August 27, 2025 • 59 mins
Swing for the Fences: A Deep Dive into Bull DurhamWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast! Join hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell as they welcome special guest Nate McWhortor—a self-proclaimed superfan—to discuss the 1988 baseball romance Bull Durham. This isn't your typical sports movie; it's a sultry, quotable journey through minor league baseball that explores love, mentorship, and the religion of America's pastime.The Church of BaseballThe hosts dive deep into what makes Bull Durham unique among sports films. Unlike major league fantasies, this movie captures the gritty reality of minor league baseball—from shitty buses to $20,000 salaries. Guest Nate McWhortor brings real-world perspective, having worked for the Montgomery Biscuits after college, inspired by this very film. The discussion reveals how writer-director Ron Shelton's own minor league experience creates authentic moments that resonate with anyone who's lived the unglamorous side of professional sports.The trio explores the film's adult themes and memorable dialogue, from Kevin Costner's gruff wisdom as Crash Davis to Susan Sarandon's Annie Savoy—a poetry-loving baseball groupie who mentors young players. They analyze the unique love triangle that develops and how the film balances romance with genuine baseball storytelling. The conversation touches on everything from the film's hard R rating to its Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.Key Discussion Points:
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- The authenticity of minor league baseball portrayal and its impact on small communities
- Kevin Costner's evolution from leading man to "grumpy Costner" in this breakout role
- The film's adult themes and quotable dialogue that baseball fans still use today
- How Bull Durham differs from other 80s baseball movies like Major League and Field of Dreams
- The unique perspective of having a female narrator in a male-dominated sports genre
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Most
Excellent Eighties Movies Podcast. Want to skip those ads and
get early access, become a member at true story dot fm,
slash join and discover all the other great parks that
come with it. Hello and welcome to the Most Excellent
(00:31):
Eighties Movies Podcast. It's the podcast where we slam dunk
our way through the eighties movies we think we love
or might have missed with. These are modernized to see
how they hold up now that we are grown ups.
And today we're talking about Buld Durham, a movie selection
(00:53):
from nineteen eighty eight, about which the overview says, In Durham,
North Caro, the Bulls minor League baseball team has one
asset no other can claim, a poetry loving groupie named
Annie Savoy played by Susan Sarandon. As the team's season begins,
(01:14):
Annie selects a brash new recruit, Ebbie Calvin Lalouche played
by Tim Robbins, who she christens Nuke to inspire with
the religion of baseball. Nuke also receives guidance from veteran
player Crash Davis played by Kevin Costner, who settles Nuke's
(01:34):
erratic pitching and teaches him to follow the catcher's lead.
All right, here comes the trailer.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Do you believe in?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Well, I believe in the small of a woman's back,
the hanging curveball, high fiber, good Scotch.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And I believe in long, slow, deep, soft wet kisses.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
The last three three.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Days after twelve years in the minor leagues, I don't
try that.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Besides that, I don't believe in quantum physics. When it
comes to matters of the heart, sometimes all can't please.
Have you ever been tire?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
This is ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I'm a professional. Still remains a mystery that's hot. Wow,
Long Surrender runs week. But it's true.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Rose goes in the front, big guy.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Just stay out of my bed.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
You want to messing hard lot? She does.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Love, she does with Chicken the Fast, looking too right
with the world hand.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Okay, it's just gonna keep going with this.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
What is the last?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
What?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
What is happening in this trailer?
Speaker 1 (03:40):
It's like it's showing images of the movie, but it
just is this fucking song play that's so dumb. Anyway,
the worst trailer I've ever seen ever.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I was just listening to it and it sounded fine, like
you're going to get in trouble if you keep playing
the song.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, I know right, Oh my god. Well, I am
Chrissy Lynz, one of the directors at the Neighborhood Comedy
Theater in downtown Mesa, Arizona, and with me as ever is.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Nathan Blackwell, independent filmmaker.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Enjoining us today is one of my favorite guests. The
co host of my other podcast, Gank That Drank, a
supernatural drinking game podcast. Also a performer and teacher at
the Neighborhood Comedy Theater is mister Nate mccorter.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Hello, Hello, Hello, I am so happy to be here
talking about my favorite movie of all time. Thank you
for letting me do this. Yeah, this is this is
a movie I have seen more I wouldn't know about.
I don't know about more than the Star Wars original trilogy,
but like it's up there with as many views as
(05:11):
for sure in my lifetime because I was her early childhood,
the Orige Tridge got a lot of play. But then
I think definitely in my adult life, this is the
movie that I've watched the most over and over again probably.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
So what what are the super fans call each other?
Are you bullheads?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Are you just people? It's it's a it's a it's
a romance movie made for people who love baseball, is
what it is. Because it's not I mean, it's a
baseball movie for sure, because again, the people who love
it are mostly baseball people. But it is it's not
(05:51):
on it's not in the mainstreams geist like a Major
League or like.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well it's it's it's an it's you know, if you
look at all the baseball movies, it's like the the
one for adults.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
So it's very adult, very very adult. Yeah, and it's
it's it's got a certain charm that I think The
Natural is more for adults too, but it's like boring.
I don't know. This one has more too than the Natural.
And and it's again I think the two definitive baseball
movies of the eighties, you guys have already done, and
that's Field of Dreams, and majorly I think if you
(06:29):
say it in the Natural and the Natural name an
eighties baseball movies baseball. But this is the one, and
this is the one that like growing like I'm I'm
shocked upon every viewing of this, I do. I'm shocked.
I was allowed to watch it at the young age
that I was like, uh, a late elementary or early
(06:51):
middle school is when we were like showing this movie
and it's just has all these quotes. Oh, it's a
hard r oh it's a but like it's such a
quotable movie, and especially in baseball circles, this one is
quoted as much, if not more than the Sandlot or
Major League. Because that's the wonderful part about a lot
(07:14):
of baseball movies, which, in my opinion best genre of
sports movie. Yes, I agree, I think just because it
lends itself to good, I don't know, good and easy filmmaking.
But at the same time, like every everyone in America,
like baseball is such a kind of still universal it
(07:35):
was at one time.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
There's a lot of good like film essays on this,
which is why baseball is the best like type of
sports movie. And I think a real good reason is
not only is it kind of tied to like Americana,
but it baseball itself allows for individual achievement.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yeah, and conversation.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, you get these moments of down.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
I mean that's.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Also the knock against baseball, but you have an individual
picture and now it's the batter's turn, and then it
you know, they either they either you know, it's either
a strike or it's a fly ball. And then now
the guy who's got to catch it, you know. And
so you've got all these moments that you can highlight,
whereas like with football, like I can't tell who the
(08:23):
hell is who and they're all running at each other
and then they all get into one big mass.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Just smashed together.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Football is impossible to shoot and make look good. It
really is. There's there's one, maybe two movies all time
I think that are shocked and where the football actually
looks good and looks like football, Friday Night Lights being
the best of all of those. But yes, I think
baseball like and like to your point, like, yeah, it
(08:52):
just lends itself to like conversation and and and unfortunately
the way the game some of the rules have changed
and everything, you wouldn't get the moments of the whole
team standing out there talking and talking right like, because
it's all about moving the game along. They've limited mound
visits and all this, so like all the times that
crash goes out to the mound, like it doesn't really
(09:14):
happen as much that you don't have all the time
to do it. So it's like, yeah, I again, I love,
I love, love love this movie. I'm so excited to
get into it. I'm so excited to be here with
you guys today. Yeah. I've been begging Chrissy for a
very long time to do this, especially because you guys
did Major League and Field of Dreams without it. So
(09:37):
I am excited to get into buld Room, which again
my favorite.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Let's do it, Okay, well, uh, we start off with
Susan Sarandon's character Annie, right, right, Annie Savoy, an Savoy.
She's an air rating about how she believes in the
Church of Baseball, and she's dabbled with all these other
(10:07):
religions and philosophies and uh ways of thinking, and she
just decided that baseball is the most honest and best
way of life. And she picks every year one dude
(10:27):
on the baseball team that she is going to personally
take charge of in both.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
To take and take under.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Her. Yeah. Yes, and she this year hasn't chosen anyone yet.
At the beginning of our movie, when we meet Ebbie,
which like, what is that short Fortnate? What the hell
kind of name is Ebbie.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I think that's just actually his name is Ebbie. I
don't think it's short for anything. I don't think it's
a nickname. I just it's probably like a family name
something like. Baseball players have weird names. It's a whole
abbit and Castello sketch. Yeah, ball players these days they have,
you know, they're getting weirder and weirder names. You've heard
about Dizzy Dean. That's literally how how it starts is
(11:24):
them talking about actual baseball players silly names, and then
of course goes into the who But well, it's a
I think it's a great name for a basis, and
I think, I mean, you had to have something very
dumb and silly to like lead into the like you
need a nickname like story part of the which I
(11:45):
think is yeah, I don't know. Like I I like
that where it's like, yeah, we got to come up
with a nickname for him, and then that leads to
nuke like, which is so symbolic. I think it's really
well written. I think it's good writing. That's all I
say for.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Ebbie. Something every something La Looche.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Calvin Lush, Ebbie, Calvin Rabbit wool yelling his name like
spelling it out is so like fucking funny. I love it.
Oh god, oh my gosh. And then yeah, you think
I need a nickname? What about Pokey? As he's he's
(12:24):
got like no pants on? And is what do you
think about Pokey?
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah? No, not a good nickname, although he does. I
agree if with a name like Ebbie, he needs a nickname.
So we first meet him banging another chick who's not
Susan Sarandon down in the in the locker room when
he's supposed to be out on the field warming up. Oh,
I was gonna say too. This was nominated for Best
(12:53):
Original Screenplay in the Academy Awards. So they go Nate vindication.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I would say yes, I don't know what one, but
I would say nomination was well well worth it.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
It's just an honor to be nominated.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
If the manager catches Millie in the clubhouse again, he's
gonna take that scoreboard away. She's gonna kick her out,
And she says, well, if you kick me out, my
daddy's gonna take that scoreboard away. Well, what do we
need a scoreboard for? We ain't scored any runs all year?
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Yep, rain Man.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Okay, okay, fine, I guess, I guess we'll give me
the Man over Boulder.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Sure, well, it did win Best Picture.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Too, Okay, all right, fine if you insist Academy.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Uh So. Something that I noticed as they begin to
play their sports game is that the bull mass got
is atrocious. It is the ugliest mascot I've ever seen
in my whole life. It's hideous, and I hate it.
I'm happy when it gets hit by the ball.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
An important thing that we've got to say is that
this is all this is about the minor leagues, Like
almost every baseball movie is about the major leagues, and
this is about This is about the either the people
who have burned out, who have tried or just don't
have the talent to get into the majors. So this
(14:34):
is all kind of like a peak into the world
of how of how the miners actually are, you know,
and how you know, rough and unpolished these guys are as.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Well, and how bad they sort of have it too,
Like when they get on their bus to go on
their eleven city like road tour, and the bus is
just this like shitty old school bus and they're like
like throwing food at them through the windows, like they're
wild animals. I'm like, oh god, this is not a
(15:06):
glamorous life.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I mean, it's it's it's crazy how much of a
disparity there is between the minor leagues and the major leagues.
So I was looking at up right now, like a
rookie minor league player will probably make about twenty thousand
dollars a year. The lowest, the lowest, the lowest paid
(15:30):
major league player makes seven hundred and fifty thousand.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Dollars a year.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Wow, with the average being like one point five million.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Damn.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
So yeah, which wouich? You know, it makes sense that
people use the like the the the metaphor of the
minor leagues all the time, you know.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, And how and how much focus they put on
getting to the show, show the show. I was in
the show for twenty one days. What did you do,
crash that got you kicked out of the show.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
He wasn't good, That's what it was. He wasn't good.
That's why he got kicked out. He wasn't that good
this movie. I thank you for bringing that up, Nathan,
because you're welcome. Minor league baseball is so very near
and dear to my heart. A lot probably due to
(16:27):
this movie. I literally this movie is what made me
want to go work in minor league baseball, which I
did right after college. Would you do? I went and
worked for a double A team in Montgomery, Alabama called
the Montgomery Biscuits, whoa, which is one of the like
I had a list of teams I really wanted to
(16:47):
literally just based on their mascots, and the Biscuits were
right up there, and I was. I did a couple jobs.
I was like a video production intern for the season,
and then I also was the on field MC so
I was the guy that played like all the games
with the kids, did you know? And like you know,
(17:08):
I did sing take me out to the ballgame and
Happy Birthday and all that, so basically like it kept
me performing. But they also I did two jobs for
one salary, so that was not great. I probably should
negotiate it a little bit on my PA. I worked
(17:29):
some ridiculous hours. But the glamour, the lack of glamour
is real, is very very real. And that's the one
thing upon every viewing of this movie for me is
just like how how absolutely visceral the minor league experience
feels in this and how true it is even to
(17:50):
this day. Like I mean, this movie came out a
long time ago, many many years ago. Math is hard,
and another age can say thirty some audio three.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Thousand years ago, I was there again exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
And things haven't changed much like at that level of
minor league ball, you're still riding buses now they're probably
nicer buses than that. But Ron Shelton, who made this movie,
he played minor league baseball, so he literally had experience
to draw on for making this movie, which is why
it does feel so real. And actually, I in my
(18:29):
in my reading, in my research for this which I
guess I've never really dug too much into Boulder, and
I've just enjoyed it. I guess. Originally he had tabbed
Kurt Russell, which makes a lot of sense because Kurt
Russell played baseball, played semi pro baseball, his dad owned
(18:50):
a baseball team in Portland. And actually Kurt Russell loved
the movie so much he sent like letters to Kevin
Costner and Ron Shelton and everybody saying how much he
loved the movie.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Like he wanted Kevin Costner for the he wanted him
for the Kevin.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Costner, Kevin Crash Davis for the for the Kevin Costner part. Okay, yeah, which.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
That makes more sense, which I can't say anyone accept
Tim Robbins playing that big moofy motherfucker.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
That's exactly who they wanted to make ampy. They wanted
to nig dumb jock. So I I do, I do,
And now for the last However, many minutes since I
learned this fact have enjoyed thinking of Kurt Russell Davis role.
I think it makes it. I don't know about a
better movie. I don't know about a worse movie, just
(19:37):
a different movie. I think really good. But I think
Kevin Costner has the I think Russell might have been
too good looking. Yeah, I think Kevin Costner is the
appropriate amount of like hunk. But in this movie they
make him kind of look like not super hunky, like
he is watching like he is.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
It's interesting. It's like Kevin Costner is like is like
stretching into his like right now. It's like now, like
Kevin Costner is like super cranky, and this is like
the first time I remember him being like super cranky,
like stretching his real self. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Like all
(20:19):
the early Kevin Costner stuff that I really loved. He
was pretty goofy, you know, like silverado and or or
more leading man, right, I think of a leading man type, yeah,
more than anything.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Like I don't super think him as comedic funny, but
I yeah, I think of him. Yeah, it's like leading man,
like striking, good looking, putting on the all the the
suits and nice clothes and always looking good and like.
But I like grumpy Costner. I don't know, I like.
I enjoy that he's a little grumpy, especially obviously I
(20:55):
love this movie particularly, But I haven't watched a whole
lot of Yellowstone, but I probably should. I've been told
I would enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
He's very he's very grumpy.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
He's very grumpy, and.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Yeah, I get you know, I think like one of
my touchstones is actually field of dreams. Like these characters
are like like on the opposite ends of the spectrum
from each other.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Oh yeah, very much, very much.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
So Oh yeah, crash Davis is not building a baseball field. No,
as much as he loves baseball, he's not building a
baseball field in place of crops.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
No. If he heard the voices, crash Davis would be like,
I'm too old for this. Ship, get out of here.
I quit, no, I unquit.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
I gotta stop drinking.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yeah, there certainly is a lot of drinking in the
minor leagues.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
There is. I was really surprised at that. Yeah, Oh,
there's a lot of drinking. There's like a lot of
womanizing that goes on. There's a lot of Like I
live the building I lived in when I was living
in Montgomery, all the Dominican guys lived in the same building,
and like there was like a good handful of them,
and they all lived in like two apartments and there
(22:04):
was like a bunch of them and their families like
all living just to like save money because they don't
make a whole lot of them, especially the especially the
international guys, Like they really don't make a whole lot
of money. And so and you said that twenty thousand
dollars figure, and Nathan like, yeah, they get paid twenty
thousand dollars a year, but they also have to like
give they basically because they get they get fed. They'll
(22:25):
give them meals after every game, but they have to
like pay every year for that. Like a big chunk
of their salary then goes towards the food that they
get fed. Uh, and it's it is not, like I said,
not a glamorous life. When I was lucky enough to
work for a team who was owned by a cad
like it's basically a stadium catering company, so their whole
(22:48):
thing was like food for stadiums, and they they fed.
I mean we literally every game night we got we
had team dinner, family dinner, like before the game, because
you work all day and then you have the game
at night, and it's like you can't go home and eat.
You got to be at the ballpark. You got to
get things ready. So like we would literally have family dinner,
and as someone who didn't make a lot of money,
(23:09):
getting a free dinner five days a week was it's
actually really nice. Then the team would go on the
road and I'm like, okay, I got to make the
hundred dollars stretch next time we're at home. So yeah,
it's it's but I truly, truly, I love minor league
(23:30):
baseball a lot, and it's so like rooted in so
many communities, small communities, communities that aren't big enough to
have major league teams even really nearby. Yeah, I mean
like minor league baseball, which is in the decline unfortunately,
is like such a thriving like is it such a
great thing for a lot of towns and stuff out there.
(23:53):
M hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
It reminds me of like welcome to Wrexham and just
all the different leagues and how important that local team is.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
This minor league baseball is our English soccer along with
I would say college football is in a similar way
where it is like these towns that are truck stops
if that that, you know, wouldn't have anything else, but
they have that minor league baseball team where they get
to see future or past major leaguers sometimes current you
(24:26):
know these days, you know, you get guys that you're
rehabing injuries and while they're you know, trying to like
get it back up to speed, they go play games
in the minor leagues. So like you'll have like a
major league guy come and play for a week or
whatever in your minor league town and it brings out
a lot of people and that's always kind of cool
when that can happen as well. So yeah, it's but
(24:50):
it is also a very heartbreaking. Like I worked at
the Double A level, which is the most heartbreaking level
because it's really the real like sifter. Your trip is
guys who are basically major leaguers. They're either like just
on their way or they're up and down all the
time or there. Uh and your your A ball and
your high A ball. That's all like guys that just
(25:11):
got drafted or really learning the really development. But they
got a lot of like hope and promise. Double A
is where those two kind of meet. Yeah, right, so
it is interesting. I don't think I always picture this
movie happening in Double A. Not they talk about that
it is a ball, but I always picture it's kind
of double A. By the way, Durham now is a
(25:31):
Triple A team, the Durham actual Durham Bulls. Oh yeah,
they became very prominent after this movie. And go on
to I've been to the stadium, I've seen hit the
bull win a stake sign. I've not been to a game,
but I've made my pilgrimage.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
Where is it?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Where is it Durham, North Carolina, so that Carolina, Raleigh,
Durham area, and it's I mean gorgeous, like downtown area,
you know, same town as Duke University, which is an amazing,
incredible campus that looks like Hogwarts yeah. So I was
(26:12):
on like a family vacation and we went into Duke
and we did UNC which is just down the road
in Raleigh, and then also did the Durham Bulls Stadium
because I had to see it with my own eyes.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
And your family is just like, why did we let
him watch this movie again?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yeah? Right, because watched it, That's why.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Of course. Of course. So on her first night with Abbie,
Susan sorry and him ties him to the bed and
reads him poetry all night. So he shows up to
the game the next day or batting practice or whatever,
looking all haggard, and they're like, oh, la la, she
(26:58):
really as good as they all say, and he's like, ah,
what I know. She tied me up and read me
poetry all night, and I thought that was really cute.
But the poetry is not what does the trick for
Abby or Nuke as he uh will henceforth be known.
It's really a mixture of his relationship with Susan Sarandon
(27:21):
and uh the guidance and tutelage of Crash uh huh,
who really punishes him as if he cares not for
the game at all, like punishes him for not listening
by telling the other players what pitch he's gonna throw
when he disobeys Kevin Costner's orders.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
He has, yeah, he has. He has some burnout issues,
for sure, he has some anger issues.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
So basically Nuke has all this potential, but he is unfocused, undisciplined,
he's wild.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I believe the line is a million dollar arm with
a five cent head.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yeah. And so basically Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon are
there is kind of like his de facto mentors. They're
not really competing, but they're kind of orbiting separately, you know,
trying to mold Nuke into something with promise something, I mean,
something better.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yeah, because he's he's really he's good and he's got.
When he's on the game, he's good. But he's not
on his game very much, no, because he's always it's.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Almost like chance.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
It's like, well, you're gonna you're gonna roll a twenty
on a twenty sided day eventually, you.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Know, eventually. Yep. One thing was his first.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
He had eighteen strikeouts, new league record, walk eighteen.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
Record.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Also he hit the bull the PA announcer all new
league records. Yeah. Yeah, so like yeah, there's those guys
out there. They throw hard, but they have no control.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I really liked the sort of juxtaposition that they put
together for us of the sort of internal monologues of
like Kevin Costner's internal monologue is internal. It's done as
voiceover as he's getting ready to hit, and he's like,
you know, Annie's all in his head and he's like,
gotta hit his He's trying to well, he's not trying
(29:35):
to break the home run record, but he is going
to break the home run record, and he in fact
wants no one to know. But he has this internal
monologue that's all voiceover, and Tim Robbins just says his
internal monologue out loud.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Oh that was amazing what I do? Yeah, that was
Actually I'm surprised how like like uh.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
I want to say, well, you know, grizzled and like
veteranden that Kevin Costner looked, dude was only thirty three.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
Yeah, but in minor league. That's I mean, that's old
in the mind, that's ancient. That's very old. I mean,
you might as well be one hundred. Like it's I mean,
they call him, they all call him Pops, they all, yeah,
it's it's it is brutal. But yeah, no, I think
(30:37):
that he does look especially we were Christy never talking
about this, like, he looks so short compared to Timmy.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Susan, Right, he's six foot one. We looked it up.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
Who Kevin Costner.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Kevin Costner, jeez, six foot five.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I had you guys, have you ever seen the British
show task Master?
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Yes, the show task Master.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I had the same problem just watching, like the two hosts.
There's like the task Master and then there's the real
guy who runs the show and the real they're both
in thrones, and the real guy who runs the show
looks tiny compared to the task Master. Turns out the
guy who looks tiny is six foot two. Yeah, so
the huge guy is like six foot eight or nine.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
He's a giant.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
He's a giant. It's like the show Supernatural, which Nate
and I are greatly acquainted with. Oh, Lucky is six
foot four and Jensen Acles is six foot one. So
he's not a short man. He's a tall man. He
just happens to always be standing next to someone who
is a giant.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
And that's what this movie is. I love all, I
love all of the every single scene of Costner coming
out to the mound is a class and like every
single one delivers a line that so like when I
played baseball, I was a catcher. So that's another reason
why this movie is so seminole is because it really
is just about a picture catcher relationship and the coming
(32:18):
out and saying you know, like you know, I held
it like an egg. Yeah, and he really scrambled the
son of a pitch. He hit that thing like I did,
like he knew it was coming. It's because he did.
Or later on in the movie when he's like when
he has pitching that really good game, he's having a
great game, and he shakes him off and he goes,
I can't believe he's shaking me off, Dusty, here comes
(32:40):
the deuce And when you speak of me, speak well me.
And then he goes out to nuke and he goes
anything that travels that high or that far that I
should have a damn stewardess on it, Like those are
wines that like my coaches would come out and say
to me after I'd give up like a hit, like
they would come out and like because they know it
make me laugh. I'd be like a good one. But like, uh,
(33:05):
the best, the best one of all time though, uh was.
So we have the we have the scene obviously where
we talked about earlier, where they're all out there, it's
the whole convention and Jose has a curse on his mit. Uh,
the no one knows what to get Jimmy and Millie
for their wedding and for for their for their wedding,
(33:27):
and and Nuke is upset because he's bringing out breathing
out of the wrong eyelid and his old man. And
then Robert Wool delivers what apparently was an ad libbed line,
candlesticks always make a nice gift. Uh, figure out where
she's registered. Yeah. So when I was, I was when
(33:50):
I was when I was in middle school and we
were playing it was middle school baseball team, the school
baseball team. It was the playoffs. It was a big moment.
I was catching our picture. It was like bases loaded.
Our picture was like really like And I went out
there and I just stood out there and I got
the whole infield in and I waited until our coach
came out. And when our coach came out, I delivered
(34:13):
that whole spiel that Kevin Costner delivers. I was like,
what so and so he's got a curse on. We
need a live rooster? Is it a live Yeah, okay,
we need a live rooster. I did the whole thing.
I like took one of our teammates that just got
a new girlfriend. I was like, no one knows what
to get them as a gift. I did the whole thing,
and my coach like, this is how you knew I
(34:33):
was born for improv. My coach without without missing a beat,
goes candlesticks always make a nice gift. He totally was
just like he's like, I can't believe in the middle
of this game, this kid is doing a bit bit.
I come out here and he's doing a bit. So yeah,
(34:57):
when I say this movie is my favorite and has
very fluential, like it goes so deep. I literally pulled
this movie out everywhere.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
It's great. So the movie continues. Of course, Uh. Tim
Robbins eventually does get called up to the majors, and
it's like a goodbye between him and Annie Ye like
we've done our job.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
Their technique starts winning it. There is a romantic triangle basically, oh.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
And he wears the garters. I gotta I forgot to
mention that he wears her garters under his uniform to
keep his mind out of the game, and I thought
that was great. I really enjoyed that bit.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
And she has n't breathed through his eyelids like the
Mayan the as tech, the Mayan Aztec jokes throughout. The
whole thing is so great. Uh yeah, the garters so funny.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
The thing I loved is that he's going through all
these things and like the dugout totally straight face knows
everything that's going on. You know, it's like, oh no, no,
he's you know, yeah, he's having problems breathing through his
eyes and he's yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
I mean, they're running chicken bones on their bats. You're
with these guys for six months of the year and
you're all just traveling and living together, and you spend
every day together like you really do get to know
all and and things like that that would seem weird
to outsiders are just normal, just normal every day stuff.
(36:36):
I love. One of my favorite scenes is the is
the shower scene. Of course, the throwing the bats into
the shower because they're not playing well, and so Kevin
Costner says, scare them. You need to scare it. Young
you got to scare them, And so anybody who's not
in the shower, in the next ten minutes, I'm finding
one hundred or the next ten seconds, I'm finding one
hundred dollars. And he counts down and then it's it's
(36:59):
a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball,
you catch the ball. You lollygagg in and out of
the dog. You lolly gag your way at first? What
does that make you? Larry lolly gaggers Robert wool behind
him doing the eight and fifteen? What's our record? Eight
and fifteen? Eight and fifteen? How'd we ever win eight?
(37:20):
It's a miracle, It's a miracle. They Baseball Tonight. The
ESPN Baseball Show way back in the day did like
commercials where they would parody famous baseball movie scenes. That
was always my favorite one. They did a parody of
that one. It was always super funny and it would
be like with the guys the show. Yeah, So I
just want to bring up that scene because I love
(37:41):
it so much. Like what a great set piece, like
throwing bats in a shower, Like just having him scream
at these like naked dudes in a shower, Like no movie,
no sports movie has given you that scene, Sure aren't.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
So. Kevin Cosner gets fired after Nuke gets called up
to the to the majors and he gets he gets
let go, which is I thought was the saddest part. Uh.
They play pool and he goes to like a juke
joint and starts playing pool and he's he's very drunk,
and he's like, you got talent, but you're too dumbed
(38:24):
to use it, and he gets punched in the face.
And then they have a sad locker room scene where
he's like, be cocky and play with fear and arrogance.
And I thought that was good advice. Fear and arrogance.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Fear and ignorance. No, I know, I just like to
see you get riled up.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
I also thought it was fun when Millie, who's sort
of like the aside from Annie. Uh, Millie is like
the other Uh. Yeah, she's like she sleeps with all
the play. But there's a really good part at the
beginning where she's like, I got lured and and he's like,
(39:06):
you did not get lured. Women are too strong in
power for lebtu Lee lured. You went there of your
own accord and so let me hear you say it,
and she's like, I wasn't lured. I went there of
my own accord. But she gets married to Jimmy, the
Jesus Freak baseball player out on the field before a game.
Which if I paid money to go see a baseball
(39:28):
game and I had to sit through someone's wedding, I'd
be pissed.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Everybody in town knows Jimmy and Millie though, right her
dad's a prominent businessman who donated money for the scoreboard,
and Jimmy probably knows a lot of church folks who
are out at the game. We're talking about small town
North Carolina here, So it's it's definitely like I think
that highlights the how again like intimate this setting of
(39:55):
baseball was, especially at this time, is that this wedding
does happen pregame, you know it like it's it's so
good and there's there's the moment too towards the end.
I guess it's that same game with the curse, with
the curse glove and Nuke's dad and everything, right before
(40:16):
he gets called to the show where where Crash calls
the umpa cocksucker and and they're working on the the
wedding dress, and she really says, do I deserve to
wear wat? And Susan swims, we all deserve to wear whit, honey.
Like ye, I don't want to like pat myself on
the back too much here, but like the fact that
my favorite movie and baseball movie is narrated and told
(40:39):
from like the point of view of a woman.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
I feel I'm just saying I feel like I should.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
I feel like I deserve. Look, I'm saying accommodation, but
if I got it, No, I just I but I'd
like that about this movie. I'm not, obviously, but I
do like that a lot. And I think that's something
upon like recent viewings that I'm like, No, this is
(41:07):
this holds up. I think obviously it's like written by
men and probably produced by all by men, But like,
at least there is a like strong central female character
I think that has plays by her own rules, has
her she doesn't go along with the flow? Is complicated?
Uh and and multi dimensional? Are Is there another female
(41:34):
character other than millions?
Speaker 1 (41:36):
No?
Speaker 2 (41:36):
No, there's not.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
No. Does it pass the backfield test? It does not?
Speaker 2 (41:39):
No, it does not. No, not even close. So but again,
I I do like that aspect of this movie.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Yeah, so as soon as Nuke goes up to the Majors,
Crash and Annie are like, well, now it's our turn.
Let's go to Poundtown and they hook up, but they
find a true love.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
Because climax of the movie is their climax as well.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Yes, it is in a row and they make such
a fucking mess of her house. Uh he dumps wet
cereal onto the floor, and then it shows her cleaning
it up like days later, and she's like barely cleaning
it up. And I'm just like, this is irresponsible love
making people. These are bad lessons to learn for a
(42:33):
young man.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Why are we teaching our children these things?
Speaker 1 (42:37):
Why are we letting me see this movie as such
a young man and learn these terrible lessons.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
It explains a lot about my relationships and stuff. I'm
not gonna lie, bring in your past partners and and
oh go ahead. In high school, I did we did
like a date with a girl where we movie swapped
where I had to watch the book but she had
(43:02):
to then watch Bull Durham. And that was the first
time I realized how dirty this movie really is. Super dirty.
It's super dirty, but I like between teacher. I wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
I wouldn't let a twenty year old watch this.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
For sure, what I do what I do love about
this movie, though it totally is within the eighties tropes
of anytime there's genuine romance, there is a solo saxophone play.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
What what I want to imagine is that they're they're
getting the same guy for all these movies, and so
he's showing.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Up and it's the guy, the guy. No, it's the guyl. No,
it's the guys from the vampire.
Speaker 3 (44:02):
Movie, right right?
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Oh, Lost Boys, Lost Boys.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
I love the idea that his day of work is
he shows up, he brings his saxophone, and he watches
only the horniest.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
Scenes in all these movies, day in, day out.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Oh yeah, and he is just like, we are so
hard a job. I want to think it's a job too.
I want to believe it, and I want to believe
it's the shirt list chain wearing lead singing saxophone player
from the Lost Boys who's.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
Just a session musician.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
Now, yeah, he has a sensitive soul. He has a
sensitive soul. So on a scale of one set of
garters to wear or one, yeah, one set of garters
to wear while you play, Uh, triple a baseball or
double or a right, just regular?
Speaker 2 (45:05):
Ay, this is just a ball according to the movie. Yeah,
it's just a ball. But I like I said, I
would like, I think that the way this movie depicts
is more of a double A feel in today's world.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
In today's world, so it's double A adjusted for inflation.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
How many sets of garters do you give? Bull drum.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Nate go for it, Yeah, you go. Yeah, it's my
favorite movie, so I'm gonna give it. I'm gonna give
it ten out of ten garters and five out of
five fungos, because that's how much I love it. I
will say, if I could, if I'm nitpicking, I give
I give ten out of ten garters to the movie
(45:54):
up until crash is let go, Yeah, and then I
give the epilogue like, yeah, it is kind of out
of ten garters because it, like the movie. I mean,
everything in this movie shifts, like the whole tone. It's
not funny anymore, like it's the last like kind of
(46:18):
it's like narrative debts, you know, yeah, in weird, in weird,
like melancholic, depressing kind of like sad ways almost that
then it's like, I guess is romantic, and it's like
romantic at the very end when he comes back and
they have the moment on the porch, like that's nice,
but like the whole before that moment and after he
(46:41):
gets like go, it's just like a real wild time
but not really wild, really boring, I think, Like, so,
I don't know, I guess. Does that make it nine
guarters out of ten? No? Okay, ten guards out of
ten for me?
Speaker 1 (46:57):
Yeah, you get to give your favorite movie about ten,
no matter no matter what flaws it has.
Speaker 2 (47:03):
Yes, right. If you can't give your favorite movie ten
out of ten, can't give then it's like spinal tap,
No eleven is ten.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
That means it's actually ten.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
Yeah, this one goes to eleven, which.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
One of those? Yeah they are? Yeah for sure.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
I can't wait. What do you how many garters do
you give it? Nathan?
Speaker 3 (47:28):
Okay, so don't hate me.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
I didn't. I didn't love it obviously as much as you,
but I definitely liked it.
Speaker 3 (47:36):
So I'm going I'm going so I also have a
very soft spot for baseball movies as well, So I'm
going to give it a seven at a ten respectable. Yeah, yeah, honestly,
like I think Field of Dreams is probably my number
one in terms of baseball movies. But but yeah, but
(48:05):
a lot of fun. Glad I saw it seven out
of ten.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
That's kind of where I land.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Was this your first time seeing it, Nathan?
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Yes, it was really I don't know what again, Like
there's it's like I've probably seen The Natural like twenty times,
you know, like the Natural for me because I played,
I played baseball for four years, and I only if
it wasn't for the Natural, I would have only played.
Speaker 3 (48:31):
Baseball for two years. Like it was like I played
baseball because my dad wanted me to play baseball, Like
for the first two years I wanted to play, and
then I was done, but my dad wanted me to play,
and so I played for two more years. And it
was movies like The Natural that I clung to of
like the mythos of baseball, you know, the romanticism of baseball.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
You know, I love that little baby Nathan sports, but
still managed to make it about movies.
Speaker 3 (49:05):
Like I would quote it. I don't even remember what
I would quote, but just to keep myself into the
game because I was not particularly athletic. I was not
the only thing I was good at was making contact
with the ball. I was not great at fielding or
anything to do with that. But yeah, it was movies.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
I love it. I agree with Nathan. I'm also going
to give it a seven out of ten because I
always ask myself, like, was it better than Mannequin?
Speaker 2 (49:35):
Which I gave the mannequin test.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
The mannequin test, and I thought it was as good
as Mannequin. Okay, so I give it a seven too,
because I thought it was really fun to watch. I
thought it was romantic and cute. I liked all the
lead actors. I liked all the supporting actors. And I
didn't love the music of the movie. I thought it
(50:00):
was weird.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
It's very eighties Cynthia. They and then the songs they
bring in. I mean, you have around whatever Schoolhouse, the
Elvis song, Yeah, that one, Rock around the Clock. That's
the song, Oh yeah, yeah yeah, Rock around the Clock,
and then the one from the trailer, and then the
(50:23):
one he sings on the bus that he gets all
the words wrong to yep. Yeah. So like yeah, but yeah,
the music is weird. It is very strange music. Oh,
it's center Field because it's a baseball movie, so you
have to have, Like n John Fogerty has to be
(50:45):
in a baseball movie. It might not always be center field,
but there will be John Fogerty in a baseball I
love it.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
Uh So, what about a deep cut recommendation? I know
Nate and I went around and around about this and
had a hard time of one because it's hard to
say a baseball movie without being two on the nose.
Speaker 3 (51:07):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (51:09):
What did you come up with? Nate?
Speaker 2 (51:12):
So you and I talked about a lot of different movies.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
It's true.
Speaker 2 (51:18):
We brought up Tin Cup, which is by the same
director and also stars Kevin Costner. We brought up a
couple other baseball movies or movies that yep, sixty one,
the Billy Crystal HBO movie about Roger Marris and Mickey
Manno back in the day, but last night just happened
(51:40):
to be on TV a movie that I was like, No, this,
this is gonna be my deep cut because I think
it actually does go really well with this pairs well
with this movie is not listed as a recommended movie
on the IMDb page four Bull Durham. It's from two
(52:01):
thousand and two. It is a Disney movie. It starts
and Spencer Breslin and Rachel Griffiths and I'm trying to
think of see if there's anyone, but it's are you?
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Are you gonna? Because I thought about this movie too.
Did you you say what it is?
Speaker 2 (52:24):
Oh? Oh, it's The Rookie.
Speaker 1 (52:29):
I thought about that movie too, and I decided not
to say it.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Because Dennis Quaid obviously, And it's based on a true story.
Dennis Quaid plays a high school teacher. He used to
play baseball, you know, somewhat competitively for a while, but
hasn't done a long time, and he's old and suddenly
realizes he can throw like mid to high nineties again
(52:54):
as he's coaching high schoolers and they challenge him to go.
His team challenges him to go try out, and he
ends up making it and making the minor leagues and
then making it to the majors. So it's another movie
that shows minor league baseball. It's actually why I was
like and does kind of like a decent job of
kind of showing what it would have been like what
it is like. So, yeah, my my recommendation. And it's
(53:17):
a sweet movie. It's a family movie. You can watch
it with everyone. It's like that. It's the anti Bold,
not anti Boulder, but very much so. Yeah, mine, I'm
gonna recommend the Rookie.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
The Rookie. All right, excellent, what did you come up
with me? Then?
Speaker 3 (53:34):
So my my like my unobvious I mean, my non
deep cut would be Moneyball when it comes to baseball movies, Like,
here's a baseball movie that I love, and I can't
think of any scenes that take place on the baseball field, right.
(53:55):
It is literally about the guy's counting.
Speaker 2 (53:59):
It's about stats and accounting, it's about it's about yeah,
it's it's it's about spreadsheets.
Speaker 3 (54:07):
But if I had to go just I guess a
little deeper, not again, not super deep. Uh, I would
probably go with ted Lasso, Like, even though it's not baseball,
if you really are vibing on the underdogs and and
you really want to sink your teeth into it, like
(54:29):
Ted Lasso is just delightful, you know, which which is
everywhere not a secret at all, you know, but there's
there's so many analogies between the two sports, probably because
they're sports.
Speaker 2 (54:47):
In sports, yeah and and and so yeah, that's my stick.
Then if you like Ted last Wilson golf Mark in it.
It's really good. It's very much in the same vein
as Ted Lasso. Okay, but yeah, yeah, I love Tedo.
Speaker 3 (55:09):
Yeah, it's great, great, but sometimes all right.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
So I thought about, uh, why I like Kevin Costner,
and it's because of the movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
Speaker 3 (55:27):
Because of it, Yes, and I.
Speaker 1 (55:34):
Really like the movie. Unapologetically like the movie Robin Hood
Prince of Thieves. So that's why I love it. Alan
Rickman is a joy.
Speaker 2 (55:48):
It's it's a.
Speaker 1 (55:50):
Really good movie and I love it. Even though it's
not really a good movie, I love it anyway. So
I'm gonna recommend Robin Hood Prince of Thieves to get
your fully American from the South. Robinhood. Thanks for the day,
because I love it. Yes, So that's why do you've
(56:12):
got recommendation. Okay, awesome, Thank you so much for listening.
Thank you for being here with us. At the end, Nathan,
where can people find more of your films and support
you in your filmmaking endeavors.
Speaker 3 (56:27):
Yeah, squishy studios dot com is probably the easiest way. Yeah,
squishy studios dot com.
Speaker 1 (56:36):
Squishy studios dot com and can they still watch the
Last movie Ever made? On Amazon and to B.
Speaker 3 (56:43):
Yes they can. They can rent it on Amazon and
Apple and then they can watch it with ads on
two B The last movie.
Speaker 1 (56:51):
Yeah, the last movie ever made? Do it? Watch it,
rent it, pay for it, do all that stuff?
Speaker 2 (56:58):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (56:59):
Nathan, where can be or Nate the other Nathan? Nate
this time?
Speaker 2 (57:04):
We almost made the whole show.
Speaker 1 (57:06):
We almost made it. Where can people listen to you?
Look at you, support you and your other endeavors.
Speaker 2 (57:16):
If you want to listen to me, you can listen
to Gank That Drink a podcast. It's a supernatural drinking
game podcast hosted by Christy Is and it's awesome and
it's super fun. And I just got home Homey at
the Sacred Pint forgetting his name right now, Cody. He
(57:36):
loves Supernatural, so I just got him onto it no way,
along with another barfly that was sitting there. She apparently,
but she's never watched the show, but she's going to
start watching the show and then listen to the podcast along.
So yeah, if you like Supernatural and you like drinking
or either one of those things, check out Gank that
Drink And if you'd like to see and hear me
(57:58):
as well as Chrissy. You can come to the Neighborhood
Comedy Theater in downtown Mesa, Arizona, and you can go
to Nctphoenix dot com for all the dates and details
and showtimes and tickets and all the information.
Speaker 1 (58:14):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And if you're here with
us at the end, it's because you want more most
excellent eighties movies podcast in your life. Guess what You
can have more most excellent eighties movies podcast in your life.
Just become a member at true Story fm. Go to
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(58:36):
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(58:58):
you get new bonus content by becoming a member, and
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(59:19):
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Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Most
Excellent Eighties Movies Podcast. Want to skip those ads and
get early access, become a member at true story dot fm,
slash join and discover all the other great parks that
come with it. Hello and welcome to the Most Excellent
(00:31):
Eighties Movies Podcast. It's the podcast where we slam dunk
our way through the eighties movies we think we love
or might have missed with. These are modernized to see
how they hold up now that we are grown ups.
And today we're talking about Buld Durham, a movie selection
(00:53):
from nineteen eighty eight, about which the overview says, In Durham,
North Caro, the Bulls minor League baseball team has one
asset no other can claim, a poetry loving groupie named
Annie Savoy played by Susan Sarandon. As the team's season begins,
(01:14):
Annie selects a brash new recruit, Ebbie Calvin Lalouche played
by Tim Robbins, who she christens Nuke to inspire with
the religion of baseball. Nuke also receives guidance from veteran
player Crash Davis played by Kevin Costner, who settles Nuke's
(01:34):
erratic pitching and teaches him to follow the catcher's lead.
All right, here comes the trailer.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Do you believe in?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Well, I believe in the small of a woman's back,
the hanging curveball, high fiber, good Scotch.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And I believe in long, slow, deep, soft wet kisses.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
The last three three.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Days after twelve years in the minor leagues, I don't
try that.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Besides that, I don't believe in quantum physics. When it
comes to matters of the heart, sometimes all can't please.
Have you ever been tire?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
This is ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I'm a professional. Still remains a mystery that's hot. Wow,
Long Surrender runs week. But it's true.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Rose goes in the front, big guy.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Just stay out of my bed.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
You want to messing hard lot? She does.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Love, she does with Chicken the Fast, looking too right
with the world hand.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Okay, it's just gonna keep going with this.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
What is the last?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
What?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
What is happening in this trailer?
Speaker 1 (03:40):
It's like it's showing images of the movie, but it
just is this fucking song play that's so dumb. Anyway,
the worst trailer I've ever seen ever.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I was just listening to it and it sounded fine, like
you're going to get in trouble if you keep playing
the song.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, I know right, Oh my god. Well, I am
Chrissy Lynz, one of the directors at the Neighborhood Comedy
Theater in downtown Mesa, Arizona, and with me as ever is.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Nathan Blackwell, independent filmmaker.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Enjoining us today is one of my favorite guests. The
co host of my other podcast, Gank That Drank, a
supernatural drinking game podcast. Also a performer and teacher at
the Neighborhood Comedy Theater is mister Nate mccorter.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Hello, Hello, Hello, I am so happy to be here
talking about my favorite movie of all time. Thank you
for letting me do this. Yeah, this is this is
a movie I have seen more I wouldn't know about.
I don't know about more than the Star Wars original trilogy,
but like it's up there with as many views as
(05:11):
for sure in my lifetime because I was her early childhood,
the Orige Tridge got a lot of play. But then
I think definitely in my adult life, this is the
movie that I've watched the most over and over again probably.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
So what what are the super fans call each other?
Are you bullheads?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Are you just people? It's it's a it's a it's
a romance movie made for people who love baseball, is
what it is. Because it's not I mean, it's a
baseball movie for sure, because again, the people who love
it are mostly baseball people. But it is it's not
(05:51):
on it's not in the mainstreams geist like a Major
League or like.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well it's it's it's an it's you know, if you
look at all the baseball movies, it's like the the
one for adults.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
So it's very adult, very very adult. Yeah, and it's
it's it's got a certain charm that I think The
Natural is more for adults too, but it's like boring.
I don't know. This one has more too than the Natural.
And and it's again I think the two definitive baseball
movies of the eighties, you guys have already done, and
that's Field of Dreams, and majorly I think if you
(06:29):
say it in the Natural and the Natural name an
eighties baseball movies baseball. But this is the one, and
this is the one that like growing like I'm I'm
shocked upon every viewing of this, I do. I'm shocked.
I was allowed to watch it at the young age
that I was like, uh, a late elementary or early
(06:51):
middle school is when we were like showing this movie
and it's just has all these quotes. Oh, it's a
hard r oh it's a but like it's such a
quotable movie, and especially in baseball circles, this one is
quoted as much, if not more than the Sandlot or
Major League. Because that's the wonderful part about a lot
(07:14):
of baseball movies, which, in my opinion best genre of
sports movie. Yes, I agree, I think just because it
lends itself to good, I don't know, good and easy filmmaking.
But at the same time, like every everyone in America,
like baseball is such a kind of still universal it
(07:35):
was at one time.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
There's a lot of good like film essays on this,
which is why baseball is the best like type of
sports movie. And I think a real good reason is
not only is it kind of tied to like Americana,
but it baseball itself allows for individual achievement.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yeah, and conversation.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, you get these moments of down.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
I mean that's.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Also the knock against baseball, but you have an individual
picture and now it's the batter's turn, and then it
you know, they either they either you know, it's either
a strike or it's a fly ball. And then now
the guy who's got to catch it, you know. And
so you've got all these moments that you can highlight,
whereas like with football, like I can't tell who the
(08:23):
hell is who and they're all running at each other
and then they all get into one big mass.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Just smashed together.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Football is impossible to shoot and make look good. It
really is. There's there's one, maybe two movies all time
I think that are shocked and where the football actually
looks good and looks like football, Friday Night Lights being
the best of all of those. But yes, I think
baseball like and like to your point, like, yeah, it
(08:52):
just lends itself to like conversation and and and unfortunately
the way the game some of the rules have changed
and everything, you wouldn't get the moments of the whole
team standing out there talking and talking right like, because
it's all about moving the game along. They've limited mound
visits and all this, so like all the times that
crash goes out to the mound, like it doesn't really
(09:14):
happen as much that you don't have all the time
to do it. So it's like, yeah, I again, I love,
I love, love love this movie. I'm so excited to
get into it. I'm so excited to be here with
you guys today. Yeah. I've been begging Chrissy for a
very long time to do this, especially because you guys
did Major League and Field of Dreams without it. So
(09:37):
I am excited to get into buld Room, which again
my favorite.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Let's do it, Okay, well, uh, we start off with
Susan Sarandon's character Annie, right, right, Annie Savoy, an Savoy.
She's an air rating about how she believes in the
Church of Baseball, and she's dabbled with all these other
(10:07):
religions and philosophies and uh ways of thinking, and she
just decided that baseball is the most honest and best
way of life. And she picks every year one dude
(10:27):
on the baseball team that she is going to personally
take charge of in both.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
To take and take under.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Her. Yeah. Yes, and she this year hasn't chosen anyone yet.
At the beginning of our movie, when we meet Ebbie,
which like, what is that short Fortnate? What the hell
kind of name is Ebbie.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I think that's just actually his name is Ebbie. I
don't think it's short for anything. I don't think it's
a nickname. I just it's probably like a family name
something like. Baseball players have weird names. It's a whole
abbit and Castello sketch. Yeah, ball players these days they have,
you know, they're getting weirder and weirder names. You've heard
about Dizzy Dean. That's literally how how it starts is
(11:24):
them talking about actual baseball players silly names, and then
of course goes into the who But well, it's a
I think it's a great name for a basis, and
I think, I mean, you had to have something very
dumb and silly to like lead into the like you
need a nickname like story part of the which I
(11:45):
think is yeah, I don't know. Like I I like
that where it's like, yeah, we got to come up
with a nickname for him, and then that leads to
nuke like, which is so symbolic. I think it's really
well written. I think it's good writing. That's all I
say for.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Ebbie. Something every something La Looche.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Calvin Lush, Ebbie, Calvin Rabbit wool yelling his name like
spelling it out is so like fucking funny. I love it.
Oh god, oh my gosh. And then yeah, you think
I need a nickname? What about Pokey? As he's he's
(12:24):
got like no pants on? And is what do you
think about Pokey?
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah? No, not a good nickname, although he does. I
agree if with a name like Ebbie, he needs a nickname.
So we first meet him banging another chick who's not
Susan Sarandon down in the in the locker room when
he's supposed to be out on the field warming up. Oh,
I was gonna say too. This was nominated for Best
(12:53):
Original Screenplay in the Academy Awards. So they go Nate vindication.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I would say yes, I don't know what one, but
I would say nomination was well well worth it.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
It's just an honor to be nominated.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
If the manager catches Millie in the clubhouse again, he's
gonna take that scoreboard away. She's gonna kick her out,
And she says, well, if you kick me out, my
daddy's gonna take that scoreboard away. Well, what do we
need a scoreboard for? We ain't scored any runs all year?
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Yep, rain Man.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Okay, okay, fine, I guess, I guess we'll give me
the Man over Boulder.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Sure, well, it did win Best Picture.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Too, Okay, all right, fine if you insist Academy.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Uh So. Something that I noticed as they begin to
play their sports game is that the bull mass got
is atrocious. It is the ugliest mascot I've ever seen
in my whole life. It's hideous, and I hate it.
I'm happy when it gets hit by the ball.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
An important thing that we've got to say is that
this is all this is about the minor leagues, Like
almost every baseball movie is about the major leagues, and
this is about This is about the either the people
who have burned out, who have tried or just don't
have the talent to get into the majors. So this
(14:34):
is all kind of like a peak into the world
of how of how the miners actually are, you know,
and how you know, rough and unpolished these guys are as.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Well, and how bad they sort of have it too,
Like when they get on their bus to go on
their eleven city like road tour, and the bus is
just this like shitty old school bus and they're like
like throwing food at them through the windows, like they're
wild animals. I'm like, oh god, this is not a
(15:06):
glamorous life.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I mean, it's it's it's crazy how much of a
disparity there is between the minor leagues and the major leagues.
So I was looking at up right now, like a
rookie minor league player will probably make about twenty thousand
dollars a year. The lowest, the lowest, the lowest paid
(15:30):
major league player makes seven hundred and fifty thousand.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Dollars a year.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Wow, with the average being like one point five million.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Damn.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
So yeah, which wouich? You know, it makes sense that
people use the like the the the metaphor of the
minor leagues all the time, you know.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, And how and how much focus they put on
getting to the show, show the show. I was in
the show for twenty one days. What did you do,
crash that got you kicked out of the show.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
He wasn't good, That's what it was. He wasn't good.
That's why he got kicked out. He wasn't that good
this movie. I thank you for bringing that up, Nathan,
because you're welcome. Minor league baseball is so very near
and dear to my heart. A lot probably due to
(16:27):
this movie. I literally this movie is what made me
want to go work in minor league baseball, which I
did right after college. Would you do? I went and
worked for a double A team in Montgomery, Alabama called
the Montgomery Biscuits, whoa, which is one of the like
I had a list of teams I really wanted to
(16:47):
literally just based on their mascots, and the Biscuits were
right up there, and I was. I did a couple jobs.
I was like a video production intern for the season,
and then I also was the on field MC so
I was the guy that played like all the games
with the kids, did you know? And like you know,
(17:08):
I did sing take me out to the ballgame and
Happy Birthday and all that, so basically like it kept
me performing. But they also I did two jobs for
one salary, so that was not great. I probably should
negotiate it a little bit on my PA. I worked
(17:29):
some ridiculous hours. But the glamour, the lack of glamour
is real, is very very real. And that's the one
thing upon every viewing of this movie for me is
just like how how absolutely visceral the minor league experience
feels in this and how true it is even to
(17:50):
this day. Like I mean, this movie came out a
long time ago, many many years ago. Math is hard,
and another age can say thirty some audio three.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Thousand years ago, I was there again exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
And things haven't changed much like at that level of
minor league ball, you're still riding buses now they're probably
nicer buses than that. But Ron Shelton, who made this movie,
he played minor league baseball, so he literally had experience
to draw on for making this movie, which is why
it does feel so real. And actually, I in my
(18:29):
in my reading, in my research for this which I
guess I've never really dug too much into Boulder, and
I've just enjoyed it. I guess. Originally he had tabbed
Kurt Russell, which makes a lot of sense because Kurt
Russell played baseball, played semi pro baseball, his dad owned
(18:50):
a baseball team in Portland. And actually Kurt Russell loved
the movie so much he sent like letters to Kevin
Costner and Ron Shelton and everybody saying how much he
loved the movie.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Like he wanted Kevin Costner for the he wanted him
for the Kevin.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Costner, Kevin Crash Davis for the for the Kevin Costner part. Okay, yeah, which.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
That makes more sense, which I can't say anyone accept
Tim Robbins playing that big moofy motherfucker.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
That's exactly who they wanted to make ampy. They wanted
to nig dumb jock. So I I do, I do,
And now for the last However, many minutes since I
learned this fact have enjoyed thinking of Kurt Russell Davis role.
I think it makes it. I don't know about a
better movie. I don't know about a worse movie, just
(19:37):
a different movie. I think really good. But I think
Kevin Costner has the I think Russell might have been
too good looking. Yeah, I think Kevin Costner is the
appropriate amount of like hunk. But in this movie they
make him kind of look like not super hunky, like
he is watching like he is.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
It's interesting. It's like Kevin Costner is like is like
stretching into his like right now. It's like now, like
Kevin Costner is like super cranky, and this is like
the first time I remember him being like super cranky,
like stretching his real self. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Like all
(20:19):
the early Kevin Costner stuff that I really loved. He
was pretty goofy, you know, like silverado and or or
more leading man, right, I think of a leading man type, yeah,
more than anything.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Like I don't super think him as comedic funny, but
I yeah, I think of him. Yeah, it's like leading man,
like striking, good looking, putting on the all the the
suits and nice clothes and always looking good and like.
But I like grumpy Costner. I don't know, I like.
I enjoy that he's a little grumpy, especially obviously I
(20:55):
love this movie particularly, But I haven't watched a whole
lot of Yellowstone, but I probably should. I've been told
I would enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
He's very he's very grumpy.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
He's very grumpy, and.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Yeah, I get you know, I think like one of
my touchstones is actually field of dreams. Like these characters
are like like on the opposite ends of the spectrum
from each other.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Oh yeah, very much, very much.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
So Oh yeah, crash Davis is not building a baseball field. No,
as much as he loves baseball, he's not building a
baseball field in place of crops.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
No. If he heard the voices, crash Davis would be like,
I'm too old for this. Ship, get out of here.
I quit, no, I unquit.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
I gotta stop drinking.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yeah, there certainly is a lot of drinking in the
minor leagues.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
There is. I was really surprised at that. Yeah, Oh,
there's a lot of drinking. There's like a lot of
womanizing that goes on. There's a lot of Like I
live the building I lived in when I was living
in Montgomery, all the Dominican guys lived in the same building,
and like there was like a good handful of them,
and they all lived in like two apartments and there
(22:04):
was like a bunch of them and their families like
all living just to like save money because they don't
make a whole lot of them, especially the especially the
international guys, Like they really don't make a whole lot
of money. And so and you said that twenty thousand
dollars figure, and Nathan like, yeah, they get paid twenty
thousand dollars a year, but they also have to like
give they basically because they get they get fed. They'll
(22:25):
give them meals after every game, but they have to
like pay every year for that. Like a big chunk
of their salary then goes towards the food that they
get fed. Uh, and it's it is not, like I said,
not a glamorous life. When I was lucky enough to
work for a team who was owned by a cad
like it's basically a stadium catering company, so their whole
(22:48):
thing was like food for stadiums, and they they fed.
I mean we literally every game night we got we
had team dinner, family dinner, like before the game, because
you work all day and then you have the game
at night, and it's like you can't go home and eat.
You got to be at the ballpark. You got to
get things ready. So like we would literally have family dinner,
and as someone who didn't make a lot of money,
(23:09):
getting a free dinner five days a week was it's
actually really nice. Then the team would go on the
road and I'm like, okay, I got to make the
hundred dollars stretch next time we're at home. So yeah,
it's it's but I truly, truly, I love minor league
(23:30):
baseball a lot, and it's so like rooted in so
many communities, small communities, communities that aren't big enough to
have major league teams even really nearby. Yeah, I mean
like minor league baseball, which is in the decline unfortunately,
is like such a thriving like is it such a
great thing for a lot of towns and stuff out there.
(23:53):
M hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
It reminds me of like welcome to Wrexham and just
all the different leagues and how important that local team is.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
This minor league baseball is our English soccer along with
I would say college football is in a similar way
where it is like these towns that are truck stops
if that that, you know, wouldn't have anything else, but
they have that minor league baseball team where they get
to see future or past major leaguers sometimes current you
(24:26):
know these days, you know, you get guys that you're
rehabing injuries and while they're you know, trying to like
get it back up to speed, they go play games
in the minor leagues. So like you'll have like a
major league guy come and play for a week or
whatever in your minor league town and it brings out
a lot of people and that's always kind of cool
when that can happen as well. So yeah, it's but
(24:50):
it is also a very heartbreaking. Like I worked at
the Double A level, which is the most heartbreaking level
because it's really the real like sifter. Your trip is
guys who are basically major leaguers. They're either like just
on their way or they're up and down all the
time or there. Uh and your your A ball and
your high A ball. That's all like guys that just
(25:11):
got drafted or really learning the really development. But they
got a lot of like hope and promise. Double A
is where those two kind of meet. Yeah, right, so
it is interesting. I don't think I always picture this
movie happening in Double A. Not they talk about that
it is a ball, but I always picture it's kind
of double A. By the way, Durham now is a
(25:31):
Triple A team, the Durham actual Durham Bulls. Oh yeah,
they became very prominent after this movie. And go on
to I've been to the stadium, I've seen hit the
bull win a stake sign. I've not been to a game,
but I've made my pilgrimage.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
Where is it?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Where is it Durham, North Carolina, so that Carolina, Raleigh,
Durham area, and it's I mean gorgeous, like downtown area,
you know, same town as Duke University, which is an amazing,
incredible campus that looks like Hogwarts yeah. So I was
(26:12):
on like a family vacation and we went into Duke
and we did UNC which is just down the road
in Raleigh, and then also did the Durham Bulls Stadium
because I had to see it with my own eyes.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
And your family is just like, why did we let
him watch this movie again?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yeah? Right, because watched it, That's why.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Of course. Of course. So on her first night with Abbie,
Susan sorry and him ties him to the bed and
reads him poetry all night. So he shows up to
the game the next day or batting practice or whatever,
looking all haggard, and they're like, oh, la la, she
(26:58):
really as good as they all say, and he's like, ah,
what I know. She tied me up and read me
poetry all night, and I thought that was really cute.
But the poetry is not what does the trick for
Abby or Nuke as he uh will henceforth be known.
It's really a mixture of his relationship with Susan Sarandon
(27:21):
and uh the guidance and tutelage of Crash uh huh,
who really punishes him as if he cares not for
the game at all, like punishes him for not listening
by telling the other players what pitch he's gonna throw
when he disobeys Kevin Costner's orders.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
He has, yeah, he has. He has some burnout issues,
for sure, he has some anger issues.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
So basically Nuke has all this potential, but he is unfocused, undisciplined,
he's wild.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I believe the line is a million dollar arm with
a five cent head.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yeah. And so basically Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon are
there is kind of like his de facto mentors. They're
not really competing, but they're kind of orbiting separately, you know,
trying to mold Nuke into something with promise something, I mean,
something better.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yeah, because he's he's really he's good and he's got.
When he's on the game, he's good. But he's not
on his game very much, no, because he's always it's.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Almost like chance.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
It's like, well, you're gonna you're gonna roll a twenty
on a twenty sided day eventually, you.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Know, eventually. Yep. One thing was his first.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
He had eighteen strikeouts, new league record, walk eighteen.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
Record.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Also he hit the bull the PA announcer all new
league records. Yeah. Yeah, so like yeah, there's those guys
out there. They throw hard, but they have no control.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I really liked the sort of juxtaposition that they put
together for us of the sort of internal monologues of
like Kevin Costner's internal monologue is internal. It's done as
voiceover as he's getting ready to hit, and he's like,
you know, Annie's all in his head and he's like,
gotta hit his He's trying to well, he's not trying
(29:35):
to break the home run record, but he is going
to break the home run record, and he in fact
wants no one to know. But he has this internal
monologue that's all voiceover, and Tim Robbins just says his
internal monologue out loud.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Oh that was amazing what I do? Yeah, that was
Actually I'm surprised how like like uh.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
I want to say, well, you know, grizzled and like
veteranden that Kevin Costner looked, dude was only thirty three.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
Yeah, but in minor league. That's I mean, that's old
in the mind, that's ancient. That's very old. I mean,
you might as well be one hundred. Like it's I mean,
they call him, they all call him Pops, they all, yeah,
it's it's it is brutal. But yeah, no, I think
(30:37):
that he does look especially we were Christy never talking
about this, like, he looks so short compared to Timmy.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Susan, Right, he's six foot one. We looked it up.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
Who Kevin Costner.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Kevin Costner, jeez, six foot five.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I had you guys, have you ever seen the British
show task Master?
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Yes, the show task Master.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I had the same problem just watching, like the two hosts.
There's like the task Master and then there's the real
guy who runs the show and the real they're both
in thrones, and the real guy who runs the show
looks tiny compared to the task Master. Turns out the
guy who looks tiny is six foot two. Yeah, so
the huge guy is like six foot eight or nine.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
He's a giant.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
He's a giant. It's like the show Supernatural, which Nate
and I are greatly acquainted with. Oh, Lucky is six
foot four and Jensen Acles is six foot one. So
he's not a short man. He's a tall man. He
just happens to always be standing next to someone who
is a giant.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
And that's what this movie is. I love all, I
love all of the every single scene of Costner coming
out to the mound is a class and like every
single one delivers a line that so like when I
played baseball, I was a catcher. So that's another reason
why this movie is so seminole is because it really
is just about a picture catcher relationship and the coming
(32:18):
out and saying you know, like you know, I held
it like an egg. Yeah, and he really scrambled the
son of a pitch. He hit that thing like I did,
like he knew it was coming. It's because he did.
Or later on in the movie when he's like when
he has pitching that really good game, he's having a
great game, and he shakes him off and he goes,
I can't believe he's shaking me off, Dusty, here comes
(32:40):
the deuce And when you speak of me, speak well me.
And then he goes out to nuke and he goes
anything that travels that high or that far that I
should have a damn stewardess on it, Like those are
wines that like my coaches would come out and say
to me after I'd give up like a hit, like
they would come out and like because they know it
make me laugh. I'd be like a good one. But like, uh,
(33:05):
the best, the best one of all time though, uh was.
So we have the we have the scene obviously where
we talked about earlier, where they're all out there, it's
the whole convention and Jose has a curse on his mit. Uh,
the no one knows what to get Jimmy and Millie
for their wedding and for for their for their wedding,
(33:27):
and and Nuke is upset because he's bringing out breathing
out of the wrong eyelid and his old man. And
then Robert Wool delivers what apparently was an ad libbed line,
candlesticks always make a nice gift. Uh, figure out where
she's registered. Yeah. So when I was, I was when
(33:50):
I was when I was in middle school and we
were playing it was middle school baseball team, the school
baseball team. It was the playoffs. It was a big moment.
I was catching our picture. It was like bases loaded.
Our picture was like really like And I went out
there and I just stood out there and I got
the whole infield in and I waited until our coach
came out. And when our coach came out, I delivered
(34:13):
that whole spiel that Kevin Costner delivers. I was like,
what so and so he's got a curse on. We
need a live rooster? Is it a live Yeah, okay,
we need a live rooster. I did the whole thing.
I like took one of our teammates that just got
a new girlfriend. I was like, no one knows what
to get them as a gift. I did the whole thing,
and my coach like, this is how you knew I
(34:33):
was born for improv. My coach without without missing a beat,
goes candlesticks always make a nice gift. He totally was
just like he's like, I can't believe in the middle
of this game, this kid is doing a bit bit.
I come out here and he's doing a bit. So yeah,
(34:57):
when I say this movie is my favorite and has
very fluential, like it goes so deep. I literally pulled
this movie out everywhere.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
It's great. So the movie continues. Of course, Uh. Tim
Robbins eventually does get called up to the majors, and
it's like a goodbye between him and Annie Ye like
we've done our job.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
Their technique starts winning it. There is a romantic triangle basically, oh.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
And he wears the garters. I gotta I forgot to
mention that he wears her garters under his uniform to
keep his mind out of the game, and I thought
that was great. I really enjoyed that bit.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
And she has n't breathed through his eyelids like the
Mayan the as tech, the Mayan Aztec jokes throughout. The
whole thing is so great. Uh yeah, the garters so funny.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
The thing I loved is that he's going through all
these things and like the dugout totally straight face knows
everything that's going on. You know, it's like, oh no, no,
he's you know, yeah, he's having problems breathing through his
eyes and he's yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
I mean, they're running chicken bones on their bats. You're
with these guys for six months of the year and
you're all just traveling and living together, and you spend
every day together like you really do get to know
all and and things like that that would seem weird
to outsiders are just normal, just normal every day stuff.
(36:36):
I love. One of my favorite scenes is the is
the shower scene. Of course, the throwing the bats into
the shower because they're not playing well, and so Kevin
Costner says, scare them. You need to scare it. Young
you got to scare them, And so anybody who's not
in the shower, in the next ten minutes, I'm finding
one hundred or the next ten seconds, I'm finding one
hundred dollars. And he counts down and then it's it's
(36:59):
a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball,
you catch the ball. You lollygagg in and out of
the dog. You lolly gag your way at first? What
does that make you? Larry lolly gaggers Robert wool behind
him doing the eight and fifteen? What's our record? Eight
and fifteen? Eight and fifteen? How'd we ever win eight?
(37:20):
It's a miracle, It's a miracle. They Baseball Tonight. The
ESPN Baseball Show way back in the day did like
commercials where they would parody famous baseball movie scenes. That
was always my favorite one. They did a parody of
that one. It was always super funny and it would
be like with the guys the show. Yeah, So I
just want to bring up that scene because I love
(37:41):
it so much. Like what a great set piece, like
throwing bats in a shower, Like just having him scream
at these like naked dudes in a shower, Like no movie,
no sports movie has given you that scene, Sure aren't.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
So. Kevin Cosner gets fired after Nuke gets called up
to the to the majors and he gets he gets
let go, which is I thought was the saddest part. Uh.
They play pool and he goes to like a juke
joint and starts playing pool and he's he's very drunk,
and he's like, you got talent, but you're too dumbed
(38:24):
to use it, and he gets punched in the face.
And then they have a sad locker room scene where
he's like, be cocky and play with fear and arrogance.
And I thought that was good advice. Fear and arrogance.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Fear and ignorance. No, I know, I just like to
see you get riled up.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
I also thought it was fun when Millie, who's sort
of like the aside from Annie. Uh, Millie is like
the other Uh. Yeah, she's like she sleeps with all
the play. But there's a really good part at the
beginning where she's like, I got lured and and he's like,
(39:06):
you did not get lured. Women are too strong in
power for lebtu Lee lured. You went there of your
own accord and so let me hear you say it,
and she's like, I wasn't lured. I went there of
my own accord. But she gets married to Jimmy, the
Jesus Freak baseball player out on the field before a game.
Which if I paid money to go see a baseball
(39:28):
game and I had to sit through someone's wedding, I'd
be pissed.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Everybody in town knows Jimmy and Millie though, right her
dad's a prominent businessman who donated money for the scoreboard,
and Jimmy probably knows a lot of church folks who
are out at the game. We're talking about small town
North Carolina here, So it's it's definitely like I think
that highlights the how again like intimate this setting of
(39:55):
baseball was, especially at this time, is that this wedding
does happen pregame, you know it like it's it's so
good and there's there's the moment too towards the end.
I guess it's that same game with the curse, with
the curse glove and Nuke's dad and everything, right before
(40:16):
he gets called to the show where where Crash calls
the umpa cocksucker and and they're working on the the
wedding dress, and she really says, do I deserve to
wear wat? And Susan swims, we all deserve to wear whit, honey.
Like ye, I don't want to like pat myself on
the back too much here, but like the fact that
my favorite movie and baseball movie is narrated and told
(40:39):
from like the point of view of a woman.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
I feel I'm just saying I feel like I should.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
I feel like I deserve. Look, I'm saying accommodation, but
if I got it, No, I just I but I'd
like that about this movie. I'm not, obviously, but I
do like that a lot. And I think that's something
upon like recent viewings that I'm like, No, this is
(41:07):
this holds up. I think obviously it's like written by
men and probably produced by all by men, But like,
at least there is a like strong central female character
I think that has plays by her own rules, has
her she doesn't go along with the flow? Is complicated?
Uh and and multi dimensional? Are Is there another female
(41:34):
character other than millions?
Speaker 1 (41:36):
No?
Speaker 2 (41:36):
No, there's not.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
No. Does it pass the backfield test? It does not?
Speaker 2 (41:39):
No, it does not. No, not even close. So but again,
I I do like that aspect of this movie.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Yeah, so as soon as Nuke goes up to the Majors,
Crash and Annie are like, well, now it's our turn.
Let's go to Poundtown and they hook up, but they
find a true love.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
Because climax of the movie is their climax as well.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Yes, it is in a row and they make such
a fucking mess of her house. Uh he dumps wet
cereal onto the floor, and then it shows her cleaning
it up like days later, and she's like barely cleaning
it up. And I'm just like, this is irresponsible love
making people. These are bad lessons to learn for a
(42:33):
young man.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Why are we teaching our children these things?
Speaker 1 (42:37):
Why are we letting me see this movie as such
a young man and learn these terrible lessons.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
It explains a lot about my relationships and stuff. I'm
not gonna lie, bring in your past partners and and
oh go ahead. In high school, I did we did
like a date with a girl where we movie swapped
where I had to watch the book but she had
(43:02):
to then watch Bull Durham. And that was the first
time I realized how dirty this movie really is. Super dirty.
It's super dirty, but I like between teacher. I wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
I wouldn't let a twenty year old watch this.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
For sure, what I do what I do love about
this movie, though it totally is within the eighties tropes
of anytime there's genuine romance, there is a solo saxophone play.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
What what I want to imagine is that they're they're
getting the same guy for all these movies, and so
he's showing.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Up and it's the guy, the guy. No, it's the guyl. No,
it's the guys from the vampire.
Speaker 3 (44:02):
Movie, right right?
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Oh, Lost Boys, Lost Boys.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
I love the idea that his day of work is
he shows up, he brings his saxophone, and he watches
only the horniest.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
Scenes in all these movies, day in, day out.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Oh yeah, and he is just like, we are so
hard a job. I want to think it's a job too.
I want to believe it, and I want to believe
it's the shirt list chain wearing lead singing saxophone player
from the Lost Boys who's.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
Just a session musician.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
Now, yeah, he has a sensitive soul. He has a
sensitive soul. So on a scale of one set of
garters to wear or one, yeah, one set of garters
to wear while you play, Uh, triple a baseball or
double or a right, just regular?
Speaker 2 (45:05):
Ay, this is just a ball according to the movie. Yeah,
it's just a ball. But I like I said, I
would like, I think that the way this movie depicts
is more of a double A feel in today's world.
Speaker 3 (45:17):
In today's world, so it's double A adjusted for inflation.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
How many sets of garters do you give? Bull drum.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Nate go for it, Yeah, you go. Yeah, it's my
favorite movie, so I'm gonna give it. I'm gonna give
it ten out of ten garters and five out of
five fungos, because that's how much I love it. I
will say, if I could, if I'm nitpicking, I give
I give ten out of ten garters to the movie
(45:54):
up until crash is let go, Yeah, and then I
give the epilogue like, yeah, it is kind of out
of ten garters because it, like the movie. I mean,
everything in this movie shifts, like the whole tone. It's
not funny anymore, like it's the last like kind of
(46:18):
it's like narrative debts, you know, yeah, in weird, in weird,
like melancholic, depressing kind of like sad ways almost that
then it's like, I guess is romantic, and it's like
romantic at the very end when he comes back and
they have the moment on the porch, like that's nice,
but like the whole before that moment and after he
(46:41):
gets like go, it's just like a real wild time
but not really wild, really boring, I think, Like, so,
I don't know, I guess. Does that make it nine
guarters out of ten? No? Okay, ten guards out of
ten for me?
Speaker 1 (46:57):
Yeah, you get to give your favorite movie about ten,
no matter no matter what flaws it has.
Speaker 2 (47:03):
Yes, right. If you can't give your favorite movie ten
out of ten, can't give then it's like spinal tap,
No eleven is ten.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
That means it's actually ten.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
Yeah, this one goes to eleven, which.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
One of those? Yeah they are? Yeah for sure.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
I can't wait. What do you how many garters do
you give it? Nathan?
Speaker 3 (47:28):
Okay, so don't hate me.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
I didn't. I didn't love it obviously as much as you,
but I definitely liked it.
Speaker 3 (47:36):
So I'm going I'm going so I also have a
very soft spot for baseball movies as well, So I'm
going to give it a seven at a ten respectable. Yeah, yeah, honestly,
like I think Field of Dreams is probably my number
one in terms of baseball movies. But but yeah, but
(48:05):
a lot of fun. Glad I saw it seven out
of ten.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
That's kind of where I land.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Was this your first time seeing it, Nathan?
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Yes, it was really I don't know what again, Like
there's it's like I've probably seen The Natural like twenty times,
you know, like the Natural for me because I played,
I played baseball for four years, and I only if
it wasn't for the Natural, I would have only played.
Speaker 3 (48:31):
Baseball for two years. Like it was like I played
baseball because my dad wanted me to play baseball, Like
for the first two years I wanted to play, and
then I was done, but my dad wanted me to play,
and so I played for two more years. And it
was movies like The Natural that I clung to of
like the mythos of baseball, you know, the romanticism of baseball.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
You know, I love that little baby Nathan sports, but
still managed to make it about movies.
Speaker 3 (49:05):
Like I would quote it. I don't even remember what
I would quote, but just to keep myself into the
game because I was not particularly athletic. I was not
the only thing I was good at was making contact
with the ball. I was not great at fielding or
anything to do with that. But yeah, it was movies.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
I love it. I agree with Nathan. I'm also going
to give it a seven out of ten because I
always ask myself, like, was it better than Mannequin?
Speaker 2 (49:35):
Which I gave the mannequin test.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
The mannequin test, and I thought it was as good
as Mannequin. Okay, so I give it a seven too,
because I thought it was really fun to watch. I
thought it was romantic and cute. I liked all the
lead actors. I liked all the supporting actors. And I
didn't love the music of the movie. I thought it
(50:00):
was weird.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
It's very eighties Cynthia. They and then the songs they
bring in. I mean, you have around whatever Schoolhouse, the
Elvis song, Yeah, that one, Rock around the Clock. That's
the song, Oh yeah, yeah yeah, Rock around the Clock,
and then the one from the trailer, and then the
(50:23):
one he sings on the bus that he gets all
the words wrong to yep. Yeah. So like yeah, but yeah,
the music is weird. It is very strange music. Oh,
it's center Field because it's a baseball movie, so you
have to have, Like n John Fogerty has to be
(50:45):
in a baseball movie. It might not always be center field,
but there will be John Fogerty in a baseball I
love it.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
Uh So, what about a deep cut recommendation? I know
Nate and I went around and around about this and
had a hard time of one because it's hard to
say a baseball movie without being two on the nose.
Speaker 3 (51:07):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (51:09):
What did you come up with? Nate?
Speaker 2 (51:12):
So you and I talked about a lot of different movies.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
It's true.
Speaker 2 (51:18):
We brought up Tin Cup, which is by the same
director and also stars Kevin Costner. We brought up a
couple other baseball movies or movies that yep, sixty one,
the Billy Crystal HBO movie about Roger Marris and Mickey
Manno back in the day, but last night just happened
(51:40):
to be on TV a movie that I was like, No, this,
this is gonna be my deep cut because I think
it actually does go really well with this pairs well
with this movie is not listed as a recommended movie
on the IMDb page four Bull Durham. It's from two
(52:01):
thousand and two. It is a Disney movie. It starts
and Spencer Breslin and Rachel Griffiths and I'm trying to
think of see if there's anyone, but it's are you?
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Are you gonna? Because I thought about this movie too.
Did you you say what it is?
Speaker 2 (52:24):
Oh? Oh, it's The Rookie.
Speaker 1 (52:29):
I thought about that movie too, and I decided not
to say it.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Because Dennis Quaid obviously, And it's based on a true story.
Dennis Quaid plays a high school teacher. He used to
play baseball, you know, somewhat competitively for a while, but
hasn't done a long time, and he's old and suddenly
realizes he can throw like mid to high nineties again
(52:54):
as he's coaching high schoolers and they challenge him to go.
His team challenges him to go try out, and he
ends up making it and making the minor leagues and
then making it to the majors. So it's another movie
that shows minor league baseball. It's actually why I was
like and does kind of like a decent job of
kind of showing what it would have been like what
it is like. So, yeah, my my recommendation. And it's
(53:17):
a sweet movie. It's a family movie. You can watch
it with everyone. It's like that. It's the anti Bold,
not anti Boulder, but very much so. Yeah, mine, I'm
gonna recommend the Rookie.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
The Rookie. All right, excellent, what did you come up
with me? Then?
Speaker 3 (53:34):
So my my like my unobvious I mean, my non
deep cut would be Moneyball when it comes to baseball movies, Like,
here's a baseball movie that I love, and I can't
think of any scenes that take place on the baseball field, right.
(53:55):
It is literally about the guy's counting.
Speaker 2 (53:59):
It's about stats and accounting, it's about it's about yeah,
it's it's it's about spreadsheets.
Speaker 3 (54:07):
But if I had to go just I guess a
little deeper, not again, not super deep. Uh, I would
probably go with ted Lasso, Like, even though it's not baseball,
if you really are vibing on the underdogs and and
you really want to sink your teeth into it, like
(54:29):
Ted Lasso is just delightful, you know, which which is
everywhere not a secret at all, you know, but there's
there's so many analogies between the two sports, probably because
they're sports.
Speaker 2 (54:47):
In sports, yeah and and and so yeah, that's my stick.
Then if you like Ted last Wilson golf Mark in it.
It's really good. It's very much in the same vein
as Ted Lasso. Okay, but yeah, yeah, I love Tedo.
Speaker 3 (55:09):
Yeah, it's great, great, but sometimes all right.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
So I thought about, uh, why I like Kevin Costner,
and it's because of the movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
Speaker 3 (55:27):
Because of it, Yes, and I.
Speaker 1 (55:34):
Really like the movie. Unapologetically like the movie Robin Hood
Prince of Thieves. So that's why I love it. Alan
Rickman is a joy.
Speaker 2 (55:48):
It's it's a.
Speaker 1 (55:50):
Really good movie and I love it. Even though it's
not really a good movie, I love it anyway. So
I'm gonna recommend Robin Hood Prince of Thieves to get
your fully American from the South. Robinhood. Thanks for the day,
because I love it. Yes, So that's why do you've
(56:12):
got recommendation. Okay, awesome, Thank you so much for listening.
Thank you for being here with us. At the end, Nathan,
where can people find more of your films and support
you in your filmmaking endeavors.
Speaker 3 (56:27):
Yeah, squishy studios dot com is probably the easiest way. Yeah,
squishy studios dot com.
Speaker 1 (56:36):
Squishy studios dot com and can they still watch the
Last movie Ever made? On Amazon and to B.
Speaker 3 (56:43):
Yes they can. They can rent it on Amazon and
Apple and then they can watch it with ads on
two B The last movie.
Speaker 1 (56:51):
Yeah, the last movie ever made? Do it? Watch it,
rent it, pay for it, do all that stuff?
Speaker 2 (56:58):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (56:59):
Nathan, where can be or Nate the other Nathan? Nate
this time?
Speaker 2 (57:04):
We almost made the whole show.
Speaker 1 (57:06):
We almost made it. Where can people listen to you?
Look at you, support you and your other endeavors.
Speaker 2 (57:16):
If you want to listen to me, you can listen
to Gank That Drink a podcast. It's a supernatural drinking
game podcast hosted by Christy Is and it's awesome and
it's super fun. And I just got home Homey at
the Sacred Pint forgetting his name right now, Cody. He
(57:36):
loves Supernatural, so I just got him onto it no way,
along with another barfly that was sitting there. She apparently,
but she's never watched the show, but she's going to
start watching the show and then listen to the podcast along.
So yeah, if you like Supernatural and you like drinking
or either one of those things, check out Gank that
Drink And if you'd like to see and hear me
(57:58):
as well as Chrissy. You can come to the Neighborhood
Comedy Theater in downtown Mesa, Arizona, and you can go
to Nctphoenix dot com for all the dates and details
and showtimes and tickets and all the information.
Speaker 1 (58:14):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And if you're here with
us at the end, it's because you want more most
excellent eighties movies podcast in your life. Guess what You
can have more most excellent eighties movies podcast in your life.
Just become a member at true Story fm. Go to
true story dot fm, click on our little podcast and
(58:36):
go over there, and you can pay five dollars a
month to get every episode a week early and without
any ads, and with some special bonus content which we're
about to record. I have a surprise question for the
two of you. Yeah, so find out what that question
is and what the questions always are every week when
(58:58):
you get new bonus content by becoming a member, and
you support us, and that's the most important thing. If
you want to support us without spending any money, like
rate review, subscribe, thumbs up, tell a friend, tell your
local A league baseball groupies to listen, and while you're
(59:19):
out there in the world. Please keep the most excellent
Eighties movies podcast motto and mind be excellent to each
other and yeah,
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