Fore? I'd Give It A Five! "Tin Cup"

Tin Cup (1996)

Rated R for language

Starring  Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin

Directed by Ron Shelton

The Story:

Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy (Costner) is a golf pro at a dusty old course in Texas.  He gets a new golfer, psychiatrist Molly Griswold (Russo) who Roy flips for.  The problem, she's dating his old friend, and PGA sensation David Simms (Johnson).  Simms dares McAvoy to try out for the US Open, and so begins Roy's road to redemption to qualify for the Open and try and win Molly away from Simms.  Will he win the Open and the girl, or flame out on both?

Kevin Costner makes excellent sports movies.

As golf is technically a sport, this is one of my three favorite golfing movies.

Yes, Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore are the other two.

:)

This one has the added bonus of being a romantic comedy, and a pretty good one, so both the guys and the ladies should have little problem compromising and enjoying this one together.

See, the perfect date film can sometimes be a sports movie too!

Written and directed by Ron Shelton, the man knows his way around a sports film.  Having delivered his first feature, Bull Durham (baseball) with Costner and also helming White Men Can't Jump (basketball) and Play It To The Bone (boxing).

I think that just means he owes us a football and hockey film, and he'll have hit all of the main sports.

Cheech Marin works as Roy's beleaguered best friend and caddy who tries to help Roy with his golf game, but gets exasperated when his advice falls on deaf, and often dumb, ears.

Johnson comes across just slimy enough as the bad guy.

It appears that he and Marin hit it off rather well as the two would star in Nash Bridges for the next 5 years after Tin Cup was made.

Costner and Russo make a fun on-screen couple.

The film ends perfectly with a nod to what makes sports, and sports moments great.

As the years pass, people forget who won and lost, but the 'moment', whether they are great or dubious plays, live forever.


Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: This is a fun one to break out every so often and watch again.  It's fun everytime.

The Movie is "Bulletproof", But is it Critic Proof?

 
Is there a better word to describe Adam Sandler's movie career? : )

The Story:

Two criminals, Keats (Damon Wayans) and Moses (Adam Sandler) are working for drug lord Frank Coltan (James Caan).  However, Keats is an undercover cop, and Moses accidentally shoots him in the head during a shoot out.  Keats survives and gets a metal plate in his head.  He can neither forgive or forget, and imagine how happy he is when he learns that he must protect Moses when Coltan orders a hit on him.  Can Keats get him to safety, or will he wind up dead this time?

I'd seen about 10 total minutes from this film over the last 17 years.

Coming out in 1996, this is probably the forgotten movie in Sandler's career.

Possibly because he was just a co-star, versus the star of the film.

Or maybe because compared to the movies that surrounded it:  Billy Madison before, Happy Gilmore at the same time, the Wedding Singer afterward, it's easy to get lost in that shuffle.

There's nothing wrong with this movie though, it's just one that definitely doesn't fit the mold of what Sandler was putting out at the time, though much of his schtick comes through during the film.

Instead, he is given the buddy cop formula to play in, and he does his part rather well.

Oddly, these movies normally work best when you have a straight man as the partner, not another comedian.  Wayans has to reel himself in for the role, and it's probably to the detriment of the movie that he isn't allowed to be as funny since he is the cop.

It's a minor quibble, but there you have it.

Otherwise, pretty enjoyable film that was worth finally seeing the whole thing.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability Purchase Factor: While I own a lot of Sandler's films, I don't know that this one is in any hurry to be added to the library.