Bull Durham

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Bull Durham

R

1988

1h 48m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

75 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In Durham, N.C., the Bulls minor league baseball team has one asset no other can claim: a poetry-loving groupie named Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon). As the team's season begins, Annie selects brash new recruit Ebby Calvin Laloosh (Tim Robbins), whom she christens "Nuke," to inspire with the religion of baseball. Nuke also receives guidance from veteran player Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), who settles Nuke's erratic pitching and teaches him to follow the catcher's lead.

Critics Consensus

Kevin Costner is at his funniest and most charismatic in Bull Durham, a film that's as wise about relationships as it is about minor league baseball.

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

03/20/2013

3/4

Screwball Annie and hardball Crash aren't playing the same game, which is Shelton's conceit as well as a possible screen-writing miscalculation.

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

03/20/2013

Ron Shelton, who wrote and directed the film, displays a knowledge of and affection for the national pastime. You can see it in the knowing detail he brings to even the minor characters.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

03/11/2013

[Shelton is] uncanny at putting us inside his players' heads when they're on the mound or up at bat, running their private litanies of encouragement and subversion to psych themselves up.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

04/14/2025

The fact that Bull Durham savors the scuzzier side of the game makes it all the more romantic.

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Rachel Wagner

Hallmarkies Podcast

04/07/2025

A sexy movie with great chemistry between its stars

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Dan Buffa

Ramble On With Buffa (Substack)

08/13/2024

A

Crash was different, and that’s why he and the movie stand above most, if not all, baseball and sports films for me. Director Ron Shelton captured the minor league grind and added a bevy of edgy humor to the proceedings, starting with Costner’s aging pro.

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Jason H

@RT50328122 Apr 1

Without question the best baseball movie I have seen.

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Evelyn X

@yiyi1111 Feb 2

This is a story about a talented rookie, a veteran catcher, and a spiritual mentor. I wonder if the storyteller intentionally made the 'life guide' a female character, depicting a woman willing to dedicate herself to the growth of one chosen man. The veteran catcher seems to envy the rookie's raw talent—a natural gift he lacks despite his hard work. He analyzes the game and predicts the next pitch with incredible accuracy. Ironically, the saddest part is that the pitcher reaches the Major Leagues under his guidance, while the veteran is released from the team due to his age. Perhaps his advice to the rookie was the ultimate truth: avoid self-indulgence, save your energy, and delay gratification. This realization allows him to let go and finally pursue the woman he loves. Yet, he remains pragmatic, leaving silently one morning to continue his career. I never imagined that he, rather than the genius, would be the one to return.

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Larry K

@Larrymoses39 Jan 16

I honestly expected more from this movie. Some fun parts but just never hit it's stride.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 20

Great movie. I liked it because it wasn't actually about baseball. Bro Tim Robbins is awesome!!!!!

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tommy J

@RT55566390 Nov 1

Another great baseball movie starring Kevin Costner.

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Frans B

@FransB Sep 23

Ron Shelton did good with this one. Stellar cast all performs convincingly in character. Very well written with lots of attention to detail and great storyline. Funny, sharp witted and very entertaining. Captures the whole ambiance of minor league baseball effectively. Very good cinematography. Memorable movie

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Ron Shelton

Director

Kevin Costner

Crash Davis

Susan Sarandon

Annie Savoy

Tim Robbins

Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh

Trey Wilson

Joe Riggins

Robert Wuhl

Larry Hockett

Bull Durham: Official Clip - The No-No Word

1:24

Bull Durham: Official Clip - Annie Seduces Nuke

2:54

Bull Durham: Official Clip - On-the-Mound Convention

1:56

Bull Durham: Official Clip - Winning's Better Than Losing

1:53

Bull Durham: Official Clip - What Crash Believes

2:25

Bull Durham: Official Clip - Getting Woolly

2:55

Bull Durham: Official Clip - I Want You

2:42

Bull Durham: Official Clip - Kitchen Love

1:15

Bull Durham: Official Clip - Strikeouts are Fascist

1:27

Bull Durham: Official Clip - Get the Broad Out of Your Head

3:27

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Synopsis

In Durham, N.C., the Bulls minor league baseball team has one asset no other can claim: a poetry-loving groupie named Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon). As the team's season begins, Annie selects brash new recruit Ebby Calvin Laloosh (Tim Robbins), whom she christens "Nuke," to inspire with the religion of baseball. Nuke also receives guidance from veteran player Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), who settles Nuke's erratic pitching and teaches him to follow the catcher's lead.

Director: Ron Shelton
Producer: Thom Mount, Mark Burg
Screenwriter: Ron Shelton
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: The Mount Company
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 15, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $49.9M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround