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BULL DURHAM WEEK
On the eve of its 20th anniversary, we look back at one of the greatest sports movies of all time
by Chris Sprow and Ted Bauer
Getty Images
Since its release on June 15, 1988, Bull Durham has universally been considered one of the best sports movies ever made. But is it more than that? We think so.
As the film turns 20, The Mag.com talked to two of its stars (Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner), writer/director Ron Shelton and also one half of the famed, "Two Thumbs Up!", Chicago-based film critic Richard Roeper.
To round things out, ESPN Magazine senior editor Jon Scher, who was working in Durham during the movie's filming, captured the vibe of a town about to hit the big time. Everything you need is below. Enjoy and remember: it's always OK to believe in the Church of Baseball.
An interview with Bull Durham writer/director Ron Shelton
[Ed.'s note: It's Bull Durham week at ESPN The Mag.com! All week we'll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the movie. Today, writer/director Ron Shelton gets philosophical on the grind of the minor leagues.]
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An interview with Nuke Laloosh, a.k.a. Tim Robbins
Welcome back to Bull Durham week here at Mag.Com. Yesterday, we dropped an interview with writer/director Ron Shelton. Now, we present Tim Robbins. His turn as unfocused hurler Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh was his first major role, unless you count Howard the Duck as "major" (we're torn, but leaning no). Since then, he's directed arguably one of the best films of the 1990s (Dead Man Walking), won an Oscar (Mystic River), appeared in such diverse roles as Andy in The Shawshank Redemption and the title character in Bob Roberts—and oh, he happens to be one of the most politically-active celebrities out there. Lest we forget to mention, he met his partner (they're not married) Susan Sarandon on the set of Bull Durham; they have two sons. It's a good thing Annie didn't end up with Crash, because Tim Robbins has led a blessed life, full of large satellite dishes, odd Presidential endorsements, drinking from the Stanley Cup and appreciating Clint Eastwood for the physical specimen he is. Read up.
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An interview with Crash Davis, a.k.a. Kevin Costner
[Ed's note: Welcome back to Bull Durham Week. Check out some of our other content this week: an interview with writer/director Ron Shelton and an interview with Tim Robbins. The 20th anniversary of the film's release is this upcoming Sunday.]
When Kevin Costner was cast in the role of Crash Davis, he didn't yet have a big Hollywood name. He was 33, and still needed that one huge break. And at the time, he was still hell bent on proving to director Ron Shelton that he could hit a fastball. He even hit two on the set, just for good measure. Afterwards, he was on his way—and was soon directing Oscar-winning films, and starring in other epic baseball flicks. For our good measure. With Bull Durham twenty years in his rear view mirror as of this week, we caught up with Costner, and made him turn off SportsCenter for a few minutes to tell us a little about it.
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A Magazine editor - who was in Durham in 1988 - reflects on the filming of the movie
[Ed's note: Welcome back to Bull Durham Week here at ESPNtheMag.com. You can also check out some of our other content this week right here. It includes an interview with writer/director Ron Shelton, as well as interviews with a pair of the stars he cast, actor Tim Robbins, and the man who played Crash Davis, Kevin Costner. Today, one of our editors recalls living down in Durham, North Carolina as the film was being shot. The 20th anniversary of the film's release is this upcoming Sunday. ]
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A Bull Durham Photo Gallery (that somehow features Sarah Jessica Parker!)
What better way to celebrate Bull Durham week - it concludes tomorrow with an interview with "thumb" Richard Roeper - then by looking at a series of images related to the film and its release 20 years ago this Sunday? (None better, we tell you!) So, take a look.
Access the Bull Durham Photo Gallery right here.
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Film critic and baseball fan Richard Roeper tells us where Bull Durham stacks up.
We've reached the end of The Mag.Com's Bull Durham Week. (The actual 20th anniversary of the film is this Sunday.) After interviews with Ron Shelton, Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner—as well as reflections from Mag senior editor Jon Scher and a gallery of movie-related pics—we turned to Chicago-based movie critic Richard Roeper—a "thumb" with Rogert Ebert since 2000—to put Bull Durham in the proper context. He shared more, like an appreciation for Paul Newman's fur coat in Slap Shot, his horror upon reading Ball Four and a take on Nuke's professional equivalent.
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