Bull Durham (1988)

A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.

Director:

Ron Shelton

Writer:

Ron Shelton

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Crash Davis
Susan Sarandon	...	Annie Savoy
Tim Robbins	...	Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh
Trey Wilson	...	Skip
Robert Wuhl	...	Larry
William O'Leary	...	Jimmy
David Neidorf	...	Bobby
Danny Gans	...	Deke
Tom Silardi	...	Tony
Lloyd T. Williams	...	Mickey (as Lloyd Williams)
Rick Marzan	...	Jose
George Buck	...	Nuke's Father
Jenny Robertson	...	Millie
Gregory Avellone	...	Doc (as Greg Avelone)
Garland Bunting	...	Teddy - Radio Announcer (as Carey 'Garland' Bunting)

Storyline

Crash is an aging minor league ball player, brought up from another team to mature a young pitcher with maturity problems. Both of them become involved with Ann, a baseball groupie with her own perspective on the game.

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | minor league baseball | calling out someone else's name when having sex | durham north carolina | baseball movie | 

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Taglines:

A movie about America's other favorite pastime

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Annies Männer

Filming Locations:

Arlington, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$50,888,729

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mount Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jenny Robertson's (Millie) film debut.

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Goofs

When Nuke gets called up and he and Crash are talking in the pool hall, the cue and 8 balls change locations on the table between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Annie Savoy: [narrating] I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. But it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology. You see, there's ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 20 February 2015 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Sixty Minute Man
Written by Billy Ward (as William E. Ward) and Rose Marks
Performed by The Dominoes
Courtesy of G.M.L., Inc.

User Reviews

The movie about the love of Baseball

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 ****.