Bull Durham

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Maybe it's because I'm just not that into sports..., 2008-10-20
I must be missing something here, but I just don't find this film as universally brilliant as so many make it out to be. Maybe it's that I am not a sports fan, especially not baseball (honestly, when Susan Sarandon mentions in her opening monologue that baseball is never boring I actually laughed out loud because I thought it was the films first joke), but I was actually really looking forward to this movie and it failed me on many levels. I should have known that Costner was going to ruin a few things (why is it that his only great performance came so late in his career; `The Upside of Anger'?) because he is such a dreadfully boring actor, but I have been known to like his movies despite his performances (`JFK', `Dances with Wolves') so I didn't really think he would totally destroy my hopes of enjoying this film. I mean, I adore Susan Sarandon and find Tim Robbins engaging and even fascinating at times, so I was really looking forward to this. br / br /Sarandon and Robbins are Oscar worthy; the film as a whole is not. br / br /Sarandon plays Annie Savoy, a baseball enthusiast who picks one player per year to invest herself into, forming a relationship that will hopefully give them a strong year. She loves baseball and she loves me, and so she has found a way to infuse both of them. Ebby Calvin LaLoosh is the newest and freshest thing on the field, a wild pitcher who has an arm touched by god but lacks control. Crash Davis, a legend in his town, is brought in to help reign in that arm. Savoy also decides to make LaLoosh her personal project, forming a strangely intriguing triangle. br / br /The script is funny and witting in scenes, but tends to lose me in others. It just seems very all over the place. It calls to mind one of the wittier lines in the movie, where Millie tells Annie that LaLoosh "`blanks' like he pitches, all over the place". The script is like that too. br / br /The acting is also like that...in fact the entire movie is really all over the place. br / br /Susan Sarandon is delightfully charming as Annie. She delivers a solid comedic performance that is rich with sentiment and believability (we actually believe that she thinks she is making a difference). Tim Robbins is hysterical as LaLoosh, delivering a very strong performance in his portrayal of an overly confident youngster trapped in an adult's game. Kevin Costner is boring as all get out. I just don't see the charm here, at all. He delivers every line in this monotone and stagnant manner, but I know many people would disagree so whatever. br / br /In fact a lot of people will disagree with this review. br / br /Whatever. br / br /I'm not saying that this is a bad movie, and at times I really enjoyed it, but it's just a little all over the place. It works one minute, doesn't the next; it's brisk one minute, drags the next; it's witty one minute and convoluted the next. br / br /If you are a fan of baseball or sports movies in general then you will probably like this. A lot of devoted baseball fans claim this to be the definitive baseball movie. I have honestly seen better, but that's just me. It's decent and I can't say I didn't enjoy some of it; and Robbins and Sarandon are just wonderful, but as a whole I just was not as impressed as so many others were. Oh well, one movie cannot please everyone.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

a good classical 80's romantic baseball movie........., 2008-07-22
a fun and exiting movie. but i would'nt recommend it for the whole family because of it's rating......

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

If you like baseball, Bull Duram is a don't miss, 2007-08-07
Bull Duram is one of the top Baseball Movies out there. But it's not just a baseball movie. The development of the love triangle between Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner gives the movie a nice story line. There is also a good bit of humor thrown into the mix. Bull Duram is a winner

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

the lady and baseball, 2007-08-06
Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon), a groupie who has affairs with a minor-league baseball player each season, meets two men, LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) and Crash (Kevin Costner), the experienced catched assigned to LaLoosh. A comical story about baseball and sex. After all, "what else is there?" br / br /Great roles for Sarandon, Robbins and Costner. Can't imagine anyone else playing these roles. Robbins is excellent as the dim "Nuke" LaLoosh. br / br /Even if you don't know anything about baseball (like me), this drama is still decent, enjoyable... and pretty much a classic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Pure Baseball - I'm Not Kidding, 2007-05-16
I was a huge baseball fan when I worked in radio in the Kansas City area during the 70s and 80s when the Royals were a great team to watch. Part of the joy of watching them play was team leaders like George Brett and Frank White who were so passionate and honest about their love for the game, you couldn't help but enjoy watching them play. What does this have to do with a romantic comedy about minor leaguers and the absurdities of their team's misadventures in the Carolina league? Because ultimately, that's what Bull Durham is about - pure passion for baseball. You see it when Skip and Larry watch Crash Davis rant about being demoted to Class A and threaten to quit, only to turn and ask when batting practice starts. They're all hooked and no amount of misfortune or indignity will ever separate them from this game and they all know it. You see it in Annie Savoy whose passion for men and spirituality, as great as they are, are clearly second to her passion for baseball. You see it in Max Patkin, the 'Clown Prince' who joyously proclaims, "I love this game" when talking about his work in a bar. And you see them all trying to teach it to bonus baby, Nuke LaLoosh. Yes, the movie has foul language, sex, absurd pranks, and lots of other non-baseball stuff throughout. But what the movie is actually ABOUT is a pure passion for the game of baseball. And therein lies its charm. Bull Durham's essential message is this: whether you're in the bigs or in pee-wee ball, whether you get laid or not, whether you succeed or not, whether you have a crowd watching or not, the game is always there for you. br / br /Twice if it's a Sunday double-header.