Overview
A love triangle unfolds on the baseball diamond, where passion and ambition collide.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- sensual
- warm
- date night
- baseball season
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a highly entertaining and unusually knowledgeable blend of romantic comedy, baseball fable, and character-driven drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Annie's rituals, the Bulls' clubhouse culture, pitching instruction, and the players' professional aspirations make minor league baseball more than a backdrop.
Annie selects Nuke as her seasonal project while Crash resists her arrangement, creating a shifting triangle of sex, instruction, attraction, and rivalry.
Nuke's wild fastball and fragile self-confidence must be shaped by Crash's veteran knowledge and insistence on control.
The film's humor repeatedly draws on mound conversations, clubhouse banter, baseball superstition, and the players' detailed understanding of the game.
Films like Bull Durham, and why
The Last of the Red Hot Lovers
shares a witty romantic triangle, adult sexual candor, and charismatic relationship comedy
Jerry Maguire
combines a professional sports setting with romance, comic friction, and affectionate character development
A League of Their Own
offers a warm, funny, sharply observed portrait of competition, attraction, and personal reinvention
Major League
shares baseball culture, eccentric athletes, and an uplifting blend of sports drama and comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Ron Shelton
- Release Date
- 1988-06-15
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (707)
Cast
- Kevin Costner
- Susan Sarandon
- Tim Robbins
- Trey Wilson
- Robert Wuhl
- William O'Leary
- David Neidorf
- Danny Gans
- Tom Silardi
- Jenny Robertson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV, TCM
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bull Durham about?
- A veteran catcher, a volatile pitching prospect, and a self-styled baseball scholar collide in a seductive minor league season that turns mentorship into romance and renewal.
- What is Bull Durham like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bull Durham as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Bull Durham violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bull Durham as mild.
- What did critics think of Bull Durham?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a highly entertaining and unusually knowledgeable blend of romantic comedy, baseball fable, and character-driven drama.
- Which films are like Bull Durham?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Jerry Maguire, A League of Their Own, and Major League.
- How long is Bull Durham?
- Bull Durham runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bull Durham?
- In United States, Bull Durham streams on YouTube TV, TCM.
