The producers were obviously trying to cash in on the popularity of Bull Durham, but this was a bad misfire. 5 percent baseball. 95 percent psychobabble, with Costner and Preston endlessly discussing their relationship, the rules of the game, etc, etc. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan without the humor. And what the Tiger's ace pitcher could see in this messed- up gal is a mystery. At 40 years old, he should have known better. Susan Sarandon was a much more convincing match for him.If you like juvenile dialog about love affairs, you may find this interesting. But if you're looking for a baseball movie like Bull Durham or Field of Dreams, forget this one. It's a love story, and not a very good one.

I have loved baseball since 1955 when I started to play the game at 8 years old. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio...some pretty great players-people plus too many more to name here. As a female, I would never be allowed to play in the majors so must do it vicariously. Billy Chapel allowed me to do just that. As I watched the movie I was on the mound, in Billy's head, It was I who stared down at the batter and said "it's between you and me, ugly". I found the relationship part of the story believable and worth watching. I love all of Kevin's baseball movies and really enjoy Kelly Preston (What a Girl Wants is one of my favorites) I keep hoping it will be released on Bluray. If you want a love story, you should like this, if you want baseball, you should also like this. It has my highest recommendation.

Forty-year-old superstar pitcher Kevin Costner (as Billy Chapel) receives a personal and professional double shock. He learns his Detroit Tigers team has been sold. Even worse, the new owners want to trade him. As if that wasn't enough, Mr. Costner's girlfriend, pretty Kelly Preston (as Jane Aubrey), announces she is leaving him for a job in London. Costner must deal with these life changing events while pitching against the New York Yankees in a World Series playoff game. Preoccupied with both these facts and an ailing shoulder, Costner doesn't realize he's playing the game of his life...Costner and director Sam Raimi do very well with the sports-related segments, as excitement builds during the proverbial big game. The other part of the film has to do with Costner's romance with Ms. Preston. It gets off to a good start, with them meeting over her stalled car, but it gets sappy quickly. We expect the flashbacks to cover Costner's life, yet the focus is on his relatively recent love story; we're left wondering what he was doing the rest of his life. There are good performances in support from catcher pal John C. Reilly (as Gus Sinski) and daughter figure Jena Malone (as Heather).****** For Love of the Game (9/15/99) Sam Raimi ~ Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone

First of, let me say that I don't understand how most people rate a movie. Not that they are doing it wrong or anything like that - it's just that I seem to think different than most people on such things and this movie brings it out so perfectly. 6.2 avg rating? I rate it 8 to 8.5 at least. To my mind, it's in the same league as Casablanca. No, it doesn't have the same noirish feel, it isn't set in the background of a war (atleast not in the conventional sense) and it certainly isn't a life or death situation. And yet...It's also not a movie with your typical cliché headline - no one will write phrases like "their life changes for ever" or "a coming of age story" etc. about this one.What it is, to my mind, is story of one man, Billy Chapel, living in the limelight as it's fading and his war with time and with his own emotions. We all fight this war sometime (I'm on the wrong side of 40 myself); most times it's mainly in our heads with occasional interludes by people near & dear, but there's generally no audience (which is a good thing). If you happen to live in the limelight at such a time, you unfortunately have to fight on two fronts, a public one and a private one. This movie walks us through one such war and it's poignant and heart-warming mainly 'cause Kevin Costner plays it with such understated vulnerability that you root for the character even when he appears a bit clueless.Not the world's greatest movie, no special effects, no nothing other than simple human emotions. But that holds up well thru the 2.5hrs making it a wonderful watch. What could be better than that? Of course the end of the game was a bit too theatrical, but hey! even the movie guys are human, right?