Bull Durham

Director: Ron Shelton (1988)

Cast: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Robert Wuhl

Fun fun fun. This farcicle look at life in the minor leagues in the late 1980’s stands the test of time. Tim Robbins, Kevin Costner and Robert Wuhl give great charicature performances of this brilliantly written and directed movie. The love story is intriguing, as well.

Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Robbins) a hot-shot rookie pitcher with the Single-A Durham Bulls, has his world upended — and eventually improved — when a journeyman minor-league catcher named “Crash” Davis (Costner) is demoted to serve as Nuke’s babysitter and mentor.

The relationship is contentious and hilarious, complicated by a love triangle initiated by “Baseball Annie” (Sarandon) — a Durham local who fancies herself a priestess in the “Church of Baseball.”

Over the course of one summer, three lives morph in a vortex of philosophy, humor and heart, with the backdrop of bare-bones baseball at its core.

Opinion/Review: If this movie doesn’t make you laugh multiple times, perhaps shed a tear or two, and make you want to go watch a minor-league baseball game soon as possible, check your head. This is a movie you can watch over and over; the supporting cast is incredible, even the characters with only a line or two, and it’s simply everything a movie should be: Fun and moving.

Fun Facts: Among several other major media outlets, Sports Illustrated has declared “Bull Durham” the No. 1 sports movie of all time. … Director Ron Shelton, who also wrote the screenplay, is a former minor-league baseball player himself. … Sarandon and Robbins, who met on the set of the film, eventually married and had two children before splitting up after 23 years.