Film

For Love of the Game

Name: For Love of the Game
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 1999
Cast: Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone, Brian Cox

Sports drama

A 40-year-old pitcher's final season becomes a collision between one perfect game and the woman who made him want to stay in the world. Costner brings genuine ache to a character learning that dominance and love aren't the same thing. It's earnest, romantic, and entirely convinced of baseball's metaphorical power—the kind of film that knows exactly what it is and doesn't apologize for it.

TMDb rating

3.2

If you liked this

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A smarter, funnier exploration of baseball romance and the men trapped in its mythology. Cradle-to-grave storytelling with real chemistry between Costner and Susan Sarandon, and a whole layer of philosophy underneath the diamond.

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Costner at his most vulnerable, chasing ghosts and redemption through cornfields. It's got the same ballpark-as-redemption energy and a willingness to be sincere that feels increasingly rare.

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Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from For Love of the Game

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Both are romantic dramas about a protagonist recognizing they can't have everything, and both use the emotional devastation of that choice as their true subject.

Demi Moore splits between two lives—one in New York, one in Paris—both equally vivid and both slipping away. Like For Love of the Game, it's about a woman choosing between versions of herself and a man who represents stability. A completely different register.

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Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser in a comedy about baseball mythology and the people who believe in it too hard. Lighter than For Love of the Game but genuinely funny about obsession.

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Fever Pitch2005

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Major League: Back to the Minors1998

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