Warner Bros. adds Tin Cup to their Archive Collection, a welcome addition finally available on Blu-Ray! Containing a new transfer, this will be one that fans of the film, or of Kevin Costner, will want to pick up.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.
“An unreachable shot to the green. A hopeless romance. Driving-range pro Roy McAvoy can’t resist an impossible challenge. Each is what he calls a defining moment. You define it. Or it defines you.
With lady-killer charm and a game that can make par with garden tools, Kevin Costner rejoins Bull Durham filmmaker Ron Shelton for another funny tale of the games people play. For Costner’s Roy, golf is a head – and heart – game. On both counts, that’s where shrink Molly Griswold (Rene Russo) comes in. She’s big-city, Roy’s small-time, and he believes the only the grandest of gestures can lure her away from a slick touring pro (Don Johnson) and earn her love. So Roy and his dutiful caddy (Cheech Marin) set out to do the impossible: win the US Open. With laughs, clever battle-of-the-sexes banter and a handy way with a 7-iron, Tin Cup winningly defines the moment and contemporary romantic comedy.”
I’m a big fan of Kevin Costner, golf, not so much, so I was happy to get the opportunity to check out Tin Cup in Warner Bros. Archive Collection for the first time. Coming from director Ron Shelton, I should’ve known there would be much more to it than just the game, and his second collaboration with Costner providing a funny, thrilling and overall entertaining story with some great characters.
The most striking thing about the film to me was the West Texas location which gave the film its overall look and feel. When you think of golf and the lush greens of the courses they play on, McAvoy’s home and driving range business in the middle of the dirt and sand isn’t what comes to mind, quite the opposite actually, which is like McAvoy himself. Tin Cup has a very Western feel to it, not just because of the location, but the soundtrack, character mannerisms and vocabulary. The dry and arid climate just doesn’t mesh with the typical golf landscape, and because of that it feels very much like a fish out of water type story, not necessarily just for the character of Roy McAvoy, but for the sport as well. That’s something unique with the film I haven’t really seen done before, something that I appreciated and enjoyed.
Kevin Costner’s Roy McAvoy isn’t the typical Costner role, either. Coming to the end of a very hot streak, immediately after the gigantic bomb that was Waterworld, this role gave him the chance to do something pretty different, and his portrayal of a Texas golf pro, drunk and down on his luck was exactly that. The character, messy, dirty, coming in with a sleeveless shirt and sandals is the exact opposite of a golfer. This dichotomy speaks to the theme of the film, as McAvoy doesn’t quite fit within the game, despite being so talented. He has a self-destructive side to him that won’t allow him to play it safe. He is all or nothing, all the time, trying to ‘define his moment’ which always causes him to fall short of his goals. Watching Costner play this character is fascinating, as you can’t help but root for McAvoy, but the constant reverting to his old ways makes for a convincing hurdle for the character to overcome, not to mention the hilarious trick shots he continuously bets people he can make.
Rene Russo provides an interesting opposite to Costner, as her character of Molly Griswold can’t help but fall for McAvoy’s charm. Despite her intellectual background and current love interest, this back and forth banter between McAvoy and Molly contains the heart of the story, while Molly is able to ground him to a degree. Cheech Marin also does a fantastic job as Romeo, McAvoy’s best friend and caddy, unsuccessfully trying to make McAvoy see the benefit to playing things. He is both funny and dramatic, rounding out one of the better semi-serious performances I’ve seen him in.
Given the way the third act progressed, I was not expecting what eventually happens at the end. For someone who doesn’t care that much about golf, watching Costner compete in the US Open was thrilling, and I found myself enjoying the conclusion of the story.
Video
Tin Cup is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.40:1. This Blu-Ray release contains a remastered 2k scan of the interpositive, with the film not previously available on Blu-Ray until now. The new transfer looks fantastic, with a clear and detailed picture with grain kept at a consistent level. Colors especially look good, bright and vivid, and with the ever-changing landscape of the brown/yellow hue of Texas to the lush green fairways of the golf courses. This is as good as it gets when it comes to seeing this film in High Definition.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track also sounds great, very robust and detailed, with clear and concise levels coming from the center channel. The surrounds are also utilized nicely with atmospheric effects, the cheers from the crowds, and a great Southern-style soundtrack. No defects of any kind noticed.
Special Features
Unfortunately the only extra on the disc is the Theatrical Trailer. From what I can tell, there were no extras on the DVD either, but having some kind of new extras would have made this set so much better.
Tin Cup is far from Kevin Costner’s best or most entertaining films, but for fans of golf and those that aren’t, this still manages to tell a compelling story. For those that are the latter, like myself, it provides some thrilling entertainment and makes for some great laughs.
