Review of Bull Durham (1988) by Mike L — 25 Jul 2009

My favorite baseball movie mainly due to the balance it is able to achieve between juvenile humor, romance, and baseball lifestyle. The main reason this works is because it is set in the minor leagues and we first see how different it is than the majors; riding on a old bus, renting a room in a house and ironing your own clothes, and winning a free steak dinner when you hit a sign. We also have the difference in talent level between a life-long minor leaguer in Crash Davis (Costner) and the phenom pitcher in Nuke LaLoosh (Robbins) in how they act and are treated. The only reason Crash is brought in is to coach and counsel Nuke for the big leagues, so initially he is resentful of this because Nuke is a dope and doesn't appreciate his talent and the game, also because Nuke is dating Annie (Sarandon) a minor league groupie. Annie has made a pledge to date only one player through the season and even though the chemistry between her and Crash is apparent, and they both know they are suited for each other, she is still dating Nuke, which makes for some funny scenes and great sexual tension.

The ending, while predictable and cliche, is so short that it can be forgiven because it fits and it is what most of us want anyway. Besides the journey was worth it.