ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 17, 1996 TAG: 9608190041
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
"Tin Cup" reunites the director and star of "Bull Durham" with the same spectacular results.
Both movies tell essentially the same story of a smart woman who starts out with the wrong man and ends up with the right one. Though the film slips once or twice and takes the game of golf too seriously, it's a laid-back romantic comedy with a low-rent setting that gets the most out of an inspired cast.
Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo) enters Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy's (Kevin Costner) life when she shows up at his armadillo-intensive West Texas driving range for a golf lesson. Until then, Roy has been hanging out with Romeo (Cheech Marin) and the rest of his pals. Their main occupations are cleaning golf balls and making foolish bets: Which bug will be the first to fry on the bug-zapper?
Molly tries to resist Roy's patented "poetry of golf" routine, but it doesn't work. There's an immediate attraction between them. David Simms (Don Johnson) is also between them. He and Roy have a history that goes back to their college days. Since then, their careers have gone in opposite directions. Roy's emotional game has left him living in a Winnebago. The calculating Simms is a touring pro with his own tournament in Houston.
Not surprisingly, the plot follows the familiar sports formula, but only up to a point. In the key moments, when writer/director Ron Shelton has to decide what kind of story he's telling, he stays true to his characters. That's what makes the film so successful. Even viewers who don't know a wood from a putter and couldn't care less about the details of the game will become involved with the story.
The strong supporting characters consistently threaten to upstage the stars. Cheech Marin and Linda Hart, as Roy's ex-girlfriend, have some terrific scenes that almost match the clever sparring between Rene Russo and Costner. Shelton gives all of them plenty of room to work, letting the plot loaf along at a leisurely pace. Most of the time that works well, but toward the middle it seems a little indulgent.
That's a quibble. Shelton and co-writer John Norville have created interesting, attractive characters and placed them in an unpredictable situation.
In a summer that's been filled with loud pyrotechnic special effects hits, it's a pleasure to see this kind of smart comedy back in theaters.
Tin Cup
*** 1/2
A Warner Bros. release playing at the Salem Valley 8, Tanglewood Mall. 135 min. Rated R for strong language, subject matter.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Rene Russo and Kevin Costner star in the romantic comedyby CNB"Tin Cup."