“Bull Durham” is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina.

Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) is a perennial Minor Leaguer assigned to the Durham Bulls, a hapless team with a long tradition of mediocrity. There he tutors a young, dim-witted pitching prodigy, Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) in the ways of baseball, life, and love. Each strikes up a romance with Annie (Susan Sarandon), the team’s “mascot” who takes it upon herself to sleep with a new player every season.

Each has his/her own conflict: Crash struggles to end his career with some measure of dignity; Nuke struggles to make it to the “big show”; and Annie struggles to find something more than a roll in the hay – and of course, Crash and Nuke come into conflict over Annie’s affections to further complicate matters. The film treats the sport of baseball with a sort of casual reverence, highlighting both the drama and the humor inherent in the game, illustrated by Annie’s numerous references to baseball as “her religion”.

Bull Durham was a commercial success, grossing over $50 million in North America, well above its estimated budget, and was a critical success as well. Sports Illustrated ranked it the #1 Greatest Sports Movie of all time. In addition, the film is ranked #55 on Bravo’s “100 Funniest Movies.” It is also ranked #97 on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Laughs” list, and #1 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the 53 best-reviewed sports movies of all time.

Source link: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bull_durham/