Bull Durham (1988)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Ron Shelton

Writer (WGA):

Ron Shelton (written by)

Release Date:

15 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

A Major League Love Story in a Minor League Town

Plot:

A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.

Plot Keywords:

Pitcher | Baseball | Minor League Baseball | Grab Ass | Baseball Has Been

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 14	8:00 PM	WGNAMER
Sun. July 26	3:00 PM	CW

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Crash Davis
Susan Sarandon	...	Annie Savoy
Tim Robbins	...	Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh
Trey Wilson	...	Joe Riggins
Robert Wuhl	...	Larry Hockett
William O'Leary	...	Jimmy
David Neidorf	...	Bobby
Danny Gans	...	Deke
Tom Silardi	...	Tony
Lloyd T. Williams	...	Mickey McFee (as Lloyd Williams)
Rick Marzan	...	Jose
George Buck	...	Mr. Laloosh
Jenny Robertson	...	Millie
Gregory Avellone	...	Doc (as Greg Avelone)
Garland Bunting	...	Teddy Cullinane (as Carey 'Garland' Bunting)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | New Zealand:M | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1990) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Arlington, Texas, USA

Company:

The Mount Company

Trivia:

Bruce Willis was considered for the role of Crash, but turned it down due to his commitment to the TV program "Moonlighting" (1985).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the scene near the end of the film where Annie is returning home (the old James Manning house at 911 N. Mangum Street in Durham) from the ballpark in the rain (umbrella in hand) and sees Crash on her porch swing, Annie approaches her house from the north, the wrong direction. The old Durham Athletic Park, where the film was shot, is located in the 500-block of W. Corporation Street which is south and west of the house.

Quotes:

Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Perfect World (1993)

Soundtrack:

ONLY A MEMORY

The movie about the love of Baseball

Crash Davis loves baseball more than it loves him. He believes in the game. He deserves to be in the show, but he isn't and never will be. But still he plays on, dutifully and to a certain extent, joyfully. Better to play crappy A-ball than sell shoes.

That for me is the central theme of this film. It is all summed up when Crash tells Nuke, the wild young star pitcher "You don't respect yourself. That's your problem. You don't respect the game. That's my problem."

Take a player that passionate, and a youngster that annoying, add in a sexy yet maternal fan and you have great comedy. Bull Durham works scene after scene, because the film never forgets that baseball is what binds all the characters together.

Tim Robbins is nothing short of brilliant and Nuke Laloosh, the rising star youngster who walks 18 batters and strikes out 18 batters in his first minor league appearance - both league records. But Nuke is caught up in his fat contract, his Porsche, and his endless parade of women. Baseball is a sideline. Eventually, Crash's mentoring begins to pay off until he finally realizes that winning is "like, you know, better than losing!"

The love triangle between Annie (Susan Sarandon), Crash and Nuke is wonderful and funny, but it mainly provides us with set up for the baseball scenes, like when Sarandon convinces Nuke to wear women's underwear while he pitches. Or my favourite scene, when Annie and Crash take batting practise together, Annie dressed like she is ready for a wedding, but determined to correct Crash's swing. Crash is determined to take Annie home. They flirt and practice batting in one of the best prolonged foreplay scenes ever filmed.

The ending is satisfying but the real depth of this film is harmony that the game brings to the characters. **** out of ****.