For The Love Of The Game (1999) *

Directed by Sam Raimi. With Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston and Jena Malone. An aging baseball player (Costner) has an affair with a writer (Preston). It's an amalgam of every Hollywood cliche under the sun, presented raw, without any self-reflexive irony to cushion the blow. The only bright spot is Malone (Bastard Out Of Carolina, Stepmom), wonderfully underplaying her bit part as Preston's rebellious daughter.