"Where Movie Critics Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine!"
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FOR LOVE OF THE MOVIES
by Herb Kane (Critic Doctor)
(PG-13)
CRITIC DOCTOR EXAMINES: Roger Ebert (Chicago-Sun-Times), Pam Grady (Reel.com), Jay Boyar (Orlando Sentinel), William Arnold (Seattle-Post Intelligencer),
Jeff Huston (believe-me.com), Mike Hall (Century Cinema), Susan Stark (Detroit News), Francesca Dinglasan (Boxoffice.com) and Rene Rodriguez (Miami Herald).
The first time I saw the "For Love of the Game" movie trailer, I thought to myself, "Kevin Costner playing a baseball player - again? Why?" In a strange way, it was like a sequel to one of his other baseball movies (though it's not), and like most sequels, I thought the film was destined to strike out. Did the movie hit a home run?
Well, I glanced at movie critic Roger Ebert's one and a half star rating he gave the picture and his scathing commentary. That fueled my skepticism. "I cannot recall a single thing either character said that was worth hearing in its own right, apart from the requirements for the plot," said Ebert (Chicago-Sun-Times).
Ebert then sarcastically points out his view of a good scene where Jane (Kelly Preston) asks Billy (Kevin Costner) during a getting-to-know-you exchange, "What if my face was all scraped off and I was basically disfigured and no arms and legs...would you still love me?" Billy responds, "No. But we could still be friends."
Like the joke it was in the movie, so I discovered are the reviews that want to declare this movie - game over, like a hurried umpire with a bladder problem in the ninth inning. Many reviews got it right such as Pam Grady (reel.com) who says, "It might not pitch a perfect game, but it certainly scores."
Certainly the movie is not without fouls, and only few to mention. Roger does point out two obvious flaws. There's one scene where Jane panics when her daughter runs away. She calls Billy (who at the time doesn't realize she had a daughter) and he asks for her name. She replies, "Freedom. Scared you didn't I? It's Heather." Hardly a remark that would come from a mom concerned for the safety of her lost teenage daughter. Another is where Billy says kids buy bubble gum cards for the gum, not the cards. Finally, there is a scene where Jane (Preston), in an effort to get the attention of doctors in a hospital to care for Billy, screams, "Isn't baseball our national pastime?". Did not make sense.
Little lines like these sort of throw you curve ball, but then you find you're right back in the game again and realize it didn't effect the impact of the overall film. Costner is believable in this film (perhaps because most people liked his other baseball films) and William Arnold (Seattle-Post Intelligencer) summed up Costners acting perfectly: "an endearing masculine charm, a skillful underplaying of almost every scene and a willingness to be, at times, infuriatingly human."
Ebert was kind compared to some other movieland umpires. Jeff Huston (believe-me.com) didn't like Preston's performance. Though he cushioned his remark with compliments about the actress, he said. "So it comes as a surprise to see how bad she can be. And when I say bad, I mean it - to the fullest extent to which that word could be used. It's baffling how a woman so gorgeous can be so repulsively annoying." His harsh commentary went on and on - and unjustifiably so.
I think Jeff must have gotten hit in the head with a baseball during the movie. Preston was wonderful as observed by Mike Hall (Century Cinema) after calling "For Love of the Game" the best baseball movie in years. "She is sweet and smart, with real life troubles and issues," said Hall. William Arnold rightly says that Preston comes "close to walking away with the movie. She creates a character of real depth and substance: not just long-suffering and beautiful, but curiously flawed and uncannily resourceful." Though I do wish the arrogant man sitting at the airport bar who was agitating Jane while watching Billy's game on TV would have been presented with the fact she was Billy's girlfriend.
The love story in the movie worked, even though Jay Boyar (Orlando Sentinel) said that these two characters were "all wrong for each other and that the filmmakers don't seem to know it." That's funny, Jay. The audience didn't think that. And neither did Susan Stark (Detroit News) who says "the writing is taut, purposeful and evocative" and she melted during the scene where Billy asks Jane on their first date, "How do you liked to be kissed? She answers that final question with a little sign hand-written on the spot: "Yes."
I'm not a big baseball fan, but this movie brought forth a fascinating look at the sport from the mound. Francesca Dinglasan (Boxoffice.com) calls Costner's pitching "impressively accurate fastball and curve to convey the aging pitcher's intensity," and Rene Rodriguez (Miami Herald) pointed out the camera's ability to "capture the arc of a well-thrown slider, lets you taste the speed of a screaming fastball." I especially liked it when Coster found himself in the zone, a place where all audience noise and visuals are blurred and silenced. His only attention - the pitch.
Ebert and some other critics are way off base regarding this movie, far out in wrong field. For it is the "love of the game" that makes baseball special, and it's the "love of the movies" that made this a four-star film. Many critics, perhaps in a small way, wrapped up in all their cynicism, have lost their ability to recognize both in this film. Maybe they should take a deep breath and relax before watching a film - and do it for love of the movies.
Strange Ebert didn't find a single line worth hearing. I did. Jane asks Billy, "Do you believe in God?" Billy replies, "Yes."
That's worth hearing.
--THE CRITIC DOCTOR
Movie: For Love of The Game
Starring: Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, Jena Malone, and
Richard T. Jones
Directed by: Sam Raimi Writer: Dana Stevens (based
on a book by Michael Shaara)
Produced by: Armyan Bernstein and Amy Robinson
Running time: 138 minutes. Distributor: Universal
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