“Bull Durham” is a 1988 American romantic comedy
sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of
writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham
Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina.
Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) is a perennial Minor
Leaguer assigned to the Durham Bulls, a hapless team with a long tradition of
mediocrity. There he tutors a young, dim-witted pitching prodigy, Nuke LaLoosh
(Tim Robbins) in the ways of baseball, life, and love. Each strikes up a
romance with Annie (Susan Sarandon), the team's "mascot" who takes it
upon herself to sleep with a new player every season.
Each has his/her own conflict: Crash struggles to end
his career with some measure of dignity; Nuke struggles to make it to the
"big show"; and Annie struggles to find something more than a roll in
the hay – and of course, Crash and Nuke come
into conflict over Annie's affections to further complicate matters. The film
treats the sport of baseball with a sort of casual reverence, highlighting both
the drama and the humor inherent in the game, illustrated by Annie's numerous
references to baseball as “her religion”.
Bull Durham was a commercial success, grossing over
$50 million in North America, well above its estimated budget, and was a
critical success as well. Sports Illustrated ranked it the #1 Greatest Sports
Movie of all time. In addition, the film is ranked #55 on Bravo's "100
Funniest Movies." It is also ranked #97 on the American Film Institute's
"100 Years...100 Laughs" list, and #1 on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the
53 best-reviewed sports movies of all time.
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