Bull Durham movie storyline. First-time director Ron Shelton, a former second-baser in the minor leagues, has made a predominant career of sports movies that realistically examine the participants’ heart, both in terms of sportsmanship and in terms of romance.
His writing (and directing) credits have also included: The Best of Times (1986) (football), White Men Can’t Jump (1992) (basketball, also directed), Blue Chips (1994) (basketball), Cobb (1994) (baseball, also directed), The Great White Hype (1996) (boxing), Tin Cup (1996) (golf, also directed), and Play It To the Bone (2000) (boxing, also directed).
This humorous romantic drama about the Carolina minor leagues is the quintessential modern sports film of America’s greatest game. Kevin Costner stars as “Crash” Davis, a veteran, romantic-minded, minor league catcher who has to tutor wild young, rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Robbins) for the mediocre Durham Bulls, while simultaneously competing with him – in a love triangle – for the affections of English teacher and sexually-seductive baseball groupie Annie Savoy (Sarandon, Robbins’ real-life ‘wife’). Bull Durham would only receive a single Oscar nomination for Shelton’s writing, while Costner’s next film would be another baseball film, the mystical Field of Dreams (1989), based on the W.P. Kinsella book. (Costner and Shelton would reunite for Tin Cup (1996).)
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.
The film stars Kevin Costner as “Crash” Davis, a veteran catcher brought in to teach rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) about the game in preparation for reaching the major leagues. Baseball groupie Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) romances Nuke but finds herself increasingly attracted to Crash. Also featured are Robert Wuhl and Trey Wilson, as well as popular baseball “clown” Max Patkin.
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. The Moving Arts Film Journal ranked it #3 on its list of the 25 Greatest Sports Movies 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.
Bull Durham (1988)
Directed by: Ron Shelton
Starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl, William O’Leary, David Neidorf, Jenny Robertson, Gregory Avellone
Screenplay by: Ron Shelton
Production Design by: Armin Ganz
Cinematography by: Bobby Byrne
Film Editing by: Robert Leighton, Adam Weiss
Costume Design by: Louise Frogley
Set Decoration by: Kris Boxell
Art Direction by: David Lubin
Music by: Michael Convertino
Distributed by: Orion Pictures
Release Date: June 15, 1988
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