Kevin Costner is off and running again (the bases, that is), in For Love of the Game, his third at bat with the national pastime. Makes one think that if you film it, they will come.
The star of the delightful Bull Durham, and the moving drama, Field of Dreams, appears this time as Billy Chapel, aging Detroit Tigers ace pitcher, who is facing mid-life crises of sorts both on the diamond and off.
He has just taken a called third strike with journalist girlfriend, Jane Aubrey, played by Kelly Preston, who is about to fly off to greener playing fields in London. And as if that weren’t enough, the Tigers’owner is looking to sell the team, which would probably result in Chapel, the one time pride of Detroit, being traded to the San Francisco Giants. These are, indeed, big league problems.
The story unfolds as Chapel is mulling over this sorry state of affairs. He is pitching a big game against the imperious Yankees at home in Yankee Stadium, complete with all their awful fans. He is pitching his heart out, sore shoulder and all. As the innings roll by, and he rests in between, he takes a hard look at his career and his always rocky romance with Jane. Where did he go wrong? Suddenly he looks at the scoreboard – Good Lord, he is pitching not only a no-hitter, but a perfect game! Immortality, here I come. Maybe. Kostner is a baseball natural. He actually looks more like a big leaguer than some big leaguers, themselves.
Editor’s note: There have been only 14 perfect major league games thrown this century, and none by Detroit. The last two were thrown in 1998 and 1999 by, guess who? The Yankees David Wells, and then, David Cone.
The movie, directed by Sam Raimi, is rated PG and starts Thursday at Sunny Isle.