RomComs - "Lollygaggers!"
Since the World Series starts tonight, I thought it only fitting for today's movie to be the greatest baseball romantic comedy ever made. No, not the Farrelly Brothers' Fever Pitch. :P I'm talking about the movie that taught us all the valuable connection between sex and baseball, how to breathe through our eyelids, and that when wearing garters, the rose goes in the front, big guy.
Bull Durham
This has got to be one of the sexiest movies ever, and one of the great things that came out of the 1980s. Susan Sarandon was at the peak of her allure, Tim Robbins could not have been cuter, and Kevin Costner ... oh my. Say what you want about Costner's more recent movie flubs, but there are few things in this world hotter than his Crash Davis. Just ... yeah.
Ron Shelton, who wrote and directed this, was once a minor league ball player, so he knew whereof he spoke. There was a charming authenticity about the world he set up for the film, even the southern setting. This is also one of those rare movies set in the south that doesn't insult or patronize southern people.
If you're not familiar with the story, it centers on three characters - Nuke, Annie, and Crash. Nuke is Ebby Calvin Laloosh - a hotshot young minor league pitcher with a great arm and no sense. Annie is a ... well, I'm loathe to call her a "groupie" but that's essentially what she is. She picks one player a season to coach in her own special way. Crash is a veteran catcher who has bounced around lots of minor league rosters and even played a few weeks in the majors. He's brought in by the Durham Bulls management to be Nuke's designated mentor. Annie narrows down her prospects to Nuke and Crash and ends up attached to Nuke for the season. She and Crash both try to give Nuke life wisdom and help him toward a major league career.
There are clearly sparks between Annie and Crash, but Crash isn't interested in playing her game. Still, he does everything a self-respecting man can do to undermine her fling with Nuke - whether for Nuke's sake or his own selfish reasons is up to the viewer to decide, but it's probably both.
As a romantic comedy, this is about as satisfying as they come. Obviously, Crash is the guy Annie is going to end up with, but her education of Nuke is still incredibly fun to watch, partly because Sarandon and Robbins have great chemistry (which clearly continued off camera), and partly because Tim Robbins plays Nuke as such an appealing guy, despite the character being a tad dim. But when the time comes for Crash to step in ... wow.
There's about a 10 minute stretch of the film that shows us what happens between Annie and Crash, and it's pretty amazing. It's a rare film that can pull off a "happy couple" sequence. And it's an even rarer film that can make expository sex scenes NOT a waste of time. But this one does both. Shelton staged some fairly unique sexy scenes, instead of just having his two stars roll around together, and it keeps things fresh and humorous, while still conveying the passion.
There's some really great music in this. Probably my favorite is the music that underscores the sequence I just talked about - "Sixty Minute Man" by the Dominoes. Some of the best stuff is the music that's actually part of the story. The "crazy Mexican singer," Edith Piaf really sets the mood for some scenes in Annie's house. And you'll never hear "Try a Little Tenderness" without a wry smile at Nuke getting the words wrong ("She may get woolly ... young girls they do get woolly ... 'cause of all the stress..."). Another favorite of mine is "I Got Loaded," which plays during a memorable scene in which Crash and a few other players orchestrate a rain-out.
There are a few truly great baseball movies, but I'll venture to say that this is the most fun of them all. Yet despite all this fun, it never really ventures into the predictable and precious romantic comedy territory. Or if it does, it certainly doesn't feel like it. :P
Great Moments in Dialogue: This is a highly quotable movie, but there's no question as to what the greatest spoken part of this movie is. Just an FYI, this contains a bit of strong language, but I refuse to censor it, because it's a thing of beauty.
I give you "The Speech," by Crash Davis:
Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.
*fans self*
"Awwww!" Moment: Not "awww" in a romantic way, but I always feel for Crash when Annie mentions that he's close to the all-time minor league home run record. She thinks the sports news should know about it, but he asks her not to say anything because it's "kind of a dubious honor." There's a subtle theme of his discontent with the career hands he's been dealt and Costner plays that moment really well.
Happy World Series, everyone! And GO SOX!
Bull Durham
This has got to be one of the sexiest movies ever, and one of the great things that came out of the 1980s. Susan Sarandon was at the peak of her allure, Tim Robbins could not have been cuter, and Kevin Costner ... oh my. Say what you want about Costner's more recent movie flubs, but there are few things in this world hotter than his Crash Davis. Just ... yeah.
Ron Shelton, who wrote and directed this, was once a minor league ball player, so he knew whereof he spoke. There was a charming authenticity about the world he set up for the film, even the southern setting. This is also one of those rare movies set in the south that doesn't insult or patronize southern people.
If you're not familiar with the story, it centers on three characters - Nuke, Annie, and Crash. Nuke is Ebby Calvin Laloosh - a hotshot young minor league pitcher with a great arm and no sense. Annie is a ... well, I'm loathe to call her a "groupie" but that's essentially what she is. She picks one player a season to coach in her own special way. Crash is a veteran catcher who has bounced around lots of minor league rosters and even played a few weeks in the majors. He's brought in by the Durham Bulls management to be Nuke's designated mentor. Annie narrows down her prospects to Nuke and Crash and ends up attached to Nuke for the season. She and Crash both try to give Nuke life wisdom and help him toward a major league career.
There are clearly sparks between Annie and Crash, but Crash isn't interested in playing her game. Still, he does everything a self-respecting man can do to undermine her fling with Nuke - whether for Nuke's sake or his own selfish reasons is up to the viewer to decide, but it's probably both.
As a romantic comedy, this is about as satisfying as they come. Obviously, Crash is the guy Annie is going to end up with, but her education of Nuke is still incredibly fun to watch, partly because Sarandon and Robbins have great chemistry (which clearly continued off camera), and partly because Tim Robbins plays Nuke as such an appealing guy, despite the character being a tad dim. But when the time comes for Crash to step in ... wow.
There's about a 10 minute stretch of the film that shows us what happens between Annie and Crash, and it's pretty amazing. It's a rare film that can pull off a "happy couple" sequence. And it's an even rarer film that can make expository sex scenes NOT a waste of time. But this one does both. Shelton staged some fairly unique sexy scenes, instead of just having his two stars roll around together, and it keeps things fresh and humorous, while still conveying the passion.
There's some really great music in this. Probably my favorite is the music that underscores the sequence I just talked about - "Sixty Minute Man" by the Dominoes. Some of the best stuff is the music that's actually part of the story. The "crazy Mexican singer," Edith Piaf really sets the mood for some scenes in Annie's house. And you'll never hear "Try a Little Tenderness" without a wry smile at Nuke getting the words wrong ("She may get woolly ... young girls they do get woolly ... 'cause of all the stress..."). Another favorite of mine is "I Got Loaded," which plays during a memorable scene in which Crash and a few other players orchestrate a rain-out.
There are a few truly great baseball movies, but I'll venture to say that this is the most fun of them all. Yet despite all this fun, it never really ventures into the predictable and precious romantic comedy territory. Or if it does, it certainly doesn't feel like it. :P
Great Moments in Dialogue: This is a highly quotable movie, but there's no question as to what the greatest spoken part of this movie is. Just an FYI, this contains a bit of strong language, but I refuse to censor it, because it's a thing of beauty.
I give you "The Speech," by Crash Davis:
Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.
*fans self*
"Awwww!" Moment: Not "awww" in a romantic way, but I always feel for Crash when Annie mentions that he's close to the all-time minor league home run record. She thinks the sports news should know about it, but he asks her not to say anything because it's "kind of a dubious honor." There's a subtle theme of his discontent with the career hands he's been dealt and Costner plays that moment really well.
Happy World Series, everyone! And GO SOX!