Wise and witty baseball movie

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2000)

BULL DURHAM is many things: romantic comedy, buddy picture, sports movie, and character driven comedy. It's also about realizing one's potential, accepting one's limits, and growing as a human being. And it's about the religiousity of baseball and all of its rituals and pieces of insiders' knowledge. But the two main things this movie has going for it are the writing and acting. The dialogue sparkles, and allows for both a tone of witty existential bemusement, appropriate to a story that deals so much with both play and transience, and for the main characters to come across as having greater depth than might be initially realized. The acting, by main cast members Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, and Tim Robbins, is great and shows authentic talent, particularly by the sometimes (in other movies) wooden Costner - here, in one of his very best performances, he stands out and gives a truly moving performance. The remaining supporting cast is also fine. This is among the very best sports movies ever made. It's so good, in fact, that I've always thought that a sequel might have been worthwhile.