Details
Movie Description
The Durham Bulls are in a slump and have spent a hefty sum of money acquiring an untested young pitcher in the hopes of reversing their standings. Crash Davis, a 12-year veteran ballplayer who has spent most of his time bumming around as a minor league catcher, is assigned to mature the rookie pitching phenom named "Nuke." But a beautiful and enigmatic team groupie comes between the tutor and his student, enlightening both with her game of life, love and verse.
Synopsis
North Carolina's Durham Bulls have just acquired a hot new pitcher, "Nuke" LaLoosh, who has a Major League arm but Little League aim. The management has sent for veteran Minor League catcher Crash Davis to train the rookie and get him ready for the upcoming season. The team's biggest fan, an English professor at the local college, has a tradition of choosing one Bulls player each year to be her lover and baseball/poetry prodigy, and this year she must choose between two players that have caught her eye, the pitcher and the catcher. The two ball players bait each other on and off the field, compete for the woman's affections, and eventually, send the Bulls on a winning streak.
Film Notes
Director Ron Shelton spent some time playing baseball in the minor leagues before becoming a director. This is his feature film debut, but he has since gone on to do another sports-related film, the 1992 comedy "White Men Can't Jump."
Susan Sarandon met her current paramour, Tim Robbins, on the set of "Bull Durham." They now live in New York City and have two children together. The film gave Robbins one of his early roles, and he has since gone onto to do several major roles, especially his acclaimed performance in Robert Altman's "The Player." Recently, he made the foray into directing with the film he wrote, starred in, directed, and composed the music for, "Bob Roberts." (Ironically, according to Shelton, Orion executives urged the director to fire Robbins and replace him with "The Breakfast Club" actor Anthony Michael Hall; Shelton and Costner stood by Robbins, saying they would no longer work on the film if Robbins was out; the executives back down, and Robbins completed his work on "Bull Durham.")
Susan Sarandon was recently nominated for her performance in the 1992 film "Lorenzo's Oil." Kevin Costner has also gone on to major stardom, especially with his successes in his star performance and direction of the 1990 Academy Award Winner "Dances With Wolves."
The film appeared at the Deauville Film Festival in September, 1988, and at the Moscow International Film Festival in July, 1989.
Shot in Panavision. Prints by Deluxe.
Industry Reviews
"...Shelton stepped up to the directorial plate and smacked a dinger....A wry, sexy charmer..." -- Rating: A
Entertainment Weekly - pp.82-3 - Ira Robbins
"...A film with spring fever, a giddy, playful look at life in baseball's minor leagues....[Costner] does a lot with his role..."
New York Times - p.C20 - Janet Maslin
"...A sweet and sexy comedy..."
Los Angeles Times - Sheila Benson (06/15/1988)
"...[With] Susan Sarandon at career peak....This is like no other baseball movie..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (01/27/1989)
"...Shelton cracks open the game's mythologies, but it's the sexy sparkle between Costner and Sarandon that's the hook..."
Total Film - Jonathan Crocker (11/01/2003)
Quotations
"Some days you win. Some days you lose. And some days, it rains." -- Baseball Proverb repeated by Crash Davis (Kevin Costner)
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