What do you have when a failed pro golfer who is living in a Winnebago at a crummy driving range he owns in the West Texas, competes in the U.S. open to win the affections and respect of his arch rival's girlfriend? You have the delightful golf feature, 'Tin Cup'.

Tin Cup could so easily have been just another sports movie, full of the usual underdog-wins-the-day clichés and sickly sweet sentimentality. However, Shelton keeps things on an even keel, grounded in believability, with a combination of witty one-liners (Costner asks Russo "Does my inner child need a spanking?") and a touching, realistic romance, which makes Tin Cup one of the most surprising and enjoyable movies of the year so far. The other good thing is that you don't have to know anything about golf to enjoy the movie - because it isn't really a golf film. It's 100% romantic comedy which just happens to have a golfing theme.

Costner's character is a throwback to his earlier incarnations - the outwardly gruff jack the lad with a heart of gold that the ladies just swoon over. And, contrary to popular belief, Costner can actually act. He portrays Roy as a parody of the boy who never grew up, a man who must always go for the spectacular and is outwardly confident, but whose inner self is a mass of conflict and shyness. He is ably supported by Rene Russo (Get Shorty, Outbreak), who is very good as the slightly dotty psychiatrist, but especially by Cheech Marin, who delivers the performance of a lifetime as the scruffy but loveable Romeo. Romeo is Roy's right hand man, his caddy, but most importantly, his voice of reason. It is Romeo who is constantly telling Roy to keep it simple, to keep his feet on the floor and lead with his head rather than his heart.

Tin Cup could so easily have been just another sports movie, full of the usual underdog-wins-the-day clichés and sickly sweet sentimentality. However, Shelton keeps things on an even keel, grounded in believability, with a combination of witty one-liners (Costner asks Russo "Does my inner child need a spanking?") and a touching, realistic romance, which makes Tin Cup one of the most surprising and enjoyable movies of the year so far.

The other good thing is that you don't have to know anything about golf to enjoy the movie - because it isn't really a golf film. It's 100% romantic comedy which just happens to have a golfing theme.

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