NEW ULM – The 1988 romantic comedy “Bull Durham” is next on deck for the New Ulm Film Society’s next screening in its Baseball Film Series. 

The screening starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 9 at the New Ulm Public Library.

“Bull Durham” is cited as a romantic comedy set in the world of Minor League Baseball. The film title is a reference to the Durham Bulls, a Minor League team in the Carolina system. The movie follows two players on the Bulls team and their odd love triangle with a devoted fan. “Bull Durham” definitely fits the genre of romantic comedy, but the real romance of the film is not the love triangle, but rather the characters’ love of baseball.

This film loves baseball and in some cases that love moves on to near worship. In fact, the movie opens with Annie Savoy (played by Susan Sarandon) describing baseball in religious terms. She states that she has tried every religion but the “Church of Baseball” is the only one she is devoted to. Her home is literally filled with baseball memorabilia on a shrine surrounded by devotion candles.

Annie is a self-described baseball groupie who makes a point of dating the best player of the Durham Bulls every year. At the start of the film, the most promising player appears to be pitcher Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (played by Tim Robbins). His throwing arm is strong but he has no control. The management decides to bring a veteran catcher Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) to the team to mentor LaLoosh. However, this creates a dilemma for Savoy, who is no longer sure which player is best on the team. It creates a difficult situation for Crash, who is supposed to be helping Nuke train, but it is also competing with him for Annie’s affection. 

The characters are pulled in many competing directions and each is forced to ask if what they are doing is really what is best for them or just the game. 

“Bull Durham” was a critical and financial success upon its first release. Critics were impressed with the film’s humor but also its insider look into the world of minor league baseball. In several scenes, the audience is able to hear the inner monologues of the players before throwing a pitch or when at bat. One of the most famous scenes centers on a conference on the pitcher’s mound with all the team, in which they talk about a wide range of problems beyond striking out the current batter. 

Credit for the approach came from the film’s writer/director Ron Shelton, who is a former minor league baseball player. He was able to infuse his knowledge into the script to make one of the more authentic baseball stories. In the 37 years since “Bull Durham” was released, its status as a baseball classic has grown.

Only a year after the movie was released another comedic baseball film called “Major League” was released that featured several of the same plot points from “Bull Durham,” including the subplot of a veteran catcher mentoring a young pitcher with a wild arm. 

“Bull Durham” represents the start of a real-life romance between Susan Sarandon and Tim Robinson. The two met while making the film together and are still together to this day.

“Bull Durham” also has the distinction of being the first of three baseball films starring Kevin Costner. A year after “Bull Durham,” Costner would make “Field of Dreams” and in 1999 he starred in “For Love of the Game.” All three films feature subplots about the protagonist’s love for baseball.

The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “Bull Durham” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the film’s place in film history.