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Starring Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Cheech Marin, and Don Johnson
Written and Directed by Ron Shelton
Probably the only thing I can think of that's dumber than a movie about golf would be a movie about individual synchronized swimming, but we play the hand we're dealt so . . .
Gotcha. Ron Shelton's Tin Cup is no more about golf than his White Men Can't Jump was about basketball. The sporting event is a jumping off place for a giggle of a flick about relationships, romantic and otherwise. The studio asks that I not give a way the ending, which I don't do anyways. The problem for me is that Shelton is so good at writing clever asides and story subplots that I don't want to give those away either. So forgive me if I do a little dancing here . . .
Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy (Kevin Costner) runs a driving range in Salome, Texas. Actually, he spends most of his days making silly wagers with his cronies, since the range is usually deserted. The sole paying customer seen is a pretty-as-a-picture and new-in-town psychologist named Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo) who is learning the game because her boyfriend is a pro. That would be David Simms (Don Johnson), who played golf with McAvoy in college and watched McAvoy fail to qualify for the pro tour by one stroke because he wouldn't play it safe. Simms, as a pro, has always finished THAT CLOSE to the big money but has never connected. There's a charity event that Simms wants to win, on a course that McAvoy knows like the back of his hand. So pro offers the self proclaimed jerk a job as caddie.
One thing about McAvoy -- he doesn't think out all the angles and he can't resist a bet. The way the early stages of Tin Cup plays out establishes a professional and personal rivalry between the men. McAvoy falls for the "doctor lady," and can't resist a bet, when doing so would put a lot more cash in his pocket after a Simms victory.
To win the lady, McAvoy decides that he will qualify for, and then win, the U.S. Open. Doing so will prove that he can finish something he starts, which he has never done before, and show the good doctor that he can change into a man she can love. Cranky suffered through a variation of this a couple of months ago in Happy Gilmore, but this time he laughed quite a bit more.
Add to the mix an outstanding performance by Cheech Marin as Romeo Posar, a role I can only generalize as "best friend." Romeo works the range, acts as technical advisor and caddie to McAvoy, consults same on his love and financial life. In short, he doe s what is needed to advance the story, and adds a good number of comic moments as well. The rest of the supporting cast is, to be honest, forgettable.
What does work, finally, is a Kevin Costner performance (and I offer this honestly as one who is not a fan of Costner's performances in general). It is subtle, it is funny and it is sympathetic. That I didn't see sparks flying between the Costner and Russo characters is irrelevant given the sparkling dialog that had me laughing steadily. The Russo/Johnson relationship played out more realistically, though the resolution of it all felt a bit forced.
The reaction of the paying audience on the way out ranged from "It's great" to "It's a little, fluffy romantic comedy." Both reactions are, in Cranky's opinion, accurate.
On average, a first run movie ticket will run you Eight Bucks. Were Cranky able to set his own price for Tin Cup, he would have paid . . .
$7.00
Remember, I rate for enjoyment, not for a movie's place in cinematic history. The sun will still rise in the morning if you wait for the pay per view or the rental release. But you'll have a lot more fun if you buy the large popcorn and plunk down now.
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