jimbo-53-186511 Woody Harrelson plays Roy Munson, a former tenpin bowling champion who falls on hard times after he loses his right hand following a disagreement/misunderstanding with some thugs. 17 years down the line, Munson's life has taken a turn for the worst - he's turned to alcohol and owes a large amount of rent to his landlady (Lin Shaye). However, Munson believes his luck is about to change when he discovers there is a competition in Reno where first prize is $1,000,000. Due to his injury, Munson doesn't want to compete and by chance he stumbles across a shy Amish man called Ishmael (Randy Quaid) who shows a real talent for bowling. Believing that Ishmael is the perfect ticket to win the money, Munson befriends Ishmael and the two men set off on a journey that neither man is likely to forget.The Farrelly brothers show in this film (and with the original Dumb and Dumber film) that they could still make films that were funny and fairly good natured. Yes like Dumb and Dumber some of the humour is a bit crude (it's a Farrelly brothers after all), but for me most of the funny moments revolve around Ishmael's naivety when Munson pulls him into the 'real' world outside of his Amish community. It perhaps also helps that Randy Quaid gives an absolute stellar performance and does an excellent job at captivating this vulnerability. It does feel a bit mean-spirited at the start, but the bond and respect that develops between the two men is quite touching and the film has a lot more heart than I thought it would.The only minor issue I had with this film is that the narrative is a bit aimless and meandering. I got the impression that a lot of the scenes in the middle could have been edited and that the whole film could have been cut to around the 90 minute mark (which probably would have made it a bit more enjoyable). However, this is a minor quibble and Kingpin more than makes up for it with the big laughs that are on offer here. Randy Quaid was the star of the show here, but Harrelson and Murray were both excellent as well. The supporting cast were also good and Vanessa Angel looks great here.Kingpin plods and drags its heels at times, but it's a fine film with great performances, lots of heart and many very funny moments.

carbuff I know how insensitive it sounds, but I was thinking to myself, "I haven't bowled in years and watching grass grow is more interesting than watching bowling. At least it's not golf. Really, how good can a comedy about a crippled bowler be?" Still, I reasoned that this film is by the Farrelly brothers and it's about to come off streaming, so at least I should give it a try. Just goes to show how wrong a guy can be. A perfect mixture of sentiment and low and somewhat higher-brow humor, not to mention flawless performances and brilliant cinematography. A totally pleasant surprise. Definitely a new American comedy classic.

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com Directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly don't have much of a filmography but after they produced Dumb & Dumber (1994), they were pretty much set. Since this week was the recent release of the Farrelly brothers' long awaited sequel to Dumb & Dumber (1994), Dumb & Dumber To (2014), it seemed appropriate that we visit another early Farrelly brothers' work. I was amazed to see that this is the only time Woody Harrelson collaborated with these directors. After being in and proving in other films that he still can be a comedic actor, I thought he would've made another movie with them. Guess Harrelson has had other plans since.Here, Woody Harrelson plays Roy Munson, a bowling prodigy who worked hard at being the best. That is, until one day after making a dangerous gamble, he loses his best bowling hand. Feeling ashamed and embarrassed, he leaves home to live a secluded life from society with poor living conditions and unkempt neighbors. Struggling to maintain any kind of order in his life, especially after losing his hand, he stumbles upon an Amish man named Ishmael (Randy Quaid) who reminds him of his youth and realizes that he has some unrecognized bowling skills and decides to take him under his wing. Along their travels, the two also stumble into a abusive rich man's wife that decides it's time for her to get out. The actress playing this vixen is Vanessa Angel. This is also probably her most memorable role in her filmography to most people who recognize her.The three actors do have their moments that are funny but it's not often. Harrelson carries most of the weight because of how his character tries to be better than his current social status. Quaid's character isn't all that funny but does work occasionally too. Of course, Angel's character is one that probably won't be ignored since much of the physical humor is centered around her bosom. Thankfully, not all the physical comedy relies on Angel. Harrelson's character uses a rubber hand in replace of his metal hooks and watching him fiddle getting ready or doing other things people normally do with their hands brought up some laughs. However there are some gags that are more gross than comical. I'm sure that's apart of the Farrelly humor, but if you're a viewer who doesn't like that kind of humor, it won't be that funny.Bill Murray even has a fairly major role in the story too, playing a bowler named Ernie McCracken. Man does Murray's hair get wild. In fact, his personality altogether is a bit too wild. Murray is more of an actor who can play a funny role in a deadpan fashion, not over-the-top. Most likely Murray fans will have a fun time but he does get to be too much at times. The two gentlemen behind the screenplay have more TV series writing under their belts than acclaimed comedy blockbusters, which could explain why several gags amount to very little. Also the characters for what they are, aren't the most likable. Yes, they're weird in their own way and have their moments, but they don't come off as characters that viewers would remember easily.Shockingly, a number of the less important characters are extremely blind or stupid. The character of Ernie McCracken is vulgar along with his strong hubris. McCracken gropes women in public and yet no one sees this? How is it that the women being groped is OK with this? It's not like McCracken is Elvis or something. One character even called the man "a role model for future generations". Are you kidding? Of course it's supposed to make the McCracken character seem unstoppable but how do these people not see this on public television? It may baffle viewers. Editing and cinematography is OK but nothing special. One time composer Freedy Johnston's score was barely noticeable. Much of the time, the music was provided by music parodying or directly paralleling the situation being displayed. It was alright at points, while others not so much.The comedy is frequently hit or miss, with its forgettable characters and repetitive gags. Woody Harrelson is the key to what helps makes watchable though.

FlashCallahan Roy Munson was the best bowler in the world. But a fellow bowler, Ernie McCracken and a misunderstanding with some rough punks, left Roy with the loss of his bowling hand.He gets a prosthetic hand and becomes a travelling salesman. But it's really all down hill for him from that night on until he meets Ishmael who is Amish and sneaks away from the farm to bowl.Roy convinces Ishmael to let him be his trainer and he'll make him the best bowler the world has ever seen.Reluctantly Ishmael agrees to go on the road and shortly afterwards actually finds that life outside the farm is quite fun. Soon their paths cross that of Ernie McCracken who is still a top ranking bowler.While Roy's career and life have landed in the toilet bowl, Ernie is still drawing huge crowds....Whilenot as good as Dumb and Dumber, the Farrellys comedy still felt pretty fresh and new for it's time of release.If this was released now, it wouldn't have has the plaudits is had, it would probably end up on late night TV, and wouldn't have the great cast.Harrelson is great as Roy, but cannot hold up to Quaid and a brilliant Murray, whenever they are on screen, the film really shines and becomes funny.Sadly, the rest of the film relies on horrid toilet humour and scenes that try and push the boundaries for a '12' movie, it doesn't work and the film has aged badly.That said, the hair is great in this movie, and while the Farrellys haven't really made a good original film for fourteen years, they proved with their first three movies they were a little left-field.