The Three Stars Steal the Film

Rating: Null/10 (6 November 2011)

Bull Durham (1988)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
A washed up minor league catcher (Kevin Costner) shows up in Durham where he's been asked to take a major league arm (Tim Robbins) and try to teach him some common sense. Along the way the two men try for the affections of a local groupie (Susan Sarandon) who tries to offer them more than just sex. There's a terrific sequence early in the movie where the Sarandon character takes home the two men and informs them of the "rules" she has laid down. Each season she takes "care" of one player and these rules just don't sit right with the veteran player and this leads to one of the funniest speeches from any film of the 80s. BULL DURHAM falls a bit short of being a great film but it's still a very special one that manages to mix in plenty of laughs, some mild romance and of course baseball. I know a lot of people bash this film for not being about baseball or that the sport gets left behind the romance but I've never agreed with this. I think the screenplay by director Ron Shelton does a terrific job at building up the minor league lifestyle and I think the film captures the perfect look and feel of the small town, small stadiums and the small life. I really love how the film manages to put the characters in a situation where the end results can be the same no matter if they're trying for the major leagues or if they're just trying to make it one more game in the minors. The movie is full of wonderful, dirty moments including the type of foul-mouthed profanity that the screenwriter is probably best known for. The screenplay allows all three characters to be so different that it really does seem as if each one is the main character. Costner turns in another wonderful performance here as the catcher who has pretty much done a lot of small things and resents the fact that this rookie could do so much more but he usually just throws it away. The relationship between Costner and Robbins makes for a very fun time and you can't help but enjoy the older/young brother banter. Both actors are terrific in their parts and really bring them to life. Saradon, a wonderful actress, really gets to go all out here with the charm and even if you object to her groupie status you still can't help but enjoy the character. The film mixes a lot of things but at its heart the thing is just a good comedy. I don't think the romance is as strong as it could have been but this is just a minor issue. Fans of baseball or the stars should get a kick out of the film.