Back in the 80s, superstar Kevin Costner made a move that many in the industry thought to be quite foolish--follow up his hit Bull Durham with another baseball film. Fortunately, Costner ended up making the right call. Field Of Dreams went on to become a huge success and solidifed his status as a major Hollywood player.

Over a decade later and several films later, Costner returns to the baseball diamond with For Love Of The Game, a rousing romantic sports picture that manages to capture the spirit of baseball and the importance of love. Like The Natural, Hoosiers, and many other great sports films of the past, this film shows a great passion for the sport.

In this film, Costner plays Billy Chappel, an aging pitcher who reflects on his life while pitching what maybe the final game of his nineteen year career. Have you ever wondered what a pitcher is thinking between pitches? This is just one of the intimate sides of baseball that this film displays.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who will win the game and it's obvious what will become of the film's major relationship (it's very reminiscent of Jerry Maguire), but this film still works because of the strong performances, great chemistry between Costner and Kelly Preston, and absolutely solid directing from Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Darkman, A Simple Plan).

This film deftly meshes two of America's favorite pastimes: baseball and romance. Costner turns in one of his best performances, and with Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Tin Cup, and now For Love Of The Game to his credit, the sports arena is also his most successful.