For Love of the Game

Baseball movies usually try to put the audience in the shoes of the players so that they have the feel of the game going on around them. But very few put you into the players life to experience the turmoil that goes on behind the scenes. Watching baseball players during a game it's hard to imagine the things that go on inside their heads and how that can effect the game. But with this story and the wonderful performance that Kevin Costner turns out, you walk away with the feeling that next time your watching a game you'll have more appreciation for the athletes on the field.
While pitching the best game of his career, Billy Chapel reflects in his mind about the life he's lead for the past five years and the choices he has and has to make. The flashbacks give so much insight into Chapel that the audience gets the feeling that they've been watching this ball player for his whole career. Some of Costner's best acting is done in this film, part of the reason for this is that he's acting in two different time periods of the character's life, so this gives his performance more dimension then most regular roles.
This film has a nice mix of a love story and a sports story, which puts it into a class all it's own, half is a chick flick and the other half is a guy flick. Which makes this film an all around favorite, no matter what kind of films you like. Costner doesn't hit the mark every time he makes a movie, but when he hits it right it's out of the park and that's where this one ends up, out of the park.