For Love of the Game (film)
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| For Love of the Game | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Sam Raimi |
| Written by | Michael Shaara (novel) Dana Stevens (screenplay) |
| Starring | Kevin Costner Kelly Preston John C. Reilly Jena Malone Brian Cox |
| Music by | Basil Poledouris |
| Cinematography | John Bailey |
| Editing by | Eric L. Beason Arthur Coburn |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 17, 1999 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 137 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
For Love of the Game is an American film drama based on the novel of the same title by Michael Shaara. It is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston.
[edit] Plot summary
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The plot summary in this article or section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. |
The Detroit Tigers baseball team travels to New York to play a season-ending series against the New York Yankees. With the team eliminated from playoff contention, they are playing for nothing but pride, but for 40-year-old pitcher and baseball legend Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) this might end up being the most significant 24 hours of his life.
In his Manhattan hotel Billy awaits his on-and-off girlfriend Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston). Jane never shows up. The next morning, she is in the lobby waiting for him, but Tigers owner Gary Wheeler (Brian Cox) shows up to tell Billy that he is selling the team. The new owner's first move will be to end Billy's 19-year tenure with the Tigers by trading him. Wheeler recommends to Billy that he retire.
Jane reveals to Billy that she has accepted a job offer in London, leaving that day. Reeling from these two developments, Billy shows up at Yankee Stadium to pitch. Jane's flight is delayed. She watches the game in a bar. Billy begins a recollection of Jane, detailing how they met five years prior when her car broke down.
He recalls good times and bad, like when he convinced Jane to come to spring training, only to have her discover Billy with another woman. With that pain fresh in his mind, Billy proceeds to strike out the side in the third inning, leaving his catcher Gus Sinski (John C. Reilly) to conclude that Billy is "in the zone."
Billy thinks back to a phone call from Jane revealing that she has a daughter named Heather (Jena Malone), who has run away to her father in Boston following an argument. Billy is in Boston and brings Heather back to New York to Jane. She and Billy resume their relationship.
Continuing to dominate the Yankees' batters, Billy focuses on how his relationship with Jane was strained when he suffered a career-threatening injury in the off-season. He also continues to feel the wear and tear his age and career are taking on his arm.
Billy is so distracted, it takes Gus to confirm in the eighth inning that no runner has reached base -- Billy is working on a perfect game. His best friend on the Yankees hits an apparent home run, but at the last second it is caught.
Back at the airport, Jane misses her flight to watch Billy's quest to make history.
A final flashback shows Billy in a California restaurant, where he has a chance encounter with Jane's daughter Heather, who tells him that she is attending college there. This prompts Billy to call her mother and invite her to dinner in New York. Jane accepts, but is already packing her bags for London.
Billy writes a few words on a baseball and instructs the team's trainer to have it delivered to Wheeler, the owner. It states Billy's intent to call it quits. Billy goes out to the mound for the last inning. The final hitter is the son of one of Billy's ex-teammates. He makes an out and the game concludes with Billy being mobbed.
In his hotel room, Billy cries. The next morning he goes to the airport to fly to London and find Jane. He is surprised to find her there. He says what happened to him wasn't the same without her there by his side. They embrace.
[edit] Starring
- Kevin Costner as Billy Chapel
- Kelly Preston as Jane Aubrey
- John C. Reilly as Tigers catcher Gus Sinski
- Jena Malone as Heather Aubrey
- Vin Scully as Himself
- Brian Cox as Tigers owner Gary Wheeler
[edit] External links
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