I suspect that Bull Durham's strength is that you can watch it with pink or blue glasses on, and get a roughly equal amount of enjoyment out of it.
Buffista Movies 6: lies and videotape
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I think a lot of it was the buildup to it - I'd been told by EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE PLANET for years that it was THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER IN THE WORLD and would CHANGE MY LIFE AND MAKE ME LAUGH AND CRY AND DO MY TAXES AND LAUNDRY AND CURE WORLD HUNGER, and...it was a romantic comedy about baseball? Really?
Minus the romantic comedy about baseball part, this is exactly how I feel about Fight Club.
Minus the romantic comedy about baseball part, this is exactly how I feel about Fight Club.
Hee - and Fight Club is one of my favorite movies of all time. (It's a romantic comedy about fighting.)
It's a romantic comedy about fighting.
Heh. It's funny 'cause it's true.
What made Bull Durham for me were the character details (the discussion on the mound where person after person goes out to join the conversation, for instance). At the time I seriously couldn't care less about baseball (my brother and his wife have gotten me to appreciate watching a game recently, even if it's something I'd never do on my own).
Sports comedies with romance are usually bulletproof for me, but BD isn't. I watched it shortly after it came out, and it left me cold.
Meanwhile? I'm still considering purchasing Tin Cup. So I know it's not the Costner. Maybe it's the baseball?
Don't ask me. It's my brain, and I don't get it.
(It's also possible that the sports part didn't have enough oomph? Again, maybe it's the baseball. Maybe I'll watch it again and like it. Who knows. But the fact is, I wasn't kidding about Tin Cup. That one? I love.)
Loved Bull Durham. And I don't give a shit about baseball, so the fact that much of the comedy is making fun of baseball (affectionately, but still) is kind of a selling point.
We did see it when it came out, but I don't know if it was all that unusual at the time. The studios had some quirkier releases coming out then. In the summer of 1988 we got Big, Bull Durham, A Fish Called Wanda, and Midnight Run. Die Hard and Roger Rabbit were also released then, but I'd put them in a different category. All in all, it was a pretty good summer.
All in all, it was a pretty good summer.
Man, I miss smart comedy. With few exceptions, it seems like the only available flavors right now are either romantic comedies (ecch) or dumb-guy-kick-in-the-nuts comedies (ewww).
I am Jessica. No love for BD, massive love for FC.
I am the opposite of J. LOVE BD, find FC to be overly art-directed angsty twaddle with some good performances.
There are some moments of brilliance in Fight Club, and I might watch it again (actually, I would, because I am a sucker for people beating each other up. Comedy GOLD, people), but overall, eh. I really liked HBC in it, though, and I feel like I haven't gotten to say that much lately.
Bull Durham, I will watch any time it comes up. Actually, I will happily watch any Kevin Costner sports movie (I think I own Tin Cup somewhere).
Finally watched PotC: At World's End and Ocean's Thirteen. Eh on the first one, and yays on the second. I liked seeing the guys back in Vegas (and the twins making trouble in Mexico was HI-larious).