Movies News Talk
Kevin Costner has illuminated how he persuaded former New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner to film for his 1999 movie For Love of the Game at Yankee Stadium. Known for his Western roles—like those in his forthcoming Horizon: An American Saga—Costner has also acted in sports films including this one. Filmed by Sam Raimi, Billy Chapel (Costner) a forty-year-old pitcher throws a perfect game for the Detroit Tigers against the Yankees.
Costner revealed in an interview with GQ, however, that he had to convince Steinbrenner to film there so Yankee Stadium could be the backdrop for For Love of the Game.
Had the film not been shot in Yankee Stadium, it would have suffered greatly since the writers would have to change the narrative to prevent the New York squad from showing up. This would have been a major shift, though, since Chapel pitches against the Yankees from Michael Shaara's 1991 novel of the same name. This departure from the text might have lessened the general impact of the game.
By convincing Steinbrenner to agree to utilize the stadium, the star of the film helped strengthen the climax game even if the film had mixed reviews generally. For Love of the Game remains a singular portrayal of both a perfectly-pitched baseball game and a love story that grounds the film, even if it's not one of Costner's most well-known sports movies. The film merits several well-earned accolades for its production history, which emphasizes the need of making it seem as authentic as feasible.
Though the effort went into getting permission to film For Love of the Game at Yankee Stadium, the film has not become as well-known as other Costner sports films, including his quotable baseball smash Field of Dreams. Rotten Tomatoes give the 1999 film a 46% critics score, indicating a largely mixed to poor reaction. But it also gets a 75% audience score, suggesting that frequent moviegoers prefer it more. Still, this is hardly compared to the most well regarded sports films Costner has worked on.
Although For Love of the Game boasts some interesting features of its own, none of them really match the previous baseball films the actor has worked on. Bull Durham, a romantic sports comedy about a minor league baseball team, is among the baseball films most highly regarded by the actor. Though Tim Robbins plays the main character, Costner's seasoned actor Crash Davis has several unforgettable moments that strengthen the film's themes and plot. Although For Love of the Game has numerous interesting aspects of its own, none of them really soar as the other baseball films the actor has worked on. Its somewhat different idea from his earlier sports movies also makes it somewhat less appealing.
Although For Love of the Game revolves on Costner's Chapel presenting a perfect game against the Yankees, his inspiration comes from a love tale shared between him and his fiancée Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston). Their existence together is presented in a sequence of memories that weaves in between the emotional effect of his last game with the Tigers. But given the movie's introspective quality in compared to other baseball films, this divergence might have added to the mixed critical reaction for the film.
The Rotten Tomatoes score of the film makes it abundantly evident that For Love of the Game is still a popular film in Costner's sports library, albeit somewhat less recognition than Field of Dreams or Bull Durham. For an elderly baseball player, the film is unique as a memorable last game.
In the GQ interview, Costner clarified that the primary problem with the Yankees' movie loss was financial one. Eventually, Costner lied and declared they would win the World Series, but the movie would not depict it. That that year, they indeed won the World Series.
We already had a crew out there, and nobody knew what to do about it; the movie was not meant to take place at Yankee Stadium, but George [Steinbrenner] wasn't going to let it go. It was unfair, and it boiled down to I lacked a studio executive or attorney. Dead in the water was our film. And someone remarked, "Kevin, you should talk to him." And I said, "Where're all the rough guys? Everybody, what are you discussing? I have to confer with George. He had said "No," though, and it wouldn't be happening. Our agreement was contractual. So I give George a call. Though I wasn't sure how I was going to approach accomplishing that, he is a legendary man, challenging man, and much more was depending on it.
The actor remembered that although the Yankees actually lost in the film, he had to persuade Steinbrenner that the team would dominate the World Series. Costner related a stressful phone discussion in which he misled Steinbrenner to get him to let them shoot the stadium.
I then gave him a call and greeted George with "Hello, George." He heads, "Hello, Kev." And I greeted George, "Hi, George." He answers, "What do you need, Kev?" Then I remarked, "Well, George, it sounds like we can't come to the Yankees stadium." He goes, "That's right." And I am wondering, "Where's my dad? I could use someone to assist with this. I don't know what to say to this guy." I said, "George, but we had a contract." He goes, "I know that, but I can't let it happen, Kev." And I said, "All right, George, you wanna explain that to me? For what reason?" He goes, "Well, the Yankees lose." "The Yankees what?" "They lose, can't let that happen, Kev." I said, "George, it's a perfect game. I pitch a perfect game." "You don't even get a hit. Yes, you lose. Yeah, the Yankees can't lose." And I thought, "Well, we've just lost the stadium 'cause I'm not gonna change the plot." So I listened to him.