Danielle Solzman
Tin Cup has joined the Warner Brothers Archive Collection with a newly issued Blu-ray coming just one year shy of the film’s 25th anniversary.
Kevin Costner is the master of sports films over the last three decades and then some. He starred in a trio of baseball films: Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and the lesser-appreciated For the Love of the Game. In Tin Cup, Costner reteams with Bull Durham director Ron Shelton to make a lovable golf romantic comedy. The film certainly falls short of being a classic film for the sports genre. That being said, Costner and Rene Russo do have the necessary chemistry when on screen together.
The film is a mix of sports and romantic comedy. Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy (Kevin Costner) finds himself attracted to Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo), a clinical psychologist. There’s a bit of a problem here in that her boyfriend is David Simms (Don Johnson). Simms hires McAvoy for a benefit tournament and as a way of getting even for what happens during the tourney, McAvoy decides to qualify for the upcoming U.S. Open. In doing so, he also gives golf lessons to Molly in exchange for her help in gaining his confidence back.
As with any sports film, most of the cliches come during the film’s climactic third act. In this instance, it’s when McAvoy is paired up with Simms. Heading into the 18th tee at the U.S. Open, McAvoy needs a birdie to win and a par to force a play-off with leader Peter Jacobsen (himself). Simms takes himself out of contention by playing it safe and laying up his shot. McAvoy risks all by going for it. It gets to the point of full-on hysterics watching either go in the water or hit the green before rolling into the water. And yet, you can’t help but keep watching and hope for something to happen.
And that’s when it happens. On his twelfth shot, McAvoy doesn’t just go for it but the ball somehow finds itself in the hole. Amid the celebration, he doesn’t even realize that he hit a 12 on the par-5 18th hole.
If there’s one fault about the film coming to Blu-ray for the first time, it’s the lack of any bonus features. There is no director’s commentary nor any behind-the-scenes bonus features. Looking at photos of the 2009 DVD case, the only improvement seems to be the Blu-ray picture being shown in 1080p High Definition 16×9 2.40.1. If you’re looking to learn anything about the film outside of what appears on screen, you’re out of luck.
Tin Cup might not be a classic in the way that Bull Durham was but it still works as a sports rom-com even if the film is slightly long.
DIRECTOR: Ron Shelton
SCREENWRITERS: John Norville and Ron Shelton
CAST: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Cheech Marin, and Don Johnson
