Tin Cup

olf doesn’t lend itself to Hollywood fiction. Ron Shelton solves the problem with Kevin Costner and Rene Russo in a boy-gets-girl comedy that gives the game a punch-the-sky jolt. Costner plays Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy, an ultra-washed up pro stuck on a rural Texas driving range. Enter Dr. Molly Griswold (yes), a shrink who wants golf lessons because her boyfriend David Simms (Don Johnson) is on the pro tour. Seeing a girl he could like, McEnvoy, who lives in a trailer, dusts himself off and picks up his game. One thing leads to another and McEvoy qualifies for the U.S. Open to do battle with (you guessed it) Simms. All this is entirely improbable, wholly engaging, and very nicely written. Shelton deserves a medal for making golf accessible. He earned a baseball pedigree from “Bull Durham.”