When I think back on all the Kevin Costner films I have seen, it’s hard to remember ever watching one that was less than two hours long. There’s something about his films that makes me wish I were sitting in some other theater, watching something with a little more oomph. For Love Of The Game is no different. By the end of the screening my back ached, my ass was sore, and my eyelids were heavy.
A film centered on America’s favorite pastime, baseball, For Love Of The Game is sappy and drawn out, a one hundred and thirty eight minute love story consisting of too many tears and not enough curve balls. Kevin Costner plays Billy Chapel, a veteran pitcher whose days of being on top are coming to an end. Starting with the most unbelievably bad day imaginable, his girlfriend, Jane (Kelly Preston) announces she’s leaving, his boss reveals he’s trading him to another team, and his achy arm is in so much pain that he’s not sure he can deliver the ‘perfect’ game. Sound like an uplifting story to you? Well, it’s not! Instead of portraying baseball the way it should be, as fun, For Love Of The Game turns it into a drag.
Trying to be an inspiring film about passion and growth, For Love Of The Game winds up losing its message and becomes trite. Costner has this knack for taking himself way too seriously. It seems like all of his past characters can be molded into one and the same. Will he ever stray from the smooth ladies’ man role where he’s always being portrayed as the untouchable hero? It’s getting pretty old. In this film he plays the same romantic lead, only this time he’s a baseball player (oh, wait, he’s done that before, twice to be exact, in both Field of Dreams and Bull Durham).
Standing on the pitcher’s mound, zoning out all sounds and distractions, Chapel flashes back through his life. Can’t you just picture the drama of the scene, a serious athlete who’s reached a crossroads in his life? Give me a break! Instead of looking like a man who has relished and enjoyed his sport, Costner treats it more like a chore. This obsession clearly takes precedence over his girlfriend. It consumes his very being. I’m not arguing that this doesn’t ring true to life, but when the film’s hero is acting this way, how can the audience find him admirable, let alone likable?
The chemistry between Preston and Costner is believable, but the relationship itself is hackneyed and empty. I tired of keeping track of whose turn it was to run after the other and apologize. I had an even harder time caring if they’d work things out and stay together. If there were fewer tears, shorter running time, and more baseball, this film may have been somewhat enjoyable.
+ Ashley Adams
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