Now that that the winter weather is finally moving into the Kansas City area, I am already thinking about spring and going golfing. While I have never described myself as sports guy, I do enjoy going golfing and find the absolutely frustrating game to be seemingly relaxing. It is a weird love hate game that has you wanting to break your club over knee when you fucking chilli pepper some shots, but then you seem to smile when you get the one good chip on to the green or the soft roll of a putt in the cup. It’s other little things about the game make it worth the time and frustration to find just a bit of comfort and enjoyment. Today’s choice is kind of an offbeat choice for a golf movie. I understand that sports films all play up the melodrama that comes with the sports but it is not always about trying to overcome the odds or playing the underdog in a film. This is about playing the game you love and finding that one moment that makes it worth it all in the end. No fame or glory, just a chance to prove that you still got it.
Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner) is a talented golf pro, who owns his own driving range. That sounds impressive, but the reality is quite different. While it’s true that Roy is indeed a talented golfer and does own a driving range, it is in a tiny, unheard of Texas backwater. With almost no customers, he is likely to go broke. His golfing talents remain untapped and his life is rapidly going nowhere. To pass the time, he drinks a lot of beer with his buddies, or swings at a bucket of balls. Sometimes, he even plays real golf, and his friend and assistant Romeo (Cheech Marin) caddies for him. That’s all there is for Roy, until he is wakened from his deathlike reverie by a visit from a newcomer in town, psychologist Molly Griswold (Renee Russo). Teaching her how to swing a club reminds him of feelings he had nearly forgotten. Discovering that she is the girlfriend of his old golfing rival, David Simms (Don Johnson), goads him yet further, and he returns to the PGA golf tour to compete in the U.S. Open. Maybe he’ll get Molly for himself, maybe not, but in the meantime he has some things to prove to himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
I have to admit that my enjoyment of this film comes from watching this from my dad. I am sure that if given the opportunity he would love to give it all up and retire and be a range pro. You get to hit golf balls all day and not much else. While Kevin Costner has payed the sports man in a lot of movies, Tin Cup is one of the more relaxed roles I have seen him in. He plays a former golf prodigy named Roy McAvoy, a man who had all the right shots but none of the ambition or drive to really go out there and dominate the course. Instead the man lives a life of little adventure, getting by drinking and tuning up peoples golf swings and generally being a schlub. Only when someone from his past, former friend and golf pro David Sims (Don Johnson) insults him by hiring Roy as a caddie, it sparks something in him to get back out there. Actually the spark is the fact that Sims decided to puss out and lay up a shot when he grow a fucking pair and prove his worth. I guess showing up others on the course is a good enough reason to start playing again.
I really enjoyed watching Costner kind of be this lazy genius golfer just needing the kick in the ass to get him to make his mark. Whether it is showing up Simms or getting his girl Molly (Rene Russo), it’s all about this little battles that correlate to playing golf. Troubling greens and courses run parallel to his life and the paths that he deviates from, but also the way he approaches a difficult shot might have this undercurrent of brilliance. Sometimes you can’t take the easy shots on the green, other times you just got to grip it and rip it.
I realize that not a lot of people are golfers and that’s fine. I guess I seem to connect with it since I like to play golf, either by myself or with my father and friends. It’s this little micro-cosom of life that happens on the golf course. It’s frustrating and difficult, sometimes your outside problems translate into a difficult slice, ,but you when just breathe and relax, it all goes away. Tin Cup has a lot of little subtexts that show this is a movie that was made for golfers in mind. Sure it has a romantic comedy feel to it, but then again there has to be something that gets to feel something for the characters and their problems. If there wasn’t, then it would just be a movie about Kevin Costner being a loser and a dick to his friends by being reckless and carefree. He doesn’t gain anything, but you incorporate his friends and a love interest, he has a lot more to prove and gain. Tin Cup is a good movie, one that has a lot of funny beats and good interaction. Plus it’s about golf, what could be wrong with that?