Review of Bull Durham (1988) by Kevin P — 01 Jul 2018

Strengths: Kevin Costner (Crash Davis) is the king of baseball movies. From "Field of Dreams" to "For the Love of The Game" and especially here, he's fantastic. As Crash, he's charismatic and captivating. You feel for the guy who has always been really good, but not quite good enough to make it to the big leagues. He has great on-screen chemistry with both Tim Robbins (Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh) and Susan Sarandon (Annie Savoy) really drive the film. It's interesting to see both Annie and Crash help Nuke in their own, very different ways, all while falling for each other. It also manages to work well for non-baseball fans, while also respecting the sport enough to not dumb things down. It's a hard balancing act that they nail. Speaking of balance, there's also a great blend of comedy, drama, and romance, with none being over or under done. It has a little bit of everything.

Weaknesses: As great as Sarandon does in her role, the character doesn't work that well. She's obsessed with baseball and tries to find the next player to sleep with and mentor. It's a strange motive and one that never really seems to get a true meaning. Why must those things go hand in hand? Her character's voiceovers don't add anything to the film either. There's also a sense of unrealistic moments, as Nuke gets called up to the Majors despite clearly not being ready to do so.

Overall: Sports movies are a guilty pleasure of mine, as I love most of them. This is one of the best ones ever. It's filled with classic lines, funny moments, drama, and hints of romance, while also providing something for the sports fans.