Brandon at Random Reviews

When I think back on the days where I lived and breathed golf, I would watch any movie that had a golf-centric plot. Happy Gilmore stands out as the movie I most gravitated toward. Every waking minute of that VHS tape got worn to pieces with viewing after viewing, I loved it. I also gave way too much time to the not-so-great film “The Legend of Bagger Vance” in the name of golf love. But there was another film with a slightly more…adult theme…coupled with a good sense of humor. This also happens to be one of the few movies I like Kevin Costner in and actually think he’s good in as well. Amazing. Please understand how rare enjoying Kevin Costner is for me.

It’s a strange movie, to me. I mean you’ve got a bit of a back and forth with a pair of old rivals. One is a seasoned professional golfer on the tour who plays smart, named David Simms, played by Don Johnson. The other, our protagonist named Roy “Tin Cup”McAvoy and played by Kevin Costner who has has a more adolescent and daring approach to his game, he’s also a broke driving range golf pro who holds something of a legendary status in his area from his earlier years where he and Simms played with and against one another. There is also a love interest for McAvoy in one Dr. Molly Griswold who is portrayed by the always charming Rene Russo, whose character is pretty much a no-nonsense gal who gets golf lessons from Roy and frequently calls him on the bullshit that frequently comes out of his mouth.

I’m not sure if my love of golf puts this movie on a higher level of enjoyment than I would otherwise feel, but I think it’s solid. One thing I may mention that seems jarring but maybe it really isn’t is the choice of an original bluesy and/or country music soundtrack punctuating every scene. I don’t know if I like it or not, I really can’t decide. It’s kind of jarring, it doesn’t really seem to fit what I ordinarily expect from a soundtrack in a movie like this, but I guess I don’t really know what would be better so nevermind. Fuck. I thought that was gonna be good point I was making, but I talked myself out of it like everything else I do.

We also get a great performance from the one and only Cheech Marin. He blends seriousness and humor so well and his character has been putting up with the asshole titular “Tin Cup” working with him and subsequently serving as his caddy and putting up with all of his antics. The rest of the actors displayed on screen…pretty much anyone else we see other than who I’ve mentioned is a forgettable character actor or a pro golfer doing their best not to suck and being terrible at it. Luckily, the actors whose names I’ve mentioned are more than enough to make this romp into something enjoyable.

In summation this is a golf lovers delight in my humble opinion. I mean, it has its flaws, but I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s on Hoopla (the free streaming service where all you need is a library card), it’s also on Starz if you’re into that kind of service. Kevin Costner is actually good in it, Rene Russo is also great (but she usually is), love Cheech Marin here, and Don Johnson is also super Don Johnson-ish. Check it the eff out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

“Your brain was getting in the way!”

“That’s hardly ever been the case.”