That's Bull Durham

So late last night (actually, into the wee hours of this morning), I watched "Bull Durham", a good little baseball movie dating all the way back to 1988.

I had seen bits and pieces of this movie thru the years, but had never watched it start-to-finish in one sitting.

It was pretty good.  Not great, but good. Plenty of baseball action and dialogue, plus a good backstory or two.  (I could have gone without seeing Tim Robbins' backside though - yeesh!)

Roger Ebert, who I consider the best movie critic of all time, had this to say about the movie:

“Bull Durham” is a treasure of a movie because it knows so much about baseball and so little about love. The movie is a completely unrealistic romantic fantasy, and in the real world the delicate little balancing act of these three people would crash into pieces. But this is a movie, and so we want to believe in love, and we want to believe that once in a while lovers can get a break from fate. That’s why the movie’s ending is so perfect. Not because it seems just right, but because it seems wildly impossible, and we want to believe it anyway.

Considering Roger used the word "treasure" and "perfect", I'd say this movie made his good list.  Many in the movie industry put "Bull Durham" in their top 3 of baseball movies.

Watching "Bull Durham" got me thinking about other baseball movies -- and there are some good ones.

"Field of Dreams" (starring Kevin Costner, like "Bull Durham") is one of my all-time favorites.  The Moonlight Graham character in "Field of Dreams" is absolutely stunning, played masterfully by Burt Lancaster.

"For the Love of the Game" is yet another Kevin Costner baseball flick.  I don't remember anything in particular about it, just that it was good.

"Eight Men Out" is another good one.  Deals with the Black Sox scandal back in 1919.  I've watched it several times.

"Major League" is a funny movie -- not one of my favorites, but it's good for a laugh.

"A League of Their Own", another fantastic one about the first female baseball league.  Tom Hanks is a riot!

One of the newer baseball movies (2012) stars Clint Eastwood (and Timberlake) and is called "Trouble With the Curve".  It wasn't a blockbuster and didn't win any critical acclaim, but I found it to be excellent.  Well worth the watch.

I haven't seen "The Natural", one of the classics, or "Moneyball", supposedly one of the new classics.

Maybe next weekend.....

Out for now.....

Matt