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Assisting his newfound restraint was a
fine script - it always helps when the author of
the novel scripts the adaptation, and a strong,
Oscar-nominated performance from Billy Bob
Thornton.
Sam crafted a film that relied on
characters to create tense moments, and in many
ways - this film is his scariest.
Did You Know??
![]() Previous to working on 'A Simple
Plan', Raimi fan Bridget Fonda was the Evil Dead
trilogy's third Linda in a
blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo at the top of
'Army of Darkness'.
FOR (the) LOVE OF GOD?! - or "C'mon Kev,
Do We Really Need to See Your Wang?!
Sometimes we need something of a learning
experience - and our friend Sam was about to be
taken to school.
After the critical praise lavished on him
for his work with 'A Simple Plan', Sam continued
to challenge perception of his
abilities.
Universal (oh no - THEM again) asked Sam
to come back to the fold and talk shop. During a
meeting with the studio, Raimi was offered the
opportunity to helm the Arnold Schwartzenegger
vehicle 'End of Days'.
Raimi informed the studio that he was
much more interested in taking the field on the
film adaptation of Michael Shaara's For Love of
the Game - and convinced them to let him do so
by proving how devoted a fan of baseball he
was.
Enter Kevin Costner.
Costner's star had fallen somewhat. It's
an odd thing, his ups and downs…
Costner shot 'Waterworld', which - while
not the bomb most humans believe it to be
(contrary to popular belief, $255,000,000 is a
pretty successful box-office haul) - did a lot
to tarnish his reputation. He responded with
'Tin Cup' - a romantic film in the world of
professional sports. This put his career back on
track. The romance of 'Message in a Bottle'
further stabilized things…
Then he had to go and ruin the forward
momentum with ANOTHER take on post-apocalyptic
heroism, 'The Postman'.
![]() That film didn't have the benefit of
financial success to override the blow to his
career. Time for another romantic film in the
world of professional sports!
But not just any professional sport.
No - Kevin needed a film set against a sport he
had already mastered.
Baseball.
Costner found some of the biggest success
of his career on the baseball diamond (Field of
Dreams and Bull Durham), and with Raimi - a
filmmaker who got the gig because he posesses an
adoration of the national pastime - there should
have no problem making something very
special.
And it almost was.
The film boasts amazing cinematography -
Raimi creates mood with the camera, but his
vocabulary has expanded, and the thing doesn't
always need to fly. Costner is his usual amiable
self, Kelly Preston is sweet and strong as the
woman at the center of Costner's dilemma, and
great support from John C. Reilly and J.K.
Simmons raise the film a notch or two. It's
obvious that the people who made this movie
cared.
Perhaps they cared too much.
Clashes with Costner over the tone of the
picture were prevalent. Despite the fact that
Sam (and the studio, interestingly enough) felt
the film needed heartfelt romanticism of the
game and the relationship that was central to
the film, Costner pushed for a more "adult" feel
for the proceedings, going so far as to insist
that a love scene feature the most terrifying
creature ever to appear in a Sam Raimi
film.
And I'm not talking about
Henrietta…
Eventually, Sam was left with a film that
his A-List star refused to promote.
The film received friendly reviews, but
sputtered to a $35,000,000 box office finish
that probably would have been quite a bit better
if there was any press for the thing.
So what did we learn?
Steer clear of egomaniacal guys who
haven't had a hit lately.
Seriously, studios learned that Sam Raimi
really could handle every situation on-screen
and off - and that he was as at home hanging on
every moment of his characters' lives as he was
hanging from the rafters with a spinning
camera.
But no one wanted to see anything hanging
from Kevin Costner.
And that's one to grow
on.
Did You
Know??
'For Love of the Game' marks the first
time character actor and OZ co-star J.K. Simmons
worked with Sam Raimi. He has since been
featured in Raimi's 'The Gift' (as the doubting
Sheriff Johnson) and 'Spider-Man' (nearly
stealing the show as J.Jonah
Jameson).
GIFTED DIRECTOR or "Even
Keanu Reeves has personality!"
 Having chased a pennant
with Costner, Sam was ready to return to his
roots and reclaim his reputation as a director
whose work possesses deep pools of emotion and
amazing restraint (?!).
Or perhaps he sought to prove himself
once more - melding the foreboding and intensity
of his early work with the character detail of
his last two outings.
And so it was that Sam took control of
'The Gift.'
A somber, affecting character study
masquerading as a supernatural thriller, 'The
Gift' owes so much to Raimi's mastery of
imagery. It's restrained here, for the most part
- but when it informs the film's haunting
psychic visions - it really hits you in a
visceral way.
'The Gift' has a lot in common with
Raimi's 'A Simple Plan' - characters with
something to hide, mounting tensions, impending
doom - both films concentrate on humans who have
been defeated by life.
Cate Blanchett gives an amazing
performance in this film, as a woman with
children to raise and no choice but to exploit a
power that few people believe in.
Similarly excellent work is on display by
Greg Kinnear as a man of immense warmth and
heart, and Giovanni Ribisi as a character so
tortured, you beg for the film to save him from
the moment you meet him.
You really want that for everyone in the
film - except for one person.
Keanu Reeves.
Keanu plays a violent, belligerent
hatemonger - and he does a pretty damned good
job of it. The one mistake made may have been in
the script, as he delivers a line out of nowhere
that is so obvious and over the top that he may
as well have screamed "THE AUDIENCE SHOULD HATE
ME!!"
Then again, who knows - it may have been
a Keanu improv - which at the very least proves
Keanu's commitment to this film. He does strive
to be reviled…
Raimi finally gets to work from a
screenplay by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom
Epperson (remember - he passed on 'One False
Move'), and he makes you wish he had done so at
his very first opportunity. The movie is easily
one of the best of his career, if you can look
at his career objectively, and without the
'Necronomicon' floating in your minds
eye.
The film was released to solid reviews in
most instances, but it was a tiny film - and not
even the promise of a naked Katie Holmes was
enough to lure a massive audience.
Now, a zombified Katie
Holmes - THAT might have put butts in
seats…
Still, Sam had proven - box-office or no
- that he was indeed a master of complex
dramatic material.
Sam had been flirting with the A-List
since the mid 90's, but he was about to become
firmly ensconced.
Did You Know??
Raimi found 'Spider-Man's Aunt May,
Rosemary Harris, during her performance in 'The
Gift'.
Sony Pictures paid Paramount Classics to
postpone post-production on The Gift so that Sam
could begin prepping his next film…
DOES WHATEVER SAM RAIMI
CAN
'Spider-Man' debuted on May 3rd, 2002
after an arduous journey to the
screen.
And Sam Raimi was at the helm.
As a long-time fan of Raimi, and a kid
who wanted to BE Spidey, it seemed like MY
victory, not just Sam's.
And I know I'm not the only person who
feels that way.
I'm not going to go into the
hyperbole-laden Fannerd rant you've heard
3,546,852 times since the film hit theaters. I'm
not going to go into how many records the thing
shattered, I'm not going to go into the
merchandise, or the mania…
I just want to thank Sam
Raimi.
Because while most can agree that he's
made the ultimate Summer thrill ride - there are
those of us who can look inside their hearts and
see their love for a hero rekindled…who can see
the story of an ordinary kid who grows into a
man - and a hero - right before our eyes, and in
so doing, inspires many like him to do the
same.
Yep. Sam Raimi -
Superhero.
If you really watch Spider-Man, you see
Sam's story on the screen. And if you love
movies, and you want to be a part of the magic
and insanity of that world - you see your story
in there, too.
The wonder of Sam's tale is that he has
created the most touching, introspective, and
intimate summer blockbuster of all time. He has
taken everything he knows about life and the
movies and distilled it to two hours and one
minute.
The emotional power of his characters in
'The Gift'…the pathos of 'A Simple Plan'…the
loopy short-bus comedy of 'Army of Darkness',
the explosive camera insanity of 'Evil Dead
2'…the stylized melodrama of 'Darkman' - it's
all here. The heart-breaking drama, the
heart-swelling joy, the heart-stopping thrills.
He's brought to bear his amazing arsenal to
serve one of the most iconic characters of all
time.
And he's signed for the
sequel.
Sometimes Hollywood does it so right that
you know it's got to go wrong.
Or maybe this is H-town
apologizing for Joel Schumacher's 'Batman'
movies?
No one knows. What we know now is that
Sam Raimi - OUR Sam Raimi - is responsible for
one of the biggest movies ever. He's going to
have carte blanche for the rest of his
directorial days. He can literally make any film
he wants-
Somebody get Bruce Campbell on the
phone...
Did you know??
Our Sam Raimi's all growns
up.
THE END?
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