Tin Cup
There seem to be so many romantic-comedies out there. And Tin Cup is no exception. It is a romantic-comedy. But something about this movie made it stand out from the rest of the pack. Maybe it's because it's set against the background of a golf story. Or it just might be that the stars have so much fun on screen. Whatever the reason, this is a good date movie.
The movie opens with Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo, in her best performance yet) getting golf lessons from Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy (Kevin Costner). Right from the start, I was laughing. Watching Griswold try to hit the ball was hilarious. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't keep that sense of humor. Instead, it turns into a golf movie (though one of the best) while trying to be funny. So what is it exactly? It's a romantic golf movie. But when the movie is funny, it's a riot.
The rest of the movie involves Tin Cup's jealousy of fellow golfer, David Simms (Don Johnson), his struggle to get Griswold, and his goal to gain a gold trophy. The goal to gain a trophy is probably the most interesting plot in the movie. The reason "Tin Cup" was nicknamed that is because he has never won a gold cup. He decides to go on the U.S. Open and beat Simms. However, one night he finds out he can't hit straight. His caddy (Cheech Marin) suggests that he get his mind off Dr. Griswold because it's messing his game up.
At the U.S. Open, "Cup" realizes he still can't hit straight and is getting a lot of mean comments from other players. So it's up to his caddy to straighten him out. The ending of the game is very interesting and unpredictable. Unfortunately, the movie isn't about his goal to get the trophy, but his goal to get the girl. And this plot isn't really interesting, but it can be pretty funny when it wants to be.
The best thing about Tin Cup is the actors. Rene Russo is very good as Griswold. She is funny, but I think her character in Get Shorty was better than this one. Kevin Costner, who is coming back from his mildly successful Waterworld, is in top notch form, but his character isn't as good as some of his past ones (i.e. Dances With Wolves). Cheech Marin is hilarious as "Tin Cup's" caddy. He has most of the funny lines in the movie and is probably the best character in the film. Don Johnson is probably the worst of the group. I didn't like his character and I didn't like Johnson. There are also some cameos in the movie from famous golfers (my favorite is Fred Couples).
Tin Cup is rated R. There is some offensive language and a sex scene, but no nudity. Unfortunately, I think this movie could have easily gotten a PG-13 rating if it only had cut out some of the language. But for what it is, this movie is pretty good, with some hilarious sequences. However, there aren't enough of those moments to make the movie a comedy, and there weren't enough sport-related moments to make it a sport movie. If only the director had chosen one way and stuck to it, this might have been a great movie.