Nothing else like it

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2003)

Just watched "Bull Durham" again for maybe the sixth or seventh time, and I have more respect for it now than ever. The Special Edition DVD is the perfect way to preserve Ron Shelton's funny, sexy, passionate, action-filled baseball masterpiece.
Movies aimed at grown-ups are a rarity, which may be why "Bull Durham" still feels like such an amazing movie. Not a moment of it is aimed toward the lowest common denominator. There is sex in this movie, and talk of sex, but it's not silly or gutter-minded, and never gross. You can feel the physical and emotional passion of the characters; baseball simply provides the philosophical backdrop behind the romance -- the reason the characters are together.
Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon make my favorite romantic screen couple; they burn up the screen. Costner in particular is excellent, showing a knack for verbal comedy and physical heroism that he put on a shelf until "Tin Cup." And Tim Robbins turns in a memorable performance as Nuke Laloosh.
I see no reason in going into the plot details, as everyone who has seen the film knows what "Bull Durham" is about, and those who haven't seen it are in for a wonderful treat. Few movies approach perfection, but this one, set in a world of lovable losers where the game is just as much a job as selling appliances at Sears, joins that select handful.