‘For Love of the Game’ is the complete package
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Twenty-five years ago, a gem was born in the form of the movie, "For Love of the Game".
This romantic sports film is directed by Sam Raimi, to many peoples' surprise I'm sure. Yes, he's the same Sam Raimi who led projects like "Spider-Man" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".
But, "For Love of the Game" follows Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner), a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, who is on his last legs in professional ball.
He finds out his love interest Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston) is moving to London. On top of that, at the beginning of the movie, the Tigers' owner tells Chapel of his plans to trade him to San Francisco and that he's selling the team. Naturally, Chapel doesn't approve of the trade because in his mind he's a Tiger for life.
Throughout the film, we get constant flashbacks of Chapel's time spent with Jane and how happy they were as a couple. She even takes a trip to see Chapel in Florida, which ends in the pitcher upsetting Jane.
During their time together, there's a point where Chapel severely cuts his hand in a workshop accident, consisting of a table-saw and Jane rushes him to the hospital, displaying her much needed support.
As Chapel recovers, he gets frustrated when it seems like everyone he knows doubts his ability to come back from such a serious injury. In the midst of his anger, he tells Jane he thinks she makes him weak.
Jane tells Chapel that when life is slamming him down, it's giving him a gift. She says this before eventually leaving him.
There are several moments where you're not sure if Chapel and Jane will wind up together in the end and you're waiting just for the drama to subside.
I can't go without mentioning that for all you baseball fans, Chapel tosses a perfect game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Oh and this was his final MLB game.
It's easy to focus on Chapel's performance on the mound, but he gets help from his teammates, who are willing to back him up.
One message from this movie is make sure to understand that people are there to help you. Whether it's family, friends, coworkers, or a love interest. We can get so caught up in how we must do things ourselves and it can become too much to handle. But, sometimes if you just look at who is in front of you, you can get that love and support, which we all need.
"For Love of the Game" gets a B+ from me and it can be watched on YouTube, Prime Video, and Apple TV for a small fee. This movie's runtime is 2:17, and it's rated PG-13. Enjoy the film and the summer ahead.
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Anthony Fiuza is the sports editor for The Sentinel.