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66-678: Bull Durham is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film directed by Ron Shelton . The film stars Kevin Costner as "Crash" Davis , a veteran catcher from the AAA Richmond Braves , 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 "The Clown Prince of Baseball", Max Patkin . The film

132-557: A Between the Lines: The Making of Bull Durham featurette, a Sports Wrap featurette, and a Costner profile. A "Collector's Edition" DVD celebrating the film's 20th anniversary was released on March 18, 2008, and features the two commentaries from the previous edition, a Greatest Show on Dirt featurette, a Diamonds in the Rough featurette that explores minor league baseball, The Making of Bull Durham featurette, and Costner profile from

198-510: A Master of Fine Arts in sculpture at the University of Arizona before moving to Los Angeles to join the city's art scene. However, he felt more kinship in telling stories than in creating performance art. His break into filmmaking came with scriptwriting credits on the films Under Fire and The Best of Times . According to Justin Turner , the bull in right field that was hit for a home run in

264-399: A "down-and-out, minor-league town that represented his story well." The Imperial Tobacco Warehouse, which is currently owned and has been renovated by Measurement Incorporated , was used as a filming location. The Queen Anne style James Manning House, built in 1880, was used for Annie Savoy's romantic encounters. Shelton cast Costner because of the actor's natural athleticism. Costner was

330-476: A "happily ever after". The conclusion of a romantic comedy is meant to affirm the primary importance of the love relationship in the protagonists' lives, even if they physically separate in the end (e.g., Shakespeare in Love , Roman Holiday ). Most of the time the ending gives the audience a sense that if it is true love, it will always prevail, no matter what the two characters have to overcome. Comedies, rooted in

396-491: A cerebral hemorrhage at age 40, seven months after this film's release. Academy Awards Golden Globe Awards Writers Guild of America Award Boston Society of Film Critics Los Angeles Film Critics Association National Society of Film Critics 1988 New York Film Critics Circle Awards In 2000, the American Film Institute placed the film on its 100 Years...100 Laughs list, where it

462-401: A former high school baseball player and was able to hit two home runs while the cameras were rolling and, according to Shelton, insisted "on throwing runners out even when they (the cameras) weren't rolling". He cast Robbins over the strong objections of the studio, who wanted Anthony Michael Hall instead. Shelton had to threaten to quit before the studio backed off. Producer Thom Mount (who

528-450: A good love match. The characters often split or seek time apart in order to sort out their emotions or deal with external obstacles to being together, which they eventually overcome. While the two protagonists are separated, one or both of them usually realizes that they love the other person. Then, one character makes some extravagant effort (sometimes called a grand gesture ) to find the other character and declare their love. However, this

594-404: A good movie and a damn good baseball movie". Hal Hinson, in his review for The Washington Post , wrote, "The people associated with Bull Durham know the game ... and the firsthand experience shows in their easy command of the ballplayer's vernacular, in their feel for what goes through a batter's head when he digs in at the plate and in their knowledge of the secret ceremonies that take place on

660-410: A hard time convincing a studio to give him the opportunity to direct. Baseball movies were not considered a viable commercial prospect at the time and every studio passed except for Orion Pictures who gave him a $ 9 million budget (with many cast members accepting lower-than-usual salaries because of the material), an eight-week shooting schedule, and creative freedom. Shelton scouted locations throughout

726-426: A hotshot rookie pitcher known for having a "million dollar arm, but a five cent head," who has potential to become a major league talent. "Crash" Davis, a 12-year veteran in the minor leagues, is sent down from Triple-A as the team's catcher to teach LaLoosh to control his haphazard pitching. Crash immediately begins calling Ebby by the degrading nickname of "Meat", and they get off to a rocky start. Thrown into

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792-401: A memorable speech listing the things he "believes in", ending with, "I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days... Good night". Despite some animosity between them, Annie and Crash work, in their own ways, to shape Ebby into a big-league pitcher. Annie plays mild bondage games, reads poetry to him, gets him to try different mental approaches to pitching, and gives him

858-799: A sense of awkwardness between the two potential partners by depicting an initial clash of personalities or beliefs, an embarrassing situation, or by introducing a comical misunderstanding or mistaken identity situation. Sometimes, the term is used without a hyphen (a "meet cute"), or as a verb ("to meet cute"). Roger Ebert describes the "concept of a Meet Cute" as "when boy meets girl in a cute way." As an example, he cites "The Meet Cute in Lost and Found [which] has Jackson and Segal running their cars into each other in Switzerland. Once recovered, they Meet Cute again when they run into each other while on skis. Eventually, they fall in love." In many romantic comedies,

924-576: A total of $ 50.8 million in North America, well above its estimated $ 9 million budget. "A few months after it came out, I was having dinner at a restaurant called The Imperial Gardens. A man came up and asked if I was Ron Shelton. I said yes, and he said, 'Somebody would like to meet you.' So I followed him—I didn't realize at the time it was Stanley Donen , the director—and he brought me over to his best friend, Billy Wilder . Wilder looked up and said, 'Great fuckin' picture, kid!' I said, 'Mr. Wilder, that's

990-529: A total of four additional championships. The Tourists play home games at McCormick Field . The stadium opened in 1924, renovated in 1959, and renovated again for the 1992 season. It seats 4,000 fans. Professional baseball in Asheville, North Carolina , dates to 1897, when the Asheville Moonshiners took the field. It has been played continuously for nearly every year since 1909, with early teams such as

1056-502: A woman could tell the story" and "dictated that opening monologue on a little micro-recorder while I was driving around North Carolina." Crash was named after Lawrence "Crash" Davis but was modeled after Pike Bishop, the lead character William Holden played in The Wild Bunch : a guy who "loved something more than it loved him." Annie Savoy's name was a combination of the nickname ("Annies") that baseball players gave their groupies and

1122-400: A younger catcher and release Crash. Crash presents himself at Annie's house and the two consummate their attraction with a weekend-long lovemaking session. Crash then leaves Annie's house to seek a further minor-league position. Nuke is seen one last time, being interviewed by the press as a major leaguer, reciting the clichéd answers that Crash had taught him earlier. Crash joins another team,

1188-401: Is about minor league baseball." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. According to a Los Angeles Times poll of 100 film critics, Bull Durham was the second most acclaimed film of 1988, second to only to

1254-623: Is against the whole principle about what we fight for and profess to be about." For years, Ron Shelton has contemplated making a sequel and remarked, "I couldn't figure out in the few years right after it came out, what do you do? Nuke's in the big leagues, Crash is managing in Visalia. Is Annie going to go to Visalia? I've been to Visalia. That will test a relationship ... It was not a simple fable to continue with – not that we don't talk about continuing it, now that everyone's in their 60s". Actor Trey Wilson , who played Durham manager Joe Riggins, died of

1320-657: Is based on the nickname for Durham, North Carolina , since 1874, when W. T. Blackwell and Company named its product "Bull" Durham tobacco, which soon became a well-known trademark. In 1898, James B. Duke purchased the company and renamed it the American Tobacco Company . By this time, the nickname "Bull City" had already stuck. The film's writer and director, Ron Shelton, played minor league baseball for five years after graduating from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California . Initially playing second base for

1386-473: Is not always the case; sometimes, there is a coincidental encounter where the two characters meet again. Alternatively, one character plans a romantic gesture to show that they still care. Then, with some comic friction, they declare their love for each other, and the film ends on a happy note . Even though it is implied that they live happily ever after, it does not always state what that happy ending will be. The couple does not necessarily get married for it to be

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1452-412: Is part-owner of the real Durham Bulls) hired Pete Bock, a former semi-pro baseball player, as a consultant on the film. Bock recruited more than a dozen minor-league players, ran a tryout camp to recruit an additional 40 to 50 players from lesser ranks, hired several minor-league umpires, and conducted two-a-day workouts and practice games with Tim Robbins pitching and Kevin Costner catching. Bock made sure

1518-578: Is partly based upon Shelton's experience in minor league baseball , and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls , a minor-league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina . 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

1584-515: The Asheville Tourists , and breaks the minor-league record for career home runs. He then retires as a player and returns to Durham, where Annie tells him she's ready to give up her annual affairs with "boys." Crash tells her that he is thinking about becoming a manager for a minor-league team in Visalia . The film ends with Annie and Crash dancing in Annie's candle-lit living room. The film's name

1650-689: The Baltimore Orioles MLB team. As part of Baltimore's "Oriole Way" system, the Asheville team was rebranded the Asheville Orioles , adopting the logo and colors of its affiliate. The team had four successive winning seasons, but after the 1975 season the Orioles relocated its Double-A franchise to Charlotte, North Carolina , as the Charlotte Orioles . McCormick Field would not be unoccupied for

1716-675: The Baltimore Orioles ' farm system, he moved from the Appalachian League to California and then Texas before finally playing AAA baseball for the Rochester Red Wings in the International League . Shelton quit when he realized he would never become a major league player. "I was 25. In baseball, you feel 60 if you're not in the big leagues. I didn't want to become a Crash Davis", he said. He returned to school and earned

1782-810: The High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros . It is located in Asheville, North Carolina . Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in different leagues and classifications for over a century, with the earliest dating to 1897. The current team has played continuously in what is now known as the South Atlantic League since 1976, though it was briefly known as the High-A East in 2021. Asheville has won three South Atlantic league championships , first in 1984 and most recently in 2014. Previous Tourists teams won

1848-595: The "Asheville Skylanders" started play in the South Atlantic League ; however, it soon adopted the Tourists nickname. It played in the South Atlantic League until 1930, when it jumped to the Piedmont League , where it played for two seasons before folding. In 1934 the Columbia Sandlappers moved to Asheville, taking up the Tourists name. This incarnation won the 1939 Piedmont League championship; however

1914-430: The "Greatest Sports Movie". In addition, the film is ranked number 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 ' Top Sports Movies list of the 53 best reviewed sports movies of all time. Entertainment Weekly ranked Bull Durham as the fifth best DVD of their Top 30 Sports Movies on DVD. The magazine also ranked

1980-586: The 1976 season, however. Shortly after the AA franchise moved to Charlotte, its place was taken by an expansion team in the Western Carolinas League (which in 1980 became the South Atlantic League ). Like many teams before it, it assumed the Tourists nickname. The team has remained in Asheville continuously since, winning the 1984 league championship. It is currently a farm team of the Houston Astros (1982–93, 2021–), with whom it has been affiliated since 2021. It

2046-505: 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. The Durham Bulls , a single-A Minor League Baseball team, are dealing with another sparsely attended losing season, with one thing working for them: Ebby Calvin LaLoosh,

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2112-600: The Redbirds (1909) and the Mountaineers (1910–1914). The "Tourists" name dates to 1915, when local sportswriters began referring to the Mountaineers team as the Tourists. The original Tourists brought Asheville its first ever professional sports championship in 1915. It continued playing in the Class-D North Carolina State League until 1917, when the league suspended operations due to World War I. In 1924

2178-467: The Year , starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy ) post-WWII, and the sex comedy made popular by Rock Hudson and Doris Day in the 1950s–1960s. Over the years, romantic comedies have slowly been becoming more popular to both men and women. They have begun to spread out of their conventional and traditional structure into other territory, and to explore more complex topics. These films still follow

2244-511: The actors looked and acted like ballplayers and that the real players acted convincingly in front of the cameras. He said, "The director would say, 'This is the shot we want. What we need is the left fielder throwing a one-hopper to the plate. Then we need a good collision at the plate.' I would select the players I know could do the job, and then we would go out and get it done." Bull Durham debuted on June 15, 1988, and grossed $ 5 million in 1,238 theaters on its opening weekend. It went on to gross

2310-454: The best review I've ever had!'" —Director Ron Shelton, in a 2008 interview The film was well-received critically. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 97%, based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Kevin Costner is at his funniest and most charismatic in Bull Durham , a film that's as wise about relationships as it

2376-556: The body, and the thrill of the chase," and other genres of expression such as songs and folk tales. In the 20th century, as Hollywood grew, the romantic comedy in America mirrored other aspects of society in its rapid changes, developing many sub-genres through the decades. We can see this through the screwball comedy in response to the censorship of the Hays Code in the 1920s–1930s, the career woman comedy (such as George Stevens' Woman of

2442-454: The complex social rules of high society, particularly related to navigating the marriage-market, an inherent feature of the plot in many of these plays, such as William Wycherley 's The Country Wife . While the melodramas of the Romantic period had little to do with comedy, they were hybrids incorporating elements of domestic and sentimental tragedies, pantomime "with an emphasis on gesture, on

2508-535: The documentary The Thin Blue Line . In David Ansen 's review for Newsweek , he wrote that the film "works equally as a love story, a baseball fable and a comedy, while ignoring the clichés of each genre". Vincent Canby praised Shelton's direction in his review for The New York Times : "He demonstrates the sort of expert comic timing and control that allow him to get in and out of situations so quickly that they're over before one has time to question them. Part of

2574-460: The fact that these films are still romantic comedies. One of the conventions of romantic comedy films is the entertainment factor in a contrived encounter of two potential romantic partners in unusual or comic circumstances, which film critics such as Roger Ebert or the Associated Press's Christy Lemire have called a " meet-cute " situation. During a "meet-cute", scriptwriters often create

2640-450: The fertility rites and satyr plays of ancient Greece , have often incorporated sexual or social elements. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms defines romantic comedy as "a general term for comedies that deal mainly with the follies and misunderstandings of young lovers, in a light‐hearted and happily concluded manner which usually avoids serious satire". This reference states that the "best‐known examples are Shakespeare's comedies of

2706-404: The film as the fifth best sports film since 1983 in their "Sports 25: The Best Thrill-of-Victory, Agony-of-Defeat Films Since 1983" poll and #5 on their "50 Sexiest Movies Ever" poll. In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Bull Durham was acknowledged as the fifth best film in

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2772-412: The film is actually in left field at Durham Bulls Athletic Park . According to Shelton, "I wrote a very early script about minor league baseball; the only thing it had in common with Bull Durham was that it was about a pitcher and a catcher." That script was titled The Player To Be Named Later ; a single anecdote from that script made it into Bull Durham . For Bull Durham , Shelton "decided to see if

2838-635: The fun in watching Bull Durham is in the awareness that a clearly seen vision is being realized. This is one first-rate debut". Roger Ebert praised Sarandon's performance in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times : "I don't know who else they could have hired to play Annie Savoy, the Sarandon character who pledges her heart and her body to one player a season, but I doubt if the character would have worked without Sarandon's wonderful performance". In his review for Sports Illustrated , Steve Wulf wrote, "It's

2904-720: The gender role that society has imposed upon them, as seen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall , in which the male protagonist is especially in touch with his emotions. It can also be seen in Made of Honor , in which the female bridesmaids are shown in a negative and somewhat masculine light in order to advance the likability of the male lead. Other remakes of romantic comedies involve similar elements, but they explore more adult themes such as marriage, responsibility, or even disability. Two films by Judd Apatow , This Is 40 and Knocked Up , deal with these issues. This Is 40 chronicles

2970-610: The heroic adventures of medieval Romance . Those adventures traditionally focused on a knight's feats on behalf of a lady, so the modern themes of love were quickly woven into them, as in Chrétien de Troyes 's Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart . The contemporary romantic comedy genre was shaped by 18th-century Restoration comedy and 19th-century romantic melodrama . Restoration comedies were typically comedies of manners that relied on knowledge of

3036-476: The late 1590s, A Midsummer Night's Dream , Twelfth Night , and As You Like It being the most purely romantic, while Much Ado About Nothing approaches the comedy of manners and The Merchant of Venice is closer to tragicomedy ." It was not until the development of the literary tradition of romantic love in the western European medieval period, though, that "romance" came to refer to "romantic love" situations. They were previously referred to as

3102-584: The league suspended operations in 1942, due to the outset of World War II. In 1946 a new Tourists franchise started up in the Tri-State League . During the 1940s the team shared McCormick Field with the Asheville Blues , an independent Negro leagues team. It folded along with its league in 1955. In 1959 a new South Atlantic League (later the Southern League ) franchise came to town. McCormick Field

3168-429: The mid-life crisis of a couple entering their 40s, and Knocked Up addresses unintended pregnancy and the ensuing assuming of responsibility. Silver Linings Playbook deals with mental illness and the courage to start a new relationship. All of these go against the stereotype of what romantic comedy has become as a genre. Yet, the genre of romantic comedy is simply a structure, and all of these elements do not negate

3234-451: The mix is Annie, a "baseball groupie" and lifelong spiritual seeker who has latched onto the "Church of Baseball" and has, every year, chosen one player on the Bulls to be her lover and student. Annie flirts with both Crash and Ebby and invites them to her house, but Crash walks out, saying he's too much of a veteran to "try out" for anything. But before he leaves, Crash sparks Annie's interest with

3300-471: The mound". Richard Corliss, in his review for Time , wrote, "Costner's surly sexiness finally pays off here; abrading against Sarandon's earth-mama geniality and Robbins' rube egocentricity, Costner strikes sparks". Bull Durham was named Best Screenplay of 1988 by New York Film Critics' Circle . The film became a minor hit when released, and is now considered one of the best sports movies of all time. In 2003, Sports Illustrated ranked Bull Durham as

3366-510: The name of a bar; she was a "High Priestess [who] could lead us into a man's world, and shine a light on it. And she would be very sensual, and sexual, yet she'd live by her own rigorous moral code. It seemed like a character we hadn't seen before." After Shelton returned to Los Angeles from his road trip, he wrote the script for Bull Durham in "about twelve weeks." Filming began on October 5, 1987, and wrapped on November 30, 1987, after 56 days of filming. When Shelton pitched Bull Durham , he had

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3432-521: The nickname "Nuke". Crash forces Nuke to learn "not to think" by letting the catcher make the pitching calls. After Nuke shakes off his signs, he twice tells the batters what pitch is coming, leading to both players hitting home runs ; he also lectures him about the pressure of facing major league hitters who can hit his "heat" ( fastballs ). Crash talks about life in the major leagues, which he lived for "the 21 greatest days of my life" and to which he has tried for years to return. Meanwhile, as Nuke matures,

3498-524: The other zombies and even starts to cure them. With the zombie cure, the two main characters can now be together since they do not have a barrier between them anymore. Another strange set of circumstances is in Zack and Miri Make a Porno where the two protagonists are building a relationship while trying to make a pornographic film together. Both these films take the typical story arc and then add strange circumstances to add originality. Other romantic comedies flip

3564-430: The potential couple comprises polar opposites, two people of different temperaments, situations, social statuses, or all three ( It Happened One Night ), who would not meet or talk under normal circumstances, and the meet cute's contrived situation provides the opportunity for these two people to meet. Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists is a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and

3630-405: The previous edition. The Criterion Collection also released blu-ray and DVD editions of the film which included a new conversation between Shelton and film critic Michael Sragow . Romantic comedy The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two characters meet , part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately, realize their love for one another and reunite. Sometimes

3696-579: The regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. On January 5, 2010 it was reported by the Asheville Citizen-Times that Palace Sports and Entertainment have sold the Asheville Tourists for $ 7 million to former U.S. Senator and current Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine and his family. It was reported that Brian DeWine, son of Mike, would be the team president. The team is owned by DeWine Seeds-Silver Dollar Baseball. Governor DeWine has

3762-622: The relationship between Annie and Crash grows, until it becomes obvious that the two of them are a more appropriate match. After a rough start, Nuke becomes a dominant pitcher by mid-season, adding to the Bulls' good fortunes; in the end, he is called up to the major leagues. This incites jealous anger in Crash, who is frustrated by Nuke's failure to value the rare talent he has. Nuke leaves, Annie ends their relationship, and Crash overcomes his jealousy enough to leave Nuke with some final words of advice. The Bulls, now having no use for Nuke's mentor, call up

3828-590: The southern United States before settling on Durham in North Carolina because of its old ballpark and its location, "among abandoned tobacco warehouses and on the edge of an abandoned downtown and in the middle of a residential neighborhood where people could walk". According to NO BULL: The Real Story of the Rebirth of a Team and a City by Ron Morris, Shelton decided because the city was "run down with vacated tobacco warehouses and boarded up downtown storefronts" it made

3894-512: The sports genre. The real life Durham Bulls, playing in the single-A Carolina League at the time of the film's release, would later see the team open a new ballpark ( Durham Bulls Athletic Park ) in 1995, and would be promoted to the triple-A International League in 1998. In 2003, a 15th anniversary celebration of Bull Durham at the National Baseball Hall of Fame was canceled by Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey . Petroskey, who

3960-469: The standard conventions of the romantic comedy genre. In films like 500 Days of Summer , the two main interests do not end up together, leaving the protagonist somewhat distraught. Other films, like Adam, have the two main interests end up separated but still content and pursuing other goals and love interests. Some romantic comedies use reversal of gender roles to add comedic effect. These films contain characters who possess qualities that diverge from

4026-426: The two leads meet and become involved initially, then must confront challenges to their union. Sometimes they are hesitant to become romantically involved because they believe they do not like each other. This could be because one of the characters already has a partner or because of social pressures. However, the screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are attracted to each other and that they would be

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4092-462: The typical plot of "a light and humorous movie, play, etc., whose central plot is a happy love story" but with more complexity. Some romantic comedies have adopted special circumstances for the main characters, as in Warm Bodies where the protagonist is a zombie who falls in love with a human girl after eating her boyfriend. The effect of their love towards each other is that it starts spreading to

4158-617: Was on the White House staff during the Reagan administration , told Robbins that the actor's public opposition to the US-led war in Iraq helped to "undermine the U.S. position, which could put our troops in even more danger." Costner, a self-described libertarian , defended Robbins and Sarandon, saying, "I think Tim and Susan's courage is the type of courage that makes our democracy work. Pulling back this invite

4224-591: Was previously affiliated with the Texas Rangers (1976–81) and the Colorado Rockies (1994–2020). The team has subsequently won two additional league titles in 2012 and 2014. In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Tourists were organized into the High-A East . In 2022, the High-A East became known as the South Atlantic League, the name historically used by

4290-468: Was ranked #97. And in 2008, AFI included Bull Durham on its Top 10 Sports Films list as the #5 sports film. Bull Durham was originally released on DVD on October 27, 1998, and included an audio commentary by writer/director Ron Shelton. A Special Edition DVD was released on April 2, 2002, and included the Shelton commentary track from the previous edition, a new commentary by Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins,

4356-629: Was renovated. The team initially wanted a new name, and organized a fan vote to pick. However, fans voted overwhelmingly to keep the Tourists nickname. The team won two league titles, in 1961 and 1968. In 1968, the Tourists won the Southern League championship under manager Sparky Anderson , who went on to manage the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers during his 26 years in Major League Baseball . In 1972 Asheville became affiliated with

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