Customer Reviews

Bull Durham: Special Edition (Widescreen/Full Screen) [Import]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Couldn't they have included the often talked about deleted scenes??? I LOVE this movie: its part of my annual opening day celebration. So my rating isn't on that. But I rented this newest version instead of buying and I'm glad I did.

The additions to this version don't make it worth upgrading if you already have it on DVD. It was neat to listen to Kevin and Tim giggle through the movie, but I wish they had included the deleted scenes Kevin and Ron talk about.

Sorry, people, but this is THE best film about baseball ever made. To have a character like Annie Savoy (Saranden) liken this sport to a religion is priceless and probably true. The meetings on the mound, especially the one about wedding gifts ("Candles sticks are good.") puts professional sports and those bohuncks who think they can be the next Ted Williams, Michael Jordon, Tiger Woods, or Emmit Smith, into a clear perspective.

When Bull Durham came out, it set the gold standard for baseball movies. The funny thing about it, though, is even if you are not a baseball fan, this is a movie to see. The writing, the direction, and the acting all are top notch in this movie, which is funny and tocuhing. Susan Sarandon is stunning and may have turned in the years best performance as a "baseball Annie" with both looks and a brain. Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins are great and the supporting cast is terrific. The DVD is wonderful, with good colors and delightful extras. The commentary with Costner and Robbins is a lot of fun. This is one DVD that will be a great addition to anyone's collection.

Often mentioned as 'one of the best sports movies ever.' I'm gonna go farther and say BULL DURHAM is one of the finest movies of the past 30 years. Ron Shelton directs from his own screenplay. And that screenplay makes modern poets out of baseball players; clever words consistently spewing from the mouths of wanna be Babe Ruths. The language is as integral to the success of the film as the wonderful performances.

At its core, the story focuses on the love triangle involving Annie Savoy (Brilliant Susan Sarandon), Crash Davis (Kevin Costner in a rare unpretentious performance) and Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (A career launching Tim Robbins). Minor league ball is the backdrop, which allows for grand slam of well-executed comedy and just a touch of pathos. Robert Wuhl's assistant coach is so finely tuned; he can bring you to hysterical tears with his optimistic yes man. The ultimate 'chick flick for guys', Bull Durham is filmmaking at its greatest.

This new Deluxe DVD includes the informative commentary by Director/writer Ron Shelton (Tin Cup) that was on the original DVD release, but it is the commentary by stars Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins that is the big sell here. Robbins sounds to be getting more inebriated as the film proceeds and Costner is surprisingly open, exposing his own foibles and piling on the Susan Sarandon compliments higher then her husband. There is also a new documentary on he making of the film and Minor League baseball in general.

"I'm the player to be named later"

This film was my favorite baseball movie until "61*" appeared, but it's still a classic. Some really great performances, but the chemistry is what's outstanding. There are some weaknesses, but this film pretty much defines synergy -- it's greater than the sum of its parts.

The Costner/Robbins commentary is great fun, in part because Costner isn't afraid to open up and criticize the pitfalls of the movie-making process. His descriptions of the deleted/alternate scenes leave us longing for a 20th anniversary edition (should there be one) that could include them. It also would have been great to hear Susan Sarandon's comments. The guys clearly hadn't seen the movie in a while and there's quite a bit of genuine laughter. Early in the commentary, Costner says something like, "If weren't not careful, we're just going to sit here and watch this thing." You get the impression that he's drawing Robbins out and helping him to become more comfortable -- remarkably like the Crash/Nuke relationship by the end of the film.

If the deleted/alternate scenes would have been included, I would have given this edition 5 stars. Regardless, it's worth owning.

This film has many pleasures but its greatest is seeing Kevin Costner at the height of his romantic leading man roles. He is incredibly appealing and attractive in this film and if you can't figure out nowadays why women were once crazy about him, this film will show you. This is the first film I'd ever seen Tim Robbins in and he is very comedic and winning as a young baseball rookie on the rise. Susan Sarandon, the romantic interest for both men, is solid throughout, as usual. This was the film where she met Robbins, who became her longtime companion. The story is both baseball and romance oriented. It is set in the minor leagues, not the majors, with the Robbins' character showing every sign of breaking out of the minors and into the majors and the Costner character having to come to grips with how soon one is over the hill in this game. Sarandon's character has an affair with a minor league ballplayer every summer which never lasts past the close of the season. She doesn't intend to change her record for either Robbins or Costner. This film, "No Way Out" and "Dances with Wolves," are the films where you will see why Costner's fans were legion at one time.

If you love baseball, then odds are you've seen & love Bull Durham, a sexy fun dramady starring Kevin Costner, Susan Surandon & Tim Robbins. It's easily one of the best baseball movies ever made and the first of three in Mr. Costner's Baseball Trilogy (Field of Dreams & For Love of The Game would follow).

The extra features included in this Special Edition are pretty nice. Plus I also enjoyed the extra outer packaging sleeve that comes with the DVD case. It's all white and looks like a big baseball. The classic picture of Kevin standing next to a car with a beer in one hand and a bat in the other, with Susan perched beside him is still what's on the actual DVD case. For the first time we actually get the trailers to Bull Durham and I really enjoyed watching the teaser & theatrical trailers. But does anyone remember the original TV spots which always ended with the bathtub scene and seeing the candles getting put out with a splash of water? The new making of documentary: Between the Lines, is a nice retrospective look back at the movie, with everyone involved, from Kevin, Susan & Tim, to director Ron Shelton himself, plus Robert Wuhl and others. What also makes it fun is real Bull Durham baseball players also comment on the film and really give you the dirt on how it measured up to really being in the minors. The other featurettes: Kevin Costner Profile & Sports Wrap are a little disappointing because they're very short (maybe 4 minutes each) and aren't new, just old featurettes made during the filming of the movie. But they're still nice to have. The Photo Gallery is nice too, but don't expect a lot of pics. There's about maybe a hundred or so. Now some of you will be surprised to learn that the Joe Cocker music video is not on the DVD. I mean it might be a hidden easter egg but I doubt it. More likely they were unable to get the rights to it and therefore not allowed to include it on the disc. Which is sad because it's a great song. I was lucky enough to get the soundtrack on CD which has been out of print for years. They really should re-release it because the songs are just wonderful!

The audio commentaries included are both fun & insightful. If you own the previous release of Bull Durham on DVD then you already have the Ron Shelton commentary which I enjoyed a lot. He gives a lot of great stories and explanations about the film that really open your eyes a bit more. But the real gem is the new commentary between Kevin Costner & Tim Robbins. One thing you'll notice right away is all the scenes Kevin talks about that didn't make the final cut. It's a real shame there's no deleted scenes section on this DVD so we could actually see them because they sound pretty good. There's a couple of freindly jabs from Kevin on how Tim was lucky enough to end up with Susan Surandon and how he didn't even know they were dating during filming. It does get a little intense when the love scene between she and Kevin comes up. Tim says "This is the part of the movie I don't like watching". But Kevin handles the tension nicely like a pro and talks about other things during the scene. It's a lot of fun. I wish these guys did another movie togeher! The ironic thing I noticed is that Ron Shelton states that, regarding the famous speech given by Kevin at Susan's house, that he doesn't really like it and would not've written it the same way had he made the film today. While Kevin, in his audio commentary says that it's a great speech but he didn't deliver it well enough and the strength of it lies with the words themsleves. That's what made it powerful, not his acting. Personally I think he's too hard on himself. Plus I always smile during the part of the speech when he says "I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone", since Kevin starred in JFK. It's a great speech and he does it perfectly.

For some reason MGM decided to give both a widescreen version and a standard pan & scan version for this DVD release, which means no cover art on the front of the disc. I don't understand why they needed the standard version since the film only has a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. But one reason you may want to consider keeping your old copy of Bull Durham on DVD is that the previous release was presented in THX for superior picture and sound quality. The new special edition version is not. And I think the THX version does look better too. Guess MGM didn't feel like using it for their release.

You don't have to be a baseball fan to love this movie. The acting is great, the characters are great, the music is timeless, & the romantic side is just as strong and touching as anything else. Pick up this special edition of Bull Durham. While your at it, pick up the rest of Mr. Costner's baseball trilogy on DVD and then watch 'em all back to back. You'll be glad you did.

Bull Durham -Rated the #1 Sports Movie of All Time by Sports Illustrated

"I'm the player to be named later" - Kevin Costner as Crash Davis

Former minor league ballplayer, Ron Shelton crafted a funny, sentimental and romantic comedy based around a minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls. The film uses baseball as a backdrop for a love triangle between a local lady, a career minor league and a young phenom. Kevin Costner stars as Crash Davis, a savvy veteran catcher who dispenses his wisdom on a young fireballer Nuke Lalush played by Tim Robbins. Between the two of them is Annie played by Susan Sarandon. Every season she picks a player who she dates for the season and dispenses her own brand of wisdom. The film is full of rich and humorous dialogue and unlike most baseball films, offers a fairly realistic look at the game. Mr. Costner has never been better than in this film, where his everyman persona is perfect. He knows his career is winding down and he'll never fully realize his baseball dreams, but he can give back to the game he loves by helping the ignorant Nuke. Mr. Robbins became a star with his hilarious turn as the goofball Nuke and Ms. Sarandon simmers in her lusty role. Comedian Robert Wuhl garnered attention as a cliche spewing bench coach. Bull Durham is an immensely enjoyable, well made comedy that will appeal to a more mature sense of humor.

I loved "Bull Durham,". Not only the best sports movie but truly one of the best movies I've ever seen.

But has anybody else noticed that it's also one of the sexiest movies ever made? Most movie sex is either boring or just embarrassing. In Bull Durham some of the sex scenes at the beginning (with Annie and her protege, Nuke,) are laugh-out-loud funny. But wow, that final one between Crash and Annie has got to be one of the biggest turn-on scenes in cinema history! And whoever chose the Dominoes singing "Sixty-Minute Man" as the sound track for that marathon display of sexual energy is some kinda genius. Tell you a secret, guys. You want to turn your date on? Don't take her to some x-rated gross-out flick. Rent Bull Durham.

BULL DURHAM IS AN IRREVERANT ROMP THROUGH THE MINOR LEAGUES STARRING KEVIN COSTNER AND SUSAN SARANDON AS TWO PEOPLE WHO WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING TO BE TOGETHER AND YET BOTH WIND UP PULLING AWAY AND LETTING THE NEW PHENOM (PLAYED BY TIM ROBBINS) COME BETWEEN THEM.

CRASH DAVIS (COSTNER) IS A CATCHER WITH 10 YEARS IN THE MINORS WHO HAS BEEN ASKED TO WORK WITH THE LATEST "MILLION-DOLLAR ARM". HE HAS TO HELP THE PITCHER LEARN THE ROPES OF THE MENTAL GAME OF BASEBALL AS HE LEARNS TO FIND HIS CONTROL IN HIS PITCHING.

SUSAN SARANDON'S CHARACTER IS ANNIE SAVOY, WHOSE NAME HARKS TO THE FEMALE HANGERS-ON THAT OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN KNOWN IN BASEBALL AS "BASEBALL ANNIES". THESE WOMEN ARE GROUPIES WHO WILL DO ANYTHING TO SLEEP WITH A BALLPLAYER. ANNIE SAVOY IS ANYTHING BUT A "BASEBALL ANNIE", HOWEVER. SHE BELIEVES IN "THE RELIGION OF BASEBALL" BECAUSE IT DOESN'T LAY ANY GUILT ON YOU. MEANWHILE, SHE COMMITS HERSELF SEXUALLY TO ONE MAN EACH SEASON (THE PHENOM IN THIS CASE), AND LEGEND HAS IT THAT HER LOVER FOR THE SEASON WILL HAVE THE BEST YEAR OF HIS CAREER.

THERE IS TOO MUCH LANGUAGE IN THIS MOVIE, AND A LOT OF SEX. THERE IS ALSO THE SQUARE BORN-AGAIN PLAYER AND THE BLONDE WHO SEEMS TO SLEEP WITHANY GUY WHO WEARS A PROTECTIVE CUP.

THERE IS EVEN A WEDDING IN THE OFFING, BUT I WON'T SPOIL THE SURPRISE. YOU'LL HAVE TO WATCH THE FILM TO SEE WHO MARRIES WHO.

THIS IS A MOVIE WELL WORTH WATCHING. FIX YOURSELF A BIG BOWL OF HOT BUTTERED POPCORN AND SEE COSTNER AT HIS MOST LUSCIOUS AND SARANDON AT HER MOST BEGUILING.