Bull Durham
Movie, 1988, The '80s, Set in Minor-league baseball
Bull Durham is #5 of 35 in release order and #5 of 35 in chronological order in the Sports Movies.
The story
Veteran catcher Crash Davis is brought to the minor league Durham Bulls to help their up and coming pitching prospect, "Nuke" Laloosh. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start and is further complicated when baseball groupie Annie Savoy sets her sights on the two men.
Bull Durham recap
Bull Durham (1988) follows Crash Davis, a veteran minor-league catcher sent to the Durham Bulls to tutor a wild young pitcher bound for the majors. Ron Shelton writes and directs the baseball comedy, drawing on his own years in the minor leagues. Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), twelve years in the minors with only 21 days in the big leagues, is assigned to Ebby Calvin LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), a pitcher with a huge fastball and no control. Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon), who worships at what she calls the Church of Baseball, picks one Bulls player each season as her lover and student. Crash walks away from her offer, so she takes up with Ebby, nicknames him "Nuke", reads him poetry and has him wear garters while he pitches. Crash teaches Nuke to stop thinking and trust the catcher's calls, at one point telling a batter what pitch is coming. As Nuke improves, Annie and Crash are drawn to each other. In this list Bull Durham comes after Hoosiers and before Field of Dreams.
Bull Durham ending explained
Bull Durham ends with Crash returning to Annie's porch after his playing days are over. Nuke is called up to the majors, Annie ends things with him, and the Bulls release Crash, who spends a weekend with Annie before signing with the Asheville Tourists. There he breaks the minor-league career home-run record. Nuke turns up on television reciting the cliches Crash taught him. Crash comes back to Durham, Annie says she is done with her yearly ballplayers, and he mentions a possible managing job in Visalia before they dance in her candlelit living room.
Post-credits scenes
No. Bull Durham has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Bull Durham
Bull Durham is streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, YouTube TV, YouTube (free), TNT, and TBS in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes 97%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Hoosiers, before Field of Dreams.
- Chronological order: after Hoosiers, before Field of Dreams.
Cast
- Kevin Costner as Crash Davis
- Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy
- Tim Robbins as Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh
- Trey Wilson as Skip
- Robert Wuhl as Larry
- William O'Leary as Jimmy
- David Neidorf as Bobby
- Danny Gans as Deke
- Tom Silardi as Tony
- Jenny Robertson as Millie
- Rick Marzan as Jose
- George Buck as Nuke's Father
Directed by Ron Shelton.