Tin Cup’ (1996)

Kevin Costner reunited with his Bull Durham writer-director Ron Shelton for this golf-themed rom-com, playing Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy, a burned out ex-pro who tries to win the heart of a woman (Rene Russo) by out-shooting her boyfriend (Don Johnson) at the U.S. Open. The hero's sun-baked, casually philosophical air is a fine embodiment of Shelton's duffer romanticism. Like his creator, Costner's McAvoy gets the connections between seduction and hitting a golf ball, knowing that in both cases players can do everything right mechanically and still shank one into the rough. NM