--Crash (Costner) to Annie (Sarandon)
In honor of America's national past-time, this week's selection for "Video Pick of the Week" is the 1988 romantic comedy, Bull Durham. Featuring witty, intelligent, and humorous dialog mixed with realistic, gritty, unglamorous scenes of minor league baseball, Bull Durham is a stellar example of what the sport of baseball means to the men who play it. It's all about the dreams, the yearning to compete, and the desire to be part of the “show.” Men will endure long, hot days of riding broken down buses, while making a barely livable wage, just for one shot at making it. Bull Durham manages to show the passion behind the sport, without overly romanticizing the image of professional athletes. The players aren't depicted as heroes, instead they're shown as earnest men who exist to play the sport they love.
Writer/Director Ron Shelton was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for this baseball love story. Kevin Costner, in a role that highlighted his acting ability and made him a major Hollywood player, stars as Crash Davis, a veteran catcher who is just a few steps ahead of retirement. He's been around the minors for a long, long, long time. His experience is just what the Durham Bulls are in need of. The Bulls sign him to mentor their star rookie, pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins). As Shelton's script states, Nuke has "a million dollar arm and a five cent head." Nuke's level of maturity hovers right around junior high school. Crash's task of teaching the new kid the ropes is hindered by Nuke's inability to understand why he needs assistance from a washed-up catcher. Crash, on the other hand, views Nuke as a boy who hasn't learned to act like a man. It's not that he dislikes Nuke, rather he believes the kid doesn't understand or appreciate the gift he's been given. Crash is a seasoned, intellectual player, who is a bit jealous because Nuke has all the tools to make it in the "show" but doesn't have the intelligence or maturity to grasp how truly special an honor that is.
Love enters the picture in the form of Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon). Annie is much more than a baseball groupie, her life is entirely devoted to the dynamics and soul of the game. Each year, Annie selects one hot young player to spend the season with. She nurtures her chosen one, working on his confidence, and strengthening his inner being by working on his "life wisdom." She's a deep thinker who possesses some strange theories on how to get the best from baseball players. Under her tutelage, players are taught how to breathe through their eyelids, and the importance of wearing women's sexy garter belts to ensure they pitch from the correct side of their brains. The decision on who to nurture for the year comes down to two players - Crash and Nuke. Nuke wins out but the dynamics and tension between the three make up the heart of the movie.
The casting of this film with the likes of the mega-talented Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon guaranteed that the roles wouldn't become clichéd cardboard cutouts. Robbins and Sarandon fell in love while making this film and it's no surprise that their off-screen romance contributed to their on-screen chemistry. Costner is outstanding as the journeyman catcher. His true love of baseball shines through in what many critics and fans believe is his best acting role to date.
You won't find bottom of the ninth game winning grand slams, but you will find a love story that touches you on levels not many movies can achieve.
Rated R
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Directed by: Ron Shelton
Produced by: David Lester, Mark Burg, and Thom Mount
Screenplay by: Ron Shelton
Crash Davis - Kevin Costner
Annie Savoy - Susan Sarandon
"Nuke" LaLoosh - Tim Robbins
Joe "Skip" Riggins - Trey Wilson
Larry Hockett - Robert Wuhl
Jimmy - William O'Leary
Bobby - David Neidorf
Deke - Danny Gans
Tony - Tom Silardi
Mickey - Lloyd Williams
Jose - Rick Marzan
Interested in purchasing "Bull Durham?"
