"FOR LOVE OF THE GAME," the UNIVERSAL PICTURES/KEVIN
COSTNER baseball/romance film about an aging pitcher for the
Tigers, opens nationally today. Costner is "angry" that
some scenes in the film were cut in order to comply with the
PG-13 rating ("ET," 9/16). USA TODAY's Mel Antonen writes
on the production of the film, in which the baseball scenes
were filmed at Yankee Stadium "in unseasonably warm
temperatures last November." MLB cooperated with Costner on
the production and "wanted the players in the movie to wear
inactive numbers ... and look legitimate" (USA TODAY, 9/17).
In Detroit, Julie Hinds reports that the Tigers "were able
to contribute their two cents and then some." The team was
"given an advance copy of the script and a chance to offer
suggestions on beefing up its accuracy." Tigers Owner MIKE
ILITCH also consulted with Costner (DETROIT FREE PRESS,
9/17). The film includes many cameos from current and past
players, including VIN SCULLY and Fox's STEVE LYONS
providing play-by-play. While the film's love story is
earning less than stellar reviews this morning, its baseball
scenes are generally given better marks. A sampling:
COSTNER ON THE HILL: In L.A., Kenneth Turan writes that
when the film "sticks close to the mound, those who have
even a small soft spot for baseball's soothing rhythms will
be hard-pressed to resist it" (L.A. TIMES, 9/17). DAILY
VARIETY's Robert Koehler: "Baseball fans will think they're
in heaven: A pic has finally nailed the actual playing of
the Grand Old Game with remarkable realism" (DAILY VARIETY,
9/17). In Winston-Salem, Mark Burger writes the "baseball
sequences are credible" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 9/17). In
DC, Stephen Hunter writes that when Costner "rears back and
uncorks a high, hard one, the movie at least has some life"
(WASHINGTON POST, 9/17). In N.Y., Lawrence Van Gelder
writes that the baseball story "works better than the
romance" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/17). In Toronto, Rick Groen: "This
is assuredly not a great baseball flick; however, conforming
with such unembarrassed fidelity to the rules of the genre,
it is a mildly satisfying one" (GLOBE & MAIL, 9/17). In
Cincinnati, Margaret McGurk writes the film "makes the most
of the baseball drama -- even though it occasionally turns
into baseball melodrama" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 9/17). In
San Antonio, Larry Ratliff writes that it won't go down as
one of the best baseball films, but the "baseball-themed
soap-opera's got 'Game'" (EXPRESS-NEWS, 9/17). In Toronto,
Liz Braun writes that the baseball sequences "are quite
wonderful to watch" (TORONTO SUN, 9/17).
SHOULD HE HAVE KEPT DANCING WITH THOSE WOLVES? USA
TODAY's Mike Clark writes that the film "tested my own love
of the game more than anything since the time Roseanne
screeched the national anthem." But people "will probably
regard the playing scenes as among the screen's most
realistic" (USA TODAY, 9/17). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joe
Morgenstern writes that baseball "can be slow, but not as
slow as the movie's early passages" (WALL STREET JOURNAL,
9/17). In Atlanta, Bob Longino writes the film's length
makes it "sometimes feel like a double rain delay" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 9/17). In N.Y., Rob Dreher calls it "'The
Postman' on a pitcher's mound" (N.Y. POST, 9/17). In Las
Vegas, Carol Cling writes the film is like a "smattering of
bloop singles -- enough to get a few players on base, but
hardly sufficient to spark a big inning" (REVIEW-JOURNAL,
9/17). In Denver, Robert Denerstein calls it "predictable,"
and "almost totally lacking in the kind of repartee that
makes for good baseball movies" (ROCKY MTN NEWS, 9/17).
TIME's Richard Corliss: "Much of the jock stuff will look
looney to true fans" (TIME, 9/20 issue).
