2 hours 15 minutes, USA 1996
Director: Ron Shelton; Producers: Gary Foster and David V. Lester; Screenplay: Ron Shelton and John Norville; Photography: Russell Boyd; Production Design: James D. Bissell; Editing: Kimberly Ray and Paul Seydor; Music: William Ross.
Stars: Kevin Costner (Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy), Rene Russo (Dr. Molly Griswald), Cheech Marin (Romeo Posar), Don Johnson (David Simms), Linda Hart (Doreen), Dennis Burkley (Earl), Lou Myers (Clint), Rex Linn (Dewey), Richard Lineback (Curt), Mickey Jones (Turk).
It's not been a very good couple of years for Kevin Costner. The split from his wife Cindy was splashed all over the front of every tabloid in the western hemisphere. His long-standing friendship with director Kevin Reynolds came to an end after the two experienced 'creative differences'. And his last three movies, The War, Wyatt Earp and Waterworld, have been comparative flops. So, in an attempt to rekindle his mid-80s glory years, he has returned to the genre which propelled him to stardom in the first place - romantic comedy with a sporting theme. But, unlike Bull Durham and Field Of Dreams, the sport is not baseball, but golf.
Costner plays Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy, the best golfer never to make it to the big time. McAvoy's big failing is his tendency to take heroic, eccentric risks when a simpler, safer option would more than suffice. So, instead of competing with the big boys on the Professional Golf Tour, he owns a driving range in a middle-of-nowhere town in rural Texas. Costner's life is comparatively simple, if unfulfilled, but all this changes when local psychiatrist Molly Griswald (Rene Russo) appears on the scene, asking for lessons. Costner unexpectedly and immediately falls in love, and realises that he has to get his life back on track. However, Molly is currently attached to greasy, but steady, tour pro David Simms (Don Johnson), Tin Cup's nemesis from their junior days (hence Molly wanting the golfing lessons). Roy comes to the decision that, in order to win Molly's hand, he must qualify and compete in the US Open.
Director Ron Shelton who, in my opinion, is the best sports film maker in the business (just look at Bull Durham and White Men Can't Jump for your proof), has crafted a warm, enchanting and genuinely touching film which could be the big comeback movie that Costner has been dreaming for. Costner's character is a throwback to his earlier incarnations - the outwardly gruff jack the lad with a heart of gold that the ladies just swoon over. And, contrary to popular belief, Costner can actually act. He portrays Roy as a parody of the boy who never grew up, a man who must always go for the spectacular and is outwardly confident, but whose inner self is a mass of conflict and shyness. He is ably supported by Rene Russo (Get Shorty, Outbreak), who is very good as the slightly dotty psychiatrist, but especially by Cheech Marin, who delivers the performance of a lifetime as the scruffy but loveable Romeo. Romeo is Roy's right hand man, his caddy, but most importantly, his voice of reason. It is Romeo who is constantly telling Roy to keep it simple, to keep his feet on the floor and lead with his head rather than his heart. All this is a far cry from Up In Smoke and his other collaborations with former colleague Tommy Chong. In fact, he has been tipped for a Supporting Actor Oscar.
Tin Cup could so easily have been just another sports movie, full of the usual underdog-wins-the-day clichés and sickly sweet sentimentality. However, Shelton keeps things on an even keel, grounded in believability, with a combination of witty one-liners (Costner asks Russo "Does my inner child need a spanking?") and a touching, realistic romance, which makes Tin Cup one of the most surprising and enjoyable movies of the year so far. The other good thing is that you don't have to know anything about golf to enjoy the movie - because it isn't really a golf film. It's 100% romantic comedy which just happens to have a golfing theme. The audience I saw it with cheered when Costner's drive at the 18th finally nestled on the green, and clapped as the closing credits rolled. You can't get a higher accolade than that.
