Viewed in
2013
Formats
HDTV
Premise
Susan Sarandon stars as a minor league baseball groupie who has to choose between grumpy veteran (Kevin Costner) or arrogant stud (Tim Robbins).
Liked
Charming cast.
Disliked
Predictable writing, lack of character obstacles.
Thoughts
Bill Simmons often described this movie as a romantic comedy disguised as a baseball movie. For the most part, I have to agree.
Probably the best part was the likable cast and their vibrant chemistry. Sarandon was convincing as a sexy muse with a quirk for poetry, Costner was charming as the sage yet grouchy old man in the club, Robbins was hilarious as the dumb young jock, and Robert Wuhl brought a smile/smirk to my face as the wisecracking assistant coach.
Every interaction between these characters crackled with energy. Even though I knew that Costner's going to school Robbins and I knew who Sarandon would end up with at the end, I wanted to see them happen. The baseball scenes were entertaining, not only was the mentor-pupil dynamic funny, but got some comedic mileage out of clubhouse shenanigans, player rituals, and inner thoughts of athletes at bat. I also liked the bittersweet truths about the precariousness of a minor league career.
Despite some attention to detail, the baseball still felt like sloppy window dressing to the rom-com arc. The movie never explained that Costner was a switch hitter, or was flat out inconsistent. The portrayal of Jose the player was a bit racially insensitive with the voodoo and chicken-sacrificing gags. And Sarandon's monologs about the romance of baseball was broad. But maybe that's just outdated given how cynical pro sports has become sense this film released.
Meanwhile, the love story also suffered from some unevenness. It was implausible that the only females were intelligent about baseball, but at the same time just wanted to bang the players. Despite trying to play up the love triangle, I found minimal resistance for Costner and Sarandon's relationship. This led to a low-energy climax (not an innuendo) and false endings that kept going (ditto).
Bull Durham was entertaining thanks to fun performances and chemistry, but in its attempt to be a romance and baseball movie, it kind of became neither. Lastly, hearing Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" was amusing given its use in Inception.
