankees fan in the airport bar is nominated for overacting; his heckling is criticized as disrupting a rare communal sports experience, and drastically reducing the airport scenes is proposed.
  • Preston is the competing overacting choice, chiefly for the opening and hospital scenes; alternative endings sending Jane to London or pairing Chapel with the masseuse are joked about.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Deleted shower scene; Scully casting; Yankee Stadium; Michael Shaara nod

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:13Read transcript
  • Conflicting explanations for the reportedly deleted nude shower scene include maintaining PG-13 and poor test reactions; the audience-giggling account is challenged and Costner's reported anger is discussed.
  • A claim that Costner requested Scully is mentioned with uncertainty; the thin research material and prevalence of minor real-baseball casting anecdotes draw skepticism.
  • The story that Costner persuaded Steinbrenner to allow Yankee Stadium filming despite a Yankees loss is considered entertaining, against the team's real dominance.
  • Chapel reading The Killer Angels is identified as a nod to Michael Shaara, also the author of the source novel.

Apex Mountain

Selection disputed

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:42Read transcript
  • Scully is proposed as a retrospective Apex because cable reruns preserve his broadcasting excellence; objections cite the film's limited audience and ready online access to his real calls.
  • The Scully Apex objection favors his real historic calls over a fictional game, citing Koufax, Larsen, Gibson and Aaron; Larsen is accepted as a strong alternative and Gibson's home run is favored among baseball moments.

Picking Nits

Statistics; trade veto; manager; uniforms; baserunning; ending; daughter; scar; Gus; crowd; food; romance; father

In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:11Read transcript
  • Chapel's season line—30 starts,211 innings,8–11 record,3.55 ERA,98 walks and 111 strikeouts—is challenged for incompatible-seeming workload and run-prevention implications.
  • The manager’s urgency despite a 64–97 record is a nitpick.
  • Unusually high Yankees uniform numbers are a nitpick.
  • Reilly's awkward baserunning is criticized, with a wide shot using a double proposed.
  • Chapel's service is corrected to eighteen completed years entering his nineteenth season; ten-and-five trade-veto rights undermine the threatened Giants trade plot.
  • The preferred alternative ending leaves Chapel crying alone in his hotel, possibly without the perfect game; Jane finding someone else abroad is proposed jokingly.
  • Jane joking about Heather's name during an urgent runaway call is considered inconsistent with her fear; calling an estranged partner rather than a contact in Boston, where the father lives, is also challenged.
  • The tiny hand scar is considered incompatible with the severe saw injury and emergency transfer; a more visibly damaged hand is proposed, with doubt about whether he could then pitch again.
  • Gus wearing the Tigers cap in a New York hotel and his exaggerated drunken portrayal are criticized.
  • Leaving a glass of water in Gus’s hand rather than a bottle nearby is questioned, as is his greater drunkenness than Chapel.
  • The aerial view's empty seats are challenged for a potential pennant-clinching game, whose stakes also receive too little broadcast emphasis.
  • Chapel eating bread and milk in a glass is questioned as an unfamiliar habit.
  • Jane foregoing goodbye sex is questioned; the claim that she is presented as nonsexual is countered with their first-night encounter and other sexual references.
  • Chapel describing his supposedly important father merely as very tall is criticized as weak dialogue.
  • The saw accident prompts a joking distraction theory and a serious objection that a professional pitcher should avoid risking his hands.

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

Sam Tuttle line; Scully’s pitching-against-time passage

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:43Read transcript
  • The Sam Tuttle line about a reason not to be a Yankee and the observation that baseball counts everything are quote candidates.
  • Scully's passage about pitching against time and pushing the sun back into the sky is the preferred quote for one speaker.
  • The cathedral belonging to a Chapel line divides the speakers, praised by one and considered forced by the other.
  • The flashlight doubling joke is an additional quote candidate.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Pitch count; career totals; sexual partners

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:30Read transcript
  • Chapel's pitch count is an unanswered question; an estimate of 120–122 is offered from the strikeouts, batters and long counts.
  • His career totals remain uncertain, with 300 wins inferred as necessary for the film's Hall of Fame framing rather than explicitly supplied.
  • The owner's complaint about modern baseball provokes disagreement about progress, localized fandom and MVP criteria; his paternal relationship with Chapel prompts a Succession joke.
  • The number of Chapel's sexual partners is an unanswered question, with thousands proposed from his long traveling career and a counterpoint that repeat arrangements could reduce the total.

The most "year the movie came out" thing

Baseball’s cultural prominence

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:57Read transcript
  • The Game Boy Color is proposed as the most 1999 detail; the unidentified game might be Pokémon according to a consulted enthusiast, while Mario and Kirby are personal alternatives.
  • The Game Boy choice is questioned as specifically 1999, while Chapel's white briefs are contrasted with expected modern athletic boxer briefs.
  • The lack of internet and magazine rather than blog writing are 1999 candidates.
  • The tow-truck call indicates that some technology is present.
  • Baseball's cultural prominence and Chapel being recognizable beyond the sport are the final most 1999 observation, contrasted with a joke about Mike Trout going unnoticed.

More from the conversation

The baseball passages are praised as potentially the best fifty minutes of a baseball film, while the lengthy romance is criticized; watching isolated innings on cable makes the film rewatchable.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:14Read transcript
Removing Jane entirely is proposed, but an objection argues that even the poor romance holds the film together; proposed cuts range from twenty to forty minutes.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:03Read transcript
A prior interview reportedly described repeated pitching exhausting Costner's shoulder and a Yankees trainer providing stronger assistance for his final shooting day; the story is promised for the episode's end.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:10Read transcript
Bull Durham and Field of Dreams establish a high standard that this third Costner baseball film struggles to meet; Bull Durham is named a personal second-favorite film.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:06Read transcript
A reportedly removed full-frontal shower scene prompts skepticism about the reliability of the internet account and jokes about Costner's physique.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:38Read transcript
Costner's criticized performance and reported Razzie recognition are defended; a theory links the reaction to the nearby release of Message in a Bottle rather than this performance alone.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:59Read transcript
Message in a Bottle receives a strongly negative personal assessment, qualified by having seen it only once on its original release.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:18Read transcript
Costner's late-career athlete casting is considered slightly old for the role, but his convincing delivery and reported eighty-five-mile-per-hour throwing are praised.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:08Read transcript
The changing arm angles and curve that freezes Sam Tuttle are praised for believable pitching mechanics.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:40Read transcript
The visible eighty-nine-mile-per-hour fastball and hand and shoulder injuries prompt questions about Chapel's earlier repertoire and changes as his velocity declined.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:53Read transcript
Chapel's displayed strikeout-to-walk ratio is considered implausibly poor for an ERA below four in the steroid era.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:47Read transcript
Jack Morris is proposed as Chapel's initial comparison because of the 1984 World Series start; Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are offered as better-career hybrids.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:02Read transcript
The career losses figure is corrected from141 to134; innings, complete games and implied wins are examined to test the film's unquestioned Hall of Fame framing, settling on a Morris–Glavine comparison.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:05Read transcript
The need for an attractive famous pitcher to seek romance by stopping for stranded motorists is flagged for later scrutiny.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:15Read transcript
The director, cast, Yankee Stadium and Vin Scully are said to create expectations the film failed to meet; reported box office is $46 million against a $50 million budget.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:42Read transcript
The extended falling-in-love montage is singled out as especially poor.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:27Read transcript
The save of the no-hitter creates chills despite the surrounding romance; the extreme contrast is likened to the frustrations and rewards of sports fandom, acknowledged as a charitable interpretation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:16Read transcript
Re-editing, recasting and changing dialogue are proposed because the underlying combination of baseball, career mortality and love resembles Bull Durham.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:02Read transcript
Chapel crying alone in his hotel room after the perfect game is praised as moving and proposed as the ending; the subsequent airport reconciliation is criticized.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:00Read transcript
The film is said to lack the poetry of great baseball movies despite convincing baseball footage, crowd atmosphere and Scully commentary.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:13Read transcript
Preston's momentum after Jerry Maguire and earlier appeal in Secret Admirer and Mischief are contrasted with criticism of her acting here.
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:27Read transcript
Preston's earlier marriage to the actor who played Waingro in Heat prompts a brief casting-history aside.
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:32Read transcript
Despite the central couple's problems, Costner is credited with broad personal chemistry, illustrated through a recollection of his presence at a party.
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:11Read transcript
The masseuse performer is identified from a filmography as Laura Cayouette.
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:26Read transcript
The closing explicitly credits producer Craig Horlbeck.
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:58Read transcript