Real Review - For Love of the Game HD DVD

Summer is always a good time to watch a baseball flick, and tonight I chose Kevin Costner’s For Love of the Game. Costner certainly enjoys starring in baseball movies. Whereas Costner touched upon the fantastic with the infamous 1919 Chicago “Black” Sox in Field of Dreams, and upon the comedic with the unglamorous minor league play in Bull Durham, here, in For Love of the Game, Costner takes a different slant on baseball by heralding the dramatic. So how does this film compare?

For Love of the Game centers on the final season game for pitcher Billy Chapel, played by Kevin Costner. The aged pitcher has come to the end of his career and he has one final chance before retiring after a Hall of Fame career. Through flashback scenes of his childhood, we learn that Billy developed his love for baseball from his father who trained him and nurtured his career. Baseball is Billy’s only love, and he does everything for the game; until he meets Jane, portrayed by Kelly Preston. What starts as a casual acquaintance soon turns serious, and Jane discovers that her love will only be second to Billy’s love of the game. What is unique about the plot structure of the film is that we learn of Billy and Jane’s relationship through a serious of flashbacks as Billy is pitching his final game.

As Billy pitches the game of his life, he is consumed with memories of how he broke Jane’s heart. These memories are contrasted against his baseball accomplishments and make for an interesting juxtaposition. Though the movie tends more toward the relationship subplot rather than the baseball story, the script stays consistent.

Co-starring as the washed-up catcher, Gus, John C. Reilly leads a decent support cast. But make no mistake about For Love of the Game: it’s all about Kevin Costner. Despite the lack of sparks between Costner and Preston in their onscreen romance and the annoying baseball announcer who acted as the narrator for most of the film, I enjoyed For Love of the Game. Nevertheless, though, my favorite Costner baseball film remains Bull Durham.

I watched For Love of the Game on HD DVD disc and found the PQ to be good with lots of details and nice colors. Though several film sources are used in the movie, I found the picture to be consistent throughout. I listened to the Dolby TrueHD track, and, as could be expected with this dialogue-heavy film, my front speakers got the most work. My surrounds were used for ambient crowd noises during the big game and also for the wonderful musical score.

Rating: 7

Source Chuck’s Movie Reviews

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