User Reviews

It is nice to see a movie that attracts more than one kind of audience. This is a comedy, then again a love story. This can be placed in the baseball genre as well as a coming of age drama. Most movies claim to be one or the other and sometimes fail to be. Then again, when a good movie hits a homerun it can not only become a money maker and a box office smash, it can also become timeless. Before they became giants of Hollywood, Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins stars in this great movie as some of the most interesting, yet simple characters. Costner plays an aging baseball player who meets with rookie, soon to be great major league pitcher Tim Robbins. Out of the rafters comes Susan Surandon who, in her own may, is a Muse of the religion of baseball. Together, the three introduce three different worlds upon the audience. Each are believable characters even though they are in a way, fantasy like. A great story with a perfect ending, Bull Durham is one of those hard to find movies that is a crowd pleaser with just about every audience out there.

"Bull Durham" is one of those engaging sports films that can be enjoyed no matter if one isn't a fan of the sport in question - in this case, baseball. There's all the love in the world for this great American pastime, but there's also some interesting and literate discussions going on all the time in this smart and witty comedy, as well as some memorable characters whom we like and find easy to watch.

Kevin Costner plays "Crash" Davis, a veteran minor league catcher who's hired by the Durham Bulls to act as a mentor to their new pitcher Ebby LaLoosh (Tim Robbins). Ebby is in need of some direction, as he may be truly talented but has ego and discipline problems. At the same time, sexy Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon), the Bulls' loyal groupie, takes an interest in Ebby as she makes a habit of hooking up with one young player every season and helping the man to mature. Naturally, some sparks fly as the two guys both get attracted to Annie.

Writer / director Ron Shelton truly knows the territory, having been a minor league baseball player himself, although he doesn't in truth feature a lot of game action. His dialogue is often very funny and often very profane. A lot of humour comes from Annies' manipulation of the naive Ebby, whom she nicknames "Nuke" and has him do things like wear a garter, thinking this will improve his game. And while the film does get serious at times, it never becomes too maudlin. As was said previously, the attraction comes from watching three intriguing characters and three fine performances. With fine support by Trey Wilson and Robert Wuhl, Costner, Sarandon, and Robbins make the most of the material. There's also some endearing goofiness from the real-life "Clown Prince of Baseball", a man named Max Patkin. And to top it all off, there are some very sexy scenes in this thing, especially towards the end. All in all, this likable story has a little something for everybody, and is well worth a viewing.

Eight out of 10.

It's the professional pitching debut of Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) for the A ball Durham Bulls. He has a million dollar arm and a five cents head. They bring in veteran catcher Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) to mentor the young pitcher. Only he's too old for this stuff. Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) is a baseball philosopher and team super fan. Every year, she picks one player to hook up with and guide. Much to Crash's dismay, she picks Nuke.

This is a funny and charming baseball movie. It's got Kevin Costner's great "I believe in..." speech. It's also got all the inside baseball interior-voice and behind-the-glove fun. It loves baseball both in its grandness and the little things. It romanticizes the game as well as its sad lowly grind. It's probably the best comedy movie about professional baseball.

I remember the first time I saw this film. I had won tickets from a local radio station and I saw it at a private screening at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I remember as I was watching it that it was one of the greatest experiences I had in a movie in a long time. This film is not only a great sports film, but it is one of the great all around films I have ever seen. This film has it all from romance to comedy to witty dialogue. Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins all brought Ron Shelton's script to life and the three of them displayed some of the greatest chemistry ever captured on film. This film is a timeless classic.

This is unfairly forgotten sports comedy . It's far better than the more famous and overrated "Major league". I'm not exactly a fan of sport comedies , but this one is one of the best I've seen.

The movie really heavily on the trio of stars : Kevin Costner ("Dancing with the wolves") , Susan Sarandon ("Dead man walking") and Tim Robbins ("The Shawshank Redemption"). Each of them shines here. Costner is charming and very likable as the smart and bitter old baseball player. Sarandon is incredibly funny as the woman obsessed with baseball and sex . Robbins is very convincing as the incredibly talented , but stuck up young baseball player.

I like that this movie doesn't follow a typical "from zero to hero" story that is so often (TOO often) seen in this type of movies. Instead we got here a story about love triangle between two baseball players and baseball fan . The movie is a character comedy and it's fun to see how the characters interact with each other and change during the movie. There is great chemistry between them.

I love the wisecracks from Costner's mouth , Sarandon is HOT and Robbins is adorable when he throws into the bull.

There is some great music here . Soundtrack is full of great songs like: Bill Haley and The Comets "Rock around the clock" , Edith Piaf "Non , je ne regrette rien" and "La vie en rose" , Ike and Tina Turner "I idolize you" , The Everly brothers "When I will be loved" , Los lobos "I got loaded" and Joe Cocker "Woman loves a man".

The only thing that I didn't like is the religious approach to the baseball. I'm not a fan of baseball and I couldn't really relate to it, but the baseball fans probably will be happy.

A very pleasant , charming and enjoyable comedy. Good way to spend your time. I give it 7/10.

The best way to describe "Bull Durham" is a pitch that starts as a fastball and then breaks out of the zone--how far out just depends on how long your bat is. The analogy might seem a bit much, but this sports comedy stars with a very catchy, natural humor about it, but it loses some velocity later on when it starts playing off as a romance drama. Whether the romance subplot works for you is obviously a matter of opinion, but it definitely threw me off.

I really liked this film to start. Kevin Costner doesn't come off as a typical hotshot ballplayer- -that's not his role at all. He's quite good as a seasoned minor league veteran with an interesting perspective on the game. Susan Sarandon is also a really unique character in a sex-crazed older woman with a devout passion for baseball. Their characters make you think about the game differently and for a fan of the game, you have to like or at least find interesting what they have to say. Ron Shelton, well-accomplished writer/director of sports films from the late 80's-early 90s does a good job making this film much less formulaic. Gladly, there is not way too much focus on the game being shown on screen--there's just enough to make it a true baseball movie, but the movie revolves around the way baseball affects people, particularly those who love it but never saw any good come of it.

In the film, Costner is Crash Davis, a minor league vet who is brought in to play catcher for the Durham Bulls to mentor their pitching prospect, "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) who has a "million dollar arm and a five cent head." The relationship between the two is humorous and eventually becomes serious after awhile as the film takes its turn for the dramatic.

While I didn't particularly care for the film's portrayal of its female characters, Sarandon did make the film a bit more interesting than just a generic love interest because she's so fixed on baseball and strange things like romantic era poetry.

This is not really a true comedy, and perhaps the slight dislike I have with the film is because of that expectation, but it's mostly the ineffective romance stuff. It's kind of overdone with all the saxophone music and other 80s stuff that happens toward the end.

The best part of the film though is that unique dialogue about baseball. Costner has some killer lines and a fan of the game really starts to think about it differently which is a very cool aspect of this movie. By the end with the romance and all, I just wasn't totally sold on "Bull Durham to consider it a really good film. Instead it was decent, but something I'd still recommend, mostly to a sports fan.

If you're new to Earth and are wondering which Kevin Costner baseball film to start with, drive past "Field of Dreams" and take the exit marked, "Bull Durham."

While both great movies, "Field of Dreams" requires a dream-like nostalgia for the era and aura of childhood in order to best feel that film inside your bones. "Bull Durham" edges it out by summoning outstanding character development across the board, and by supporting Coster's terrific portrayal with elite supporting acting from juggernauts Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

This is a classic film, and possibly the best there's been at conjuring the very nuanced American soul of baseball, as well as the unique characters and life-affirming truths our pastime evokes. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Crash Davis loves baseball more than it loves him. He believes in the game. He deserves to be in the show, but he isn't and never will be. But still he plays on, dutifully and to a certain extent, joyfully. Better to play crappy A-ball than sell shoes.

That for me is the central theme of this film. It is all summed up when Crash tells Nuke, the wild young star pitcher "You don't respect yourself. That's your problem. You don't respect the game. That's my problem."

Take a player that passionate, and a youngster that annoying, add in a sexy yet maternal fan and you have great comedy. Bull Durham works scene after scene, because the film never forgets that baseball is what binds all the characters together.

Tim Robbins is nothing short of brilliant and Nuke Laloosh, the rising star youngster who walks 18 batters and strikes out 18 batters in his first minor league appearance - both league records. But Nuke is caught up in his fat contract, his Porsche, and his endless parade of women. Baseball is a sideline. Eventually, Crash's mentoring begins to pay off until he finally realizes that winning is "like, you know, better than losing!"

The love triangle between Annie (Susan Sarandon), Crash and Nuke is wonderful and funny, but it mainly provides us with set up for the baseball scenes, like when Sarandon convinces Nuke to wear women's underwear while he pitches. Or my favourite scene, when Annie and Crash take batting practise together, Annie dressed like she is ready for a wedding, but determined to correct Crash's swing. Crash is determined to take Annie home. They flirt and practice batting in one of the best prolonged foreplay scenes ever filmed.

The ending is satisfying but the real depth of this film is harmony that the game brings to the characters. **** out of ****.

First of I have to say i'm from the UK, i've never played baseball seen a baseball game or have any ideas to the finer rules of baseball but this will not stop you enjoying this film. This film is about a way of life and you can enjoy it in the same way as you can watch a film about a great explorer without ever having left your own country. For Crash, Nuke, Annie and all the other characters in here baseball is a way of life not a sport and it is to be respected and in some cases worshipped. For me the best scene in this movie comes in the pool hall at the end with three generations of baseball player we know that one day nuke, will be in crash's position and that crash will eventually be in the old guys position it's the baseball way of life. Howevever it's a way of life that's changing and this is shown in the almost forlorn at times shot's of the ballpark and main characters, like the lady says you have to respect the ball player who's just trying to finish out the season.

Direction, script and performances (Costner's best performance ever I think even over Field of Dreams and the Untouchables) are superb see this movie you wont regret it. 8/10

One of the most popular baseball movies Bull Durham is an exciting film that will be appreciated by non-baseball fans as well. As sports movies go, this one is unconventional, dealing more with the minutia that provides the foundation of life in the minor leagues than with the actual games. Bull Durham is about showing what it's like for athletes who play for the love of the game and not the expectation of multi-million-dollar contracts. It's about the men who toil far from the spotlight and whose daily concern is not whether they will be promoted to The Show but whether their stats will allow them to bat another day. The qualities that distinguish Bull Durham from so many other baseball movies are its low-key humor (in contrast to the overt jokiness of Major League and The Naked Gun), the smartness of the dialogue. As I said in the opening sentence- Bull Durham isn't only for people who understand baseball- it's a universal experience.

Costner learned to pick better scripts. Replete with profanity and immoral sexual relationships...an most unrealistic view of baseball life. Their truly is nothing special or magical about this movie...but a forum for a low end script with very little creativity. Typically, a script that resorts to foul language has little to offer. Having played high school and college baseball, the content in this movie is not what is lived on the field of dreams. Speaking of which, Costner elevated his game in the Field of Dreams, a far better and more meaningful movie than Bull Durham...which is stupid and a waste of money and time.

There may be many great baseball movies but there's only one classic and it's not Redford's The Natural or Costner's own Field of Dreams. It's Bull Durham, an underrated movie from 1988.

Tim Robbins is a natural fit as a cocky young pitcher and so is Kevin Costner as the veteran ball player whose main job is to coach Robbins into becoming a better player. The humour is first class and it's tough to single out a scene in particular. If you like humour that's not in your face ha-ha, you'll love Bull Durham.

But, wait, I haven't told you about the movie's biggest strength - Susan Sarandon. This is the movie where I fell in love with the woman. As Annie Savoy, she's smart, sassy and incredibly sexy. Her lines are impeccably written and her character is just fun to watch.

What Bull Durham had in humour and spirit, Field of Dreams made up with sentimentality and nostalgia. Nevertheless, I will also consider Bull Durham to be the better film, mainly because the filmmakers weren't trying to make a great film. They weren't trying to give it a glow like Field of Dreams had. They just wanted to make a fun baseball film in the league of Major League and they hit the bullseye!

Rating-7/10

Bull Durham is a sports film which boasts a great cast, comedy throughout and actually some good bits of baseball. With a variety of characters also seen in this piece, you can't help but feel good when watching this and with Romantic themes also coming thorough, it makes just a little bit better than it already is. Whatever sport movie fans may think of the sport, you should enjoy this and I felt that this was firmly a good movie.

The story is a fun film about a minor league baseball who hire a veteran batsman and a young promising pitcher who may make it big one day, both the characters work together well and the story always lets the two express there polar opinions and feelings. It can be funny at time, not really laugh out loud but it still raises some chuckles and if anything it is very much feel good and smile like entertainment.

Kevin Costner in the main role is good and really shows his wise face as the wise old veteran batsman Crash Davis. Susan Sarandon as the love interest of the film Annie Savoy is good, maybe slightly crazy at times and over the top but she is fun and makes the film much more…passionate. Tim Robbins for me is truly a star turn as Nuke the young pitcher as although Costner leads the film, Robbins is very good in his young testosterone filled role, he is fun and enjoyable.

Ron Shelton writes and directs this well and really does a good job here to create the characters on paper and bring them out well whilst directing, shows he really had the vision and performed it out well. I enjoyed the dialogue which really sets this film up nicely and is the whole reason it is funny, the sport side is fun and the scenes that actually contain Baseball are truly quite thrilling but also keeping the comedic and romantic side within it.

It isn't always so funny and so maybe that could be a criticism but the film is still good, could also be said that the romance side coupled with the serious sport scenes are just too soppy, that is up to you if you see it. Sarandon is also not at her best in this, doesn't affect it's rating but when she is in it, I felt she can annoy at times.

Sport movie fans should like this as it contains enough sport to actually be considered a sport film, it has the romance dabbled in so be aware if you hate a rom com. If you want a fun comedy then this if for you, it isn't out and out laughter as said previously but it raises a quick smile and a laugh but can also warm the heart when it wants to.

Overall I give this a 7/10, it is a Firmly Good movie, not near being Very Good but breaks away from just being KIND of Good. With this you should watch it with a little warm heart going into it and it will be hugely enjoyable, If it doesn't make you laugh then look to the romance part as it really can be fun and hugely entertaining.

Seeing that this was part of the Criterion Collection, I had to check it out. Not that I need an excuse to watch a Kevin Costner movie. This was not what I was expecting: Good humor, Baseball isn't the center of the story, and it's a romantic comedy.

Who doesn't love a great sports movie? Sometimes sports can provide a nice avenue for a perfect character arc. The ups, downs, and overall weirdness that sports can supply is well encapsulated with Bull Durham.

The things I look for in a sports movie are; if the film is accessible to non-sports fans; provides an accurate look at sports from people who do play sports; and if it's able to cover multiple genres, whether that be comedy, drama, romance, or whichever. Bull Durham accomplishes all of those things surprisingly well. Kevin Costner, in one of his 3 baseball movies, gives one of his most memorable performances as Crash Davis, a close-to-retirement minor league baseball player who never got his true shot at fulfilling his dreams in the big-leagues.

That's the strongest asset the film boasts, is the bittersweet story of someone who gave it his all and even then, it may not be enough to be successful. Due to me being a ballplayer myself, this especially hit home, because I had those dreams when I was younger. To watch someone struggle for over a decade in the minors and still never get his shot is tough to watch. Luckily, Bull Durham isn't a straight drama, it's got a bit of comedy and a whole lot of romance.

Costner plays the catcher (Davis) to a young project-pitcher, 'Nuke' Laloosh, played by Tim Robbins. Davis is forced to train Nuke to use his strong arm to reach the minors and to do more with his life than just lay with the next beautiful woman in the stands. That relationship is the core of the film, as is Susan Sarandon's dynamic and potential romance with them both. Sarandon's character feels a little bit like it was a female character written in a different era and rarely holds up. Think about it, she spends all of her time watching baseball in an attempt to find the next player she can sleep with. Granted, she does offer some useful advice every once in a while, but it isn't anything earth-shattering. I hardly think a character like this would be written in today's Hollywood.

Baseball is known as the most "romantic" sport, and Bull Durham personifies that belief. It's as romantic as it is thrilling and hilarious. That's the thing I'll take away from watching Bull Durham, is how well it balanced the baseball and romance aspects of the film. Complement that with a bittersweet story, memorable performances, and a funny script and you have one of the great sports movies of the last 30 years.

+Well-written

+Romance & baseball

+Back and forth with Catcher-Pitcher dynamic

-Sarandon's character motives don't hold up

7.9/10

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)

I thought I read the book, or at least I dreamed it, but this is NOT adapted from something by Larry McMurtry, although it sure seems like it oughta be. It is one hell of a funny, crafty, too real for life, kind of movie. The brilliant script, full of clever one-liners, was written by Ron Shelton (White Men Can't Jump (1992)), who actually played minor league ball in the Orioles farm system. Shelton also directed and did a bang-up job. This is a funny movie that is really funny.

What I recalled (when I found out this wasn't from Larry McMurtry) was a baseball novel for juniors that I had read when I was a kid about a crafty, veteran minor league catcher who had once made it to the big leagues but got beaned and never got over it, always bailing out from an inside curve ball. (This was in the days before batting helmets.) He fell back to the minors and went from team to team and town to town, hitting a ton until somebody figured out that his knees would buckle if you brushed him back a bit, and then he'd have to move on. Kevin Costner's part reminds me of that guy (without the beaning phobia).

Susan Sarandon plays Annie Savoy, a baseball groupie in her sexual prime who likes to read poetry and give the players hitting advice. She is just wonderful as she plays sexy mom to the boys, a new one every summer, just so she can avoid any kind of real relationship or commitment. And so along comes Crash Davis (Kevin Costner, one of the more underrated and less flashy stars of our time), playing an itinerant catcher who has managed to hit nearly 300 minor league home runs. He is tough and savvy and once made it to the Show for 21 days. Tim Robbins plays Ebby Calvin "Nuke" "Meat" LaLoosh, a not too bright, wild-armed phenom who needs more than a little guidance. He gets a lot from both Crash and Annie, who are intent on schooling him in their differing expertise. Nuke is just the hunk Annie needs to keep her from falling in love with Crash, but...well, this is a romantic comedy, so you can be sure that love will find a way.

The baseball shtick and the interior dialogues of Robbins and Costner during the games ("Why's he want the heat? I wanna throw the deuce..." And, "Don't think, ... Get that...woman out of your head--Time out!") are really funny, and the bit where Robbins shakes him off and Costner, as an object lesson for his young pitcher, tells the batter what's coming next allowing the batter to hit it out of the park (or onto the Bull Durham sign to win a free steak dinner--is this genuine Americana or what?) are a crack up. But also great are the scenes with Sarandon as she philosophizes ("I believe in the Church of Baseball") and wise-cracks her way through the boys of summer, especially the scene where she ties Nuke up in bed and reads him some Walt Whitman. Now THAT really tires the boy out! Another great scene is on the bus when Crash lets the other players know that he once made it to the bigs where "...you hit white balls for batting practice and the ballparks are like cathedrals." Beautiful.

Best dead-pan one-liner is when Crash catches Nuke in the locker room trying to adjust the panty hose girdle that Annie has talked him into wearing under his uniform: "The rose goes in the front, big guy."

By the way, the great rock and roll soundtrack includes the galvanizing baseball song, "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame. (Or maybe the title's "In Center Field": "Put me in coach. I'm ready to play, today, in center field.")

It's a shame that Shelton did not win the Oscar for this script, it's really that good. (Ronald Bass won for Rain Man.) The characters are just fascinating and full of life, and not just the three leads. The bit players are funny too, including the hard-talking, middle-brained manager, the mindless pattering coaches, the sweet young groupie girl who makes it with all the players as fast as she can. Even the team clown is good.

The irreverent characterizations, the sweet story, the realistic atmosphere of baseball in small town America (only slightly burlesqued), and some fine acting all rolled together make this one highly diverting little film, actually one of the best baseball films ever made. See this with your best babe. She'll like it as much as you.

Some good moments, but this movie doesn't completely win me over--and neither does Kevin Costner's performance as Crash Davis. His performance seems surprisingly one-note. Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon are both excellent, however. And the mound conference scene is hilarious--the best thing in the film.

Kevin Costner is so natural as a ballplayer and Susan Sarandon absolutely smolders as a minor league groupie with a penchant for philosophical discussion, quoting Whitman, and kinky sex. It's a film that captures the struggle of being good enough to play minor league baseball but not quite good enough to play in "the show," the major leagues, which I love about it. Costner's character spent the best 21 days of his life while in the bigs but is now relegated to helping a young hotshot pitcher (Tim Robbins) get there.

Relative to baseball, there are stale aspects to what we see, like the Latin American player who's into voodoo (ugh) and just how ridiculously wild the pitcher is, but there are lots of others that are brilliant - the interior monologue from Costner as he bats, the cliché quotes he coaches Robbins on, and the heartbreaking moment when a player is released. There are also wonderful moments in the routine little things that make up the game; just watch how one of the coaches (Robert Wuhl) jogs out to the mound (before the amusing comment that candlesticks make a good wedding gift), how Costner catches a foul ball, or how he swings with one hand in a batting cage when he turns around to see the ball coming his way.

Off the field, the love triangle between Sarandon, Costner, and Robbins adds spice and a wonderful sense of warmth to the film, and I loved how Sarandon's character is never judged for her string of lovers, each of whom last a single season. She's beyond beautiful but in addition to the flirtation and steamy scenes, her character is also intelligent about people, culture, and the game of baseball. Mixing this and the comedy into a sports movie makes for a compelling film, even 34 years later.

Quote: "Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curveball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather that Christmas Eve, and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. Good night."

A lot of the reviewers on here really liked this movie. And I certainly grant you: it's a fun movie, and an enjoyable one.

But after having watched it again tonight, I was left with the feeling that it really doesn't have much of anything to do with baseball. Tim Robbins' character gets called up to the majors, yes. But we don't see any transformation in his pitching, any explanation or demonstration of how he went from a guy with no control to a guy with enough control to merit a call from the majors.

Nor do we get much sense of what it's like to be a minor league player, what it's like to live in that world, etc. (No, most of them don't get to sleep with the Susan Sarrandons of this world.) Her character is presented as quirky, and so funny. But we never really see what she sees in baseball, either.

Kostner's character, who has been kicking around in the minors for a decade, never expresses what that's like.

We get a lot of funny sexcapes, and that's all well and good.

But this movie really hasn't got much to do with baseball.

Before I write this, let me just say I am a die hard baseball fan. Being from Philly, I have gone to numerous Phillies spring training games in Clearwater, FL.

I do not understand how this movie can possibly be rated so highly on IMDb. NOTHING HAPPENS IN THE MOVIE. I just watched it. And if someone were to ask me how it ended, I am not sure I can tell them. OK, great, a story of a rising young star who thinks hes too cool for school is going waste his talent if not for the guidance of a veteran. WOW. what a novel idea. give me a break. sure there are a few good lines, but none that I can repeat to my friends the day after I watch it. I just can not understand why sports fans have fallen in love with this movie. the story was bland, unoriginal, and pretty much boring. I kept watching, waiting, watching, waiting for SOMETHING to happen. but nothing did.