The ’90s Kevin Costner Blockbuster No One Ever Talks About

For Love of the Game is a sports drama directed by Sam Raimi and written by Dana Stevens, based on Michael Shaara’s novel of the same name. It stars Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston and centers on the perfect game performance of an aging star baseball pitcher, Billy Chappel, portrayed by Costner, who’s also navigating the twilight of his career.

The movie’s storytelling structure shifts back and forth between a critical baseball game in Costner’s character’s career and his reflections on his life and relationship with Jane Aubrey, portrayed by Kelly Preston.

The movie remains remembered among Kevin Costner fans for several reasons. As stated above, For Love of the Game has a rather dynamic storytelling approach, which makes it stand out from Costner’s typical filmography, especially when it comes to sports-themed movies Costner had previously done, like Bull Durham and Field of Dreams.

Unlike those films, For Love of the Game integrates a rather strong romantic subplot, which, while not completely unheard of in spot dramas, significantly deviates from an already established formula.

Unfortunately, For Love of the Game was a hit-and-miss for the Yellowstone star and Raimi. The movie’s strong points were Raimi’s direction, which showcased the director’s ability to blend intense sports action with heartfelt drama.

The baseball sequences were praised for their authenticity, as they near-perfectly captured the tension and excitement of MLB. Kevin Costner’s athleticism—for which he’s well-known—allowed the actor to perform the baseball scenes rather impressively, which only added to the film’s realism.

Not to mention that the realism, at least from the baseball action perspective, was further enhanced by using real baseball stadiums and cameo appearances by professional baseball players, such as Vin Scully, Steve Lyons, Muke Buddie, and Augie Garrido.

However, despite its strengths, For Love of the Game received mixed reviews upon release, with critics praising Kevin Costner’s performance and the movie’s realistic depictions but criticizing the film’s romantic subplot as less compelling. And the box office performance wasn’t as great, either.

In fact, it was dreadful; For Love of the Game was a box office bomb and a massive financial disappointment since it didn’t earn enough to cover its production budget, let alone additional costs associated with marketing, distribution, and other expenses.

With that said, the movie found a dedicated audience and even a cult following, with sports fans appreciating the depictions of emotional and psychological challenges faced by professional athletes, as well as sacrifices they make for love and career. It’s also appreciated by those in love with Kevin Costner’s filmography.