MovieChat Forums > Bull Durham (1988) Discussion > anyone else hate this film with a passio...

anyone else hate this film with a passion?




This film sucks monkey balls. It always comes second in the best sports films of all time list, that just goes to show how crappy the entire genre is if this is considered the second best. (raging bull always gets the top spot and it transcends any sports film paradigm) the final sequence is just the last nail in the coffin, susan and kevin, madly making love in like seven different locales in here house. Also the kevin pool hall scene where he is drunk of jim beam is so contrite it makes me want to throw up. over all this film blows!!

reply

"anyone else hate this film with a passion?"

11 days later and no replies. No dude, it's just you.

Great film, in any genre.

reply

there has been practically no activity on this board for more than 11 days... and this movie continues to suck monkey balls regardless of whatever silly notions you may harbor of this terrible movie AND genre.

reply

Your very ignorant...great baseball movie...it's just you dude...seriously

"It's not the years honey, it's the mileage..."

reply

Ignorant!? you are ignorant of grammar, dude... seriously. Man sorry maybe I just am not good enough to fully understand the appeal of the "show."

Obviously me disliking this movie with a passion and alternatively loving Raging Bull shows my clear ignorance.

Tim Robbins and Costner both just show AMAZING performances in this INCREDIBLE movie about amateurs in one of the most fascinating cities in NC.

Susan Serandon's character is just so high class and worthy of our praises also.



reply

Ignorant troll

reply

Hey rjacks-off...get a life loser...if you don't like the flick, why are you posting here?....moron

reply

Bull Durham sucks monkey balls!!!!! AND I WILL NEVER STOP!!!

reply

I am a woman and I like this movie. And what is with the continuous "monkey balls" usage? I think you have too much time on your hands, rjackso3, and need to get a life.

reply

Monkey Balls...

Considering this is a chick flick it is unsurprising that you are in to this ridiculous excuse of a movie...

However, your gender does not excuse you from liking this horrendously awful film.

Why don't YOU get a life and start discovering films that don't suck so fuqing hard!!

Costner, Robbins, and Sarandon, all do terrible acting jobs in this film!!


Why don't one of you a$$clowns describe to me WHY this film is good and worthy of merit and laud?

reply

rjackso3, you seem offended by this film. Relax, it's just a movie.

"Why don't one of you describe to me WHY this film is good and worthy of merit and laud?"

I'll give it a shot...

Bull Durham is by far the most authentic portrayal of any sport in the history of motion pictures. If you have ever played baseball, you will truly appreciate all of the subtleties and references in this film.

Kevin Costner gives one of his best performances as veteran catcher and philosoper, Crash Davis. He is the tragic hero of the film, a man who loves the game more than it will ever love him. He deserves so much better, and you can't help but feel for him when he finally hits his record breaking homerun in front of a half-empty crowd, none of whom know the significance of his achievement.

There are priceless scenes, such as when Nuke tells Crash that he is going to the Majors, and he sees an aging ballplayer whose glory days are behind him, wasting away in a pool hall. Crash's speech that follows about the difference between hitting .250 and .300 is one of the smartest and most sincere speeches you will ever see in a film. Also, it is one of the most quoted sports films, and you are sure to hear several lines whenever you attend a baseball game.

Bull Durham separates itself from every other sports movie because it does not rely on the game-winning homerun, or the last-second touchdown. The themes are more important and lasting than that. There are some hilarious scenes, but there are also some truly heartfelt scenes that will leave a lasting impression on the viewer.

reply

you make good points jawzet,

The last time I played baseball was in 1997, I always played lacrosse in the springs of my youth... I admit I am biased and do not look at this movie through the eyes of an avid ball player (I have been going to Orioles games, twice a month during the season since 1995 though)

I wouldn't go as far as saying Crash's speech describing the difference between .250 and .300 is one of the most sincere speeches one will hear in film, but it is quite relevant to the subject matter and is one of the more poignant sequences of the movie. In retrospect that speech stands alone in the film, and is quite relevant in many aspects of life beyond fictional baseball.

I still take issue with Susan Serandon's plot line as well as much of what I would consider the pointless scenes in the film (the flooded baseball diamond scene etc)...

you make convincing points. This film is not for me, but obviously it resonates with many folks out there and I respect that...


I will reiterate my love for Raging Bull... but recognize the place in film history (and people's hearts) for this picture...

Bravo, jawzet, good post, and the seriousness is appreciated.

Non the less much of this movie seems 'silly' to me...

I lived in Greensboro for a long time and saw a few Hornets games.



I am a hater but, it was all in fun

--rjackso3


reply

actually, if you read the 'trivia' section for this film, you'll see that the flooded diamond thing was a reference to something that Ron Shelton (the director) attempted when he was in the minors.

i'm not a huge baseball fan, but i love this film. it may not be realistic, it may be a little silly, but i don't knwo that i personally need a film to be serious from opening to closing credits to be good.

jawzet's comment that costner's character loves the game more than it will ever love him was nicely put...

"you don't get any medals for trying - you're supposed to do that"

reply

... Crash Davis. He is the tragic hero of the film, a man who loves the game more than it will ever love him.


I like that too. In a comment about another sports movie (Les Chiefs (2004)),millwallkieron wrote:
In a way, it's a sad story of dreams that refuse to come true.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410214/usercomments

That is apt here, though representing a slightly different in outlook.

reply

[deleted]

Hey rJACKS - OFF....ya homo...get a life...if you don't like the flick, don't watch it...and get off this board...ya moron...."WAAAAAA....WAAAAAA...I don't like the movie....WAAAAAA....WAAAAAA"

reply

nice, homophobic slurs.... you are realllll enlightened..

why don't you comment on some films, your comment history is quite short and your comments tend to be well, idiotic...

You are taking the time out of your life to comment on what you perceive to be my spurious comments.... so why don't YOU get a life instead of just telling me to get one


WAAAAA WAAAA WAAAA I dont like people saying bad things about Bull Durham! WAAaA WAAAAAAAAAAA


you sir, are a fuqer...

reply

[deleted]

[deleted]

[deleted]

I agree with OP, this movie is so cliched and boring.

If you want a similar movie that is actually funny Major League is much better.

reply

I think Bull Durham is the thinking man's Major League.

I love both movies, but this one is sharp and funny, Major League is just plain funny.

As for cliched, Major League stole from this movie big time.

reply

"anyone else hate this film with a passion?"

Not me.

reply

I think Bull Durham is the thinking man's Major League.

I love both movies, but this one is sharp and funny, Major League is just plain funny.

As for cliched, Major League stole from this movie big time.
Absolutely true.

And for those saying that this movie was clueless about baseball itself, the freakin' director spent years in the minor leagues. So I find it a little hard to believe that it's so incredibly unrealistic.

The parts of it that haven't aged well are Sarandon's character - who went from sexy in the late 80's to just kind of annoying in 2010. But overall, this is a great movie - best baseball movie of all time in my book.

reply

"If you want a similar movie that is actually funny Major League is much better."

Whoa, really? I literally have seen every single baseball movie since 1970. Every baseball movie. Not some, every single one. Bull Durham is the best movie about baseball. It captures every little nuance from the standpoint of the fans, the players and so called management.

Comparing this movie to Raging Bull is a disservice to DeNiro and Scorsese. They are completely different animals. Raging Bull was a study in similar contrasts. What made Jake La Motta great was what destroyed him. What made Crash Davis great did not destroy him or his relationships.

I really don't know what the OP intended by even creating this topic. There are an a$$ load of movies I hate with a passion and would never deign to watch. I don't waste my time creating posts about them..in fact I don't even go to boards of movies I hate with a passion.

reply

Huge baseball fan, don't like Bull Durham. It's ridiculously overrated.

Agree with the people who said Major League is better. Major League has much better characters, more charismatic actors, and displays more knowledge about the game. And it's consistently funny throughout without being ridiculous.

Bull Durham is a big ball of cliches done in a corny, overdone style. Plus there are just some stupid scenes in Bull Durham that come off really bad. The 8 minute love scene is truly terrible. The scene toward the end with Sarandon and Costner in the kitchen eating cereal is embarrassingly bad--shoulda been cut.

Costner should play poker--he wears the same expression the entire movie. You can see how uncomfortable he gets when he knows he's supposed to be funny and carry the scene--like when the whole team is meeting at the mound and he recaps what they've talked about to the manager. It should be funny but Costner bumbles it.

Look I know it tries to capture the world of minor league baseball in an affectionate way, but that affection congeals as soon as it hits the screen.

For a much better example of Ron Shelton's work, rent White Men Can't Jump or The Best of Times.


OP is on the money on this one.


reply

Major League displays more knowledge about the game? How? Like the Tom Berringer character driving a $500 car and being embarrassed to make league minimum? Or how a few washed up big leaguers and replacement level rookies can win enough to generate excitement just by being motivated enough?

reply

findanddestryatlantis in right. The league minimum was $68,000 and that was the rookie salary. If you've been a major leaguer for several years that minimum is significantly higher than that.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?


reply

I just finished my first (and certainly last) viewing.

I didn't hate it, but it is INSANELY overrated. One of the best sports movies ever?? Please. It's not even the best baseball movie ever. It was pretty boring, to tell you the truth.

And Susan Sarandon's character is a total distraction. I HATE it when a movie has a character that's supposed to be some sexpot type of woman, and then they go and cast someone who flat out simply is not attractive.

There's a word for women like that. That word is "skank."

Susan Sarandon is a skank. Was a skank then, and is an old skank now.

This movie has not aged well at all. I've found that to be the case with a huge number of movies made in the 80s, especially movies that were also set in the 80s, like this one.

reply

I was going to post, but I read your comment brian-740, and realised you'd pretty much said everything I wanted to.

I didn't like the film at all. Not saying it's crap or anything, it just didn't appeal to me even remotely.

That said, I wonder if it helps to like it if you're from the US? I'm from England and have little, if any, knowledge of baseball, so this could feasibly be detrimental to my enjoyment of the movie.





I've been a fool but you know I wouldn't kill for you...

reply

It doesn't suck, but it is the single most overrated sports film in history. It's not even close to being the best baseball movie ever made, let alone one of the best sports movies ever made. Major League is much funnier and much more likeable and The Natural and Field of Dreams capture the mythical nature of baseball. I'm always amazed that this film rates so highly on certain lists. As a diehard baseball fan, I know no one personally that thinks Durham is the best baseball movie ever made.

reply

Saw it once, and dubbed it "Dull Boreham" afterwards... That about sums it up for me... ;-)

reply

[deleted]

I just watched this film for the first time last night after a friend raved about it. I thought the writing was terrible and Kevin Costner can't act his way out of a wet paper bag. The character of Annie Savoy is totally unrealistic and I found her very irritating. I don't get what all the hype is about, but this was a real disappointment.

"Knew him? He was delicious!"

reply

I agree mostly with you guys. It had some good insights into baseball but ultimately it can't decide whether it wants to be about Robbins, baseball or sex in weird places.

reply

@showgirl. I just watched the movie yesterday.I agree with you about everything.It was hard for me to finish the movie(but I did).It was dull and I couldn't care less about the characters.I don't hate it with a passion but I didn't like it and have no desire in ever watching it again.It's clear other people have a completely different opinion on this movie for them to defend it and call it a great movie.

reply

Saw it once, and dubbed it "Dull Boreham" afterwards... That about sums it up for me... ;-)
OK, I liked the movie, but that's pretty good.

reply

You people are out of your minds. Forget sports, it's one of the great movies. Period. A pop culture classic that deserves every accolade. It's smart, funny, well observed with a brain as big as it's heart. It's honest. It shows a piece of life when you're on your way out in a real way. Not to mention it's funny and sexy the way few films ever are now. And Sarandon, well, she just lights up the screen. The world it depicts has passed on, yes, but man if it didn't nail the mischief, sadness and emotion of middle age.

reply

Exactly!

reply