Every Kevin Costner Baseball Movie Ranked From Foul Ball to Grand Slam
From Yellowstone to The Bodyguard and Dances with Wolves, Kevin Costner is a Hollywood fixture—but it’s his unrivaled run of baseball films, spanning obscurities like Chasing Dreams to classics like Bull Durham, that reveals a passion he’s chased since childhood.
Kevin Costner is one of those guys who can headline a frontier epic and then turn around and make you care deeply about a curveball. You know him from Yellowstone, The Bodyguard, and Dances with Wolves, but the man has also carved out a strangely robust second home in baseball movies. He played in high school, couldn’t crack the pros, got cut from his college team, and then pivoted to acting classes. The itch to play never really went away, so he ended up making five baseball-adjacent films. Here’s how they stack up, and where you can find them.
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Chasing Dreams (1989)
This is the deep cut: an indie he did pre-breakout about a kid who wants to make it in baseball. Costner isn’t the lead; he’s more of an older-brother presence and barely on screen, which probably helped it slip under the radar. Recognition at the time was basically nonexistent.
Inside baseball detail: you’ll see the year listed as 1982 in some places and 1989 in others. The production and release history is messy enough that both years get tossed around. Companies tied to it include Nascent Productions and Prism Entertainment.
Director: Theresa Conte and Sean Roche
IMDb: 3.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics N/A | audience 44%
Where to watch: Not available online.
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For Love of the Game (1999)
Sam Raimi directing a romantic sports drama is already a curveball. Costner plays Billy Chapel, a Detroit Tigers veteran throwing what might be his final game while the movie cuts between every pitch and the long, complicated relationship that brought him there. The film itself got mixed notices, but Costner’s work was called subtle and complex, which is a fair read — he underplays it in a good way.
Distributor/studio: Universal Pictures
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics 47% | audience 75%
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Amazon and Apple TV+ (USA).
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The Upside of Anger (2005)
Not a baseball movie, strictly speaking, but baseball is baked into Costner’s character. Joan Allen plays Terry, a suburban mom who spirals after her husband vanishes. Costner is Denny, a retired ballplayer who becomes her confidant and, yes, more than that. Critics singled him out for his supporting turn — he’s relaxed, funny, and grounded — even if the film isn’t about the sport.
Director: Mike Binder
Distributor/studio: New Line Cinema
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics 74% | audience 63%
Where to watch: Not available online.
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Field of Dreams (1989)
Based on W.P. Kinsella’s novel 'Shoeless Joe', this is the one that turned baseball into a full-on fable. Costner is Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who hears a voice, carves a diamond out of corn, and deals with ghosts, regret, and the whole father-son thing in a way that still breaks people in half. Phil Alden Robinson directs it with a light touch, and the result is why every list of the greatest baseball movies ends up sounding the same.
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Distributor/studio: Universal Pictures
IMDb: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics 88% | audience 86%
Where to watch: Rent or buy on Amazon and Apple TV+ (USA).
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Bull Durham (1988)
Ron Shelton’s minor-league romance-comedy is the full package. Costner is Crash Davis, the seasoned catcher brought in to babysit a live-wire young pitcher. Susan Sarandon’s Annie Savoy is the baseball philosopher who entangles herself with both guys. It’s sharp, funny, and oddly wise about the rhythms of the game and the people orbiting it. No surprise it’s widely considered one of the best sports films ever.
Director: Ron Shelton
Distributor/studio: Orion Pictures
IMDb: 7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics 97% | audience 82%
Where to watch: Streaming on Prime Video (USA).
Costner’s baseball streak makes sense once you know the backstory: kid who loved the game, couldn’t make the leap, pivoted to acting, and then found a way to live on the diamond anyway. From indie obscurity to bona fide classics, the passion shows up in the work. So which one’s your go-to Costner baseball watch?