Bull Durham" is one of the very few films to actually illustrate that Kevin Costner has a pulse. Yep, it's true...this 1988 comedy also starring Susan Sarandon and her partner Tim Robbins is a wonderful comedy featuring an actual solid performance by Costner. It gives me shivers to even think about it.
The film centers around a baseball groupie (Sarandon) who has a fling each year with a player...in this particular year, she meets an up and coming pitcher and the seasoned catcher assigned to him.
What follows is quite funny, and all three lead performers here have a fine chemistry and sense of who they are onscreen. I'd consider all three perfectly cast here...Robbins somewhat surprisingly, unless you've seen his performance in "Hudsucker Proxy." Costner, who gained a bit more notoriety for "Dances With Wolves" (which I don't care for in the least) is a joy to watch here.
Many baseball fans consider this a consummate baseball film...I do tend to consider it more a baseball film than a romantic film, though it balances the two nicely.
Writer/Director Ron Shelton clearly knows what he's doing here...and puts together a wonderful script with priceless anecdotes and speeches. Shelton received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay.
I'm not sure if it's the Costner factor or not, but I can't quite make this an "A" range film...but, nonetheless, it is quite enjoyable and baseball fans or fans of Robbins, Sarandon or Costner should consider this film a must see.
