As someone who went to grad school in Durham, I will always be partial to Bull Durham at #1 (it's also fascinating that for a R-rated movie, the real-life team has integrated the movie into its culture, even doing a race of the characters from the movie similar to the Brewers sausage race between innings)
Is women's competitive golf a central part of the movie? A bit. Is it also about a housewife being absorbed into the public eye for the worse and ending on a nearly six-minute credits roll of a tv melting in a house fire? Hey, I leave it to you to find out.
Much as I do enjoy TIN CUP, I think it's by far the weakest of the 'trilogy', mostly because Costner and Russo don't have particularly great chemistry, and Johnson's eventual boo-hiss rom-com dickheadery feels awkwardly crowbarred in - maybe it reveals more about me, but for the most part Roy is as much of a, if not a bigger, prick than David, and certainly no less smug. The moment where David berates the cuddly pensioners (that Molly conveniently witnesses) seemed more like Shelton watching the dailies and realising he needed something else in there to make the Roy/Molly pairing remotely believable. That's maybe placing too much emphasis on the whole romance dynamic, but that this otherwise smart movie has such a routine love-triangle element is ultimately a little disappointing for me.
Yeah, Bull Durham vs Tin Cup is not a close match. But like you say, that's not because Tin Cup is a bad movie... It's just that Bull Durham is a great movie. Most of that, in my opinion, is that Susan Sarandon is such a stronger character than Rene Russo's. Probably also helps a whole lot that Sarandon narrates BD. She's like Nick Carraway telling us about Gatsby...
Apr 27, 2023·edited Apr 27, 2023Liked by Scott Tobias
Terrific piece, Scott. Became an avid golfer during the pandemic, and revisited Tin Cup (which grew in my memory) with every expectation that I'll see it anew as a modern screwball masterpiece. Alas, the sports movie elements were still great--among the best in the genre (for someone who generally doesn't like sports movies). But man, the Russo-Costner romance.... yech. Love Russo, but her character turns into a contrivance, jumping from Johnson to Costner in wholly unconvincing fashion. Still, nice to see this one get written up.
Also, FYI: Van de Velde's meltdown was at the British Open ("Open Championship") whereas Roy McAvoy's glorious water balls were played at the U.S. Open.
Thought I made the Van de Velde thing clear. Anyway, I like the Russo romance because the two have such strong chemistry, but Sarandon in Bull Durham she is not. One detail I like is that she’s secretly impulsive like Roy, not entirely the buttoned-up pragmatist she appears to be. She followed a Cowboy to Amarillo, changed careers, etc.
If we’re including docs, I’d contend Hoop Dreams surpasses WMCJ in terms of the better basketball film, and is also quite possibly the best sports movie ever made.
Excellent piece, with one correction: the greatest baseball movie is the original "Bad News Bears."
Totally fair. I love that movie so much. (The original is called The Bad News Bears, the Linklater loses the "the.")
You were on that sweet Costner roll, so I see why you just went for it.
Surprised you didn't add "Best Cross Country movie: McFarland, USA."
Best cycling movie: American Flyers.
Hard to argue with. Best movie with cycling in it?
Breaking Away
“Major League” on the bullpen phone requesting a word.
scott i loved this so much [boop]
God, I love Tin Cup, and I love this appreciation of it. Time to watch it once again and remember what winning means.
Amen. Tin Cup is a fantastic movie and any of you who haven’t seen it need to go see it RIGHT NOW
And Field of Dreams > Bull Durham, even though I haven’t seen Bull Durham. Come at me bro
I will definitely come at you for that!
Ha! Ok. I’ll watch Bull Durham tonight and report back.
As someone who went to grad school in Durham, I will always be partial to Bull Durham at #1 (it's also fascinating that for a R-rated movie, the real-life team has integrated the movie into its culture, even doing a race of the characters from the movie similar to the Brewers sausage race between innings)
"Greatest golf movie ever made"
Seijun Suzuki's A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness disagrees, sir.
I have spoken out of school.
In hindsight, a better shitpost would've been "it's no Happy Gilmore" and lo and behold it and Tin Cup were released months apart in 1996.
I was *not* expecting that movie poster
Is women's competitive golf a central part of the movie? A bit. Is it also about a housewife being absorbed into the public eye for the worse and ending on a nearly six-minute credits roll of a tv melting in a house fire? Hey, I leave it to you to find out.
"the competitive relentlessness of men who need to show each other up"
this is something I really struggle to understand, and most likely one of the reasons I didn't really enjoy WMCJ.
but this piece really made me want to watch Tin Cup, which is not a thing I thought I would ever say!
Much as I do enjoy TIN CUP, I think it's by far the weakest of the 'trilogy', mostly because Costner and Russo don't have particularly great chemistry, and Johnson's eventual boo-hiss rom-com dickheadery feels awkwardly crowbarred in - maybe it reveals more about me, but for the most part Roy is as much of a, if not a bigger, prick than David, and certainly no less smug. The moment where David berates the cuddly pensioners (that Molly conveniently witnesses) seemed more like Shelton watching the dailies and realising he needed something else in there to make the Roy/Molly pairing remotely believable. That's maybe placing too much emphasis on the whole romance dynamic, but that this otherwise smart movie has such a routine love-triangle element is ultimately a little disappointing for me.
Yeah, Bull Durham vs Tin Cup is not a close match. But like you say, that's not because Tin Cup is a bad movie... It's just that Bull Durham is a great movie. Most of that, in my opinion, is that Susan Sarandon is such a stronger character than Rene Russo's. Probably also helps a whole lot that Sarandon narrates BD. She's like Nick Carraway telling us about Gatsby...
See, now this is just a terrific piece. I love that Gloria quote SO much.
It’s the best.
Terrific piece, Scott. Became an avid golfer during the pandemic, and revisited Tin Cup (which grew in my memory) with every expectation that I'll see it anew as a modern screwball masterpiece. Alas, the sports movie elements were still great--among the best in the genre (for someone who generally doesn't like sports movies). But man, the Russo-Costner romance.... yech. Love Russo, but her character turns into a contrivance, jumping from Johnson to Costner in wholly unconvincing fashion. Still, nice to see this one get written up.
Also, FYI: Van de Velde's meltdown was at the British Open ("Open Championship") whereas Roy McAvoy's glorious water balls were played at the U.S. Open.
Thought I made the Van de Velde thing clear. Anyway, I like the Russo romance because the two have such strong chemistry, but Sarandon in Bull Durham she is not. One detail I like is that she’s secretly impulsive like Roy, not entirely the buttoned-up pragmatist she appears to be. She followed a Cowboy to Amarillo, changed careers, etc.
Profound life lessons I have learned from Ron Shelton sports movies:
1) The deepest wounds are self-inflicted.
2) How much easier life would be if we could just get out of our own way, but how funny life is because sometimes we just can't.
3) Seven foods that start with the letter Q.
All you need to know in life, really.
"What is a quince?" is the line I always think of when I think of White Men Can't Jump.
If we’re including docs, I’d contend Hoop Dreams surpasses WMCJ in terms of the better basketball film, and is also quite possibly the best sports movie ever made.