Kingpin (film): great fun if you appreciate Harrelson and Bill Murray
There is a good chance that no matter your income level or where you live in the world, you have appreciated bowling to a certain degree. If you have ever been a little bit good at it (like me) you can probably enjoy not understanding how people are "professionals" in this "sport"... and that is where this movie comes in.
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This is NOT a great movie, but if you are in the right mindset, it is a group of exceptionally talented people who are trying to have some fun using a medium that there is a good chance that everyone in the world has probably experienced. Bowling is a game that anyone with a couple dollars can have a go at. I don't know if you have ever met anyone that ever took the sport too seriously, but this movie really really really takes the piss out of those people. Everyone is a bit fat, they all have bad hair, they have very little in the way of social skills, but they just happen to be very very good at bowling.
The story is irrelevant. It's a movie about bowling and it has Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray in it. Do you need to know more? For me, pretty much anything Murray is in is worth watching and this one is especially good because him and Woody are actually friends in real life.
This movie is more a sentimental success than a great comedy. The Farrellys really dropped the comedy ball after "Dumb and Dumber" and "Something about Mary!"
Even the bull cum scene here seemed like a desperate attempt to repeat the more elaborate, better thought out laugh, of the hair (cum) gel scene from "Something about Mary."
Woody Harrelson, despite his Cheers fame, is just not that funny of a lead. He is however a good actor, and you always care about his character.
There are two threads in this movie that hit the funny bone:
(1) Aggressive ladies: when Harrelson's landlady jumps him, rides him, does the nasty tongue shit, and declares "What is it about good sex that makes me have to crap?" that was hilarious, as was the scene where the good-looking girl fistfights and kicks Harrelson when he's down;
(2) Bill Murray: this dude never ever fails in a comedy, his aggressive insincerity unmatched by any other actor, and when they mess his hair up towards the end, he nails some of the movie's biggest laughs.
Otherwise, the secret of this movie, and the reason it failed at the box office, was that the Farrellys played it tame with the comedy, and gave their all instead to the sweet sentiment of a down and out loser making friends, finding meaning, and bettering himself.
For audiences, that wasn't enough to get them to show up, as they could see from the trailer this was a Farrelly comedy at half-throttle, with no Jim Carrey, Bill Murray only in a small part, and the general sadness of disability dragging any laughs down. Audiences were also turned off by the fear that the movie was laughing at religion, although those who went soon realized the movie was very respectful to the Amish.
This is a lighthearted romp, that is a postscript to the Farrelly's full bore comedies, but which is nonetheless charming, and especially so for bowling fans. :)
I saw this movie for the first time about a month ago, it was quite nice, a little silly at times, but it made me laugh, (SPOILER ALERT!) I must admit that when Woody Harrelson lost his hand because of Bill Murray it was a hard blow that I was surprised.
Man this ten times better than "something about mary", and mary was good, this was and is perhaps the best of farly's comedies...and i love woody, but come on Bill Murray should win an Oscar for this, if they don't have one yet they should create a comedy oscar, everything murray did was what an a-hole would do and yet you can't not help but still want to be his friend.
Definitely agree this is the best of the Farrely brothers comedies. Woody Harrelson was a great lowlife who you just had to cheer for, Randy Quaid creates his second most memorable character as an Amish man who sneaks away to experience the world, model-turned actress Vanessa Angel holds her own with these great comic actors and Bill Murray is a wonderful love-to-hate villain in one of his best, yet most overlooked comedic roles.
Its a bowling movie. How many bowling movies can you name? And the story doesn't end up where you expect, but everything still wraps up nicely for everyone.
And to this day, I still quote the movie when appropriate:
"Bye brother Munson! Bye whore!"
i would love to see a "comedy Oscar"
I agree. Comedy is the least valued acting skill. Every actor can get angry convincingly (except Tommy Wiseau), half of actors can cry convincingly, but maybe one in twenty can be funny, and one in a 1000 has funny bones and never misses a laugh (eg Bill Murray & Jim Carrey).
Bill Murray, Joan Cusack, Eddie Murphy, Anna Faris, on and on, etc, all need Comedy Oscars, and Jim Carrey needs at least 5 of them lol.
It's like the Academy think making people cry is worthwhile, but making them laugh is worthless. :(
The first time I got a copy of this film, I had no use for it. Then one day I was bored to death so I decided to play it... I laughed my butt off. This is a crude, rude and down right funny movie. Some of the time it got down right disgusting and many cannot take it, but overall, its very funny film.
Bill and Woody were very hilarious. The Disco-era beginning made me laugh like a crazy person . This film will certainly offend a lot of people, and many references played for humor might make some others feel uncomfortable, but I loved it. If you are easily offended, this movie is not for you. But for everyone else who likes rude, crude and deviously funny -- often at the expense of others kinda humor, this is a gem to see
Interesting post.
Hi @godddream. I haven't seen this one either. Where was I? Need to find it as it sounds alright.
Has it released already ?
just a mere 20 years ago
To lose the right hand for a person who does not think his life without bowling, especially if he is a right-hander is like losing a ballerina to one's feet - is equivalent to dying. You can, of course, learn how to throw the balls left, but what if you lose your confidence in yourself, along with your hand, and your luck, authority and everything else? That's what the hero of Woody Harrelson, incidentally, the American bowling champion of 1979, has to fall asleep quietly for a long 17 years in anticipation of when, finally, this bloody world will cease to exist for him.
But, as is usually the case with Farrelly brothers, the villain-destiny, at times, extends his hand to the losers and gives them a second chance. And when such losers, three, and even so significantly different from each other, where in addition to pounding Woody Harrelson there is a devout farmer with a funny hair and a stunning beauty with porn star data, you do not know what to expect.
The film turned out to be magnificent rather than thanks to the brothers Farrelly, and contrary to them. Found a golden mean between the ridiculous and vulgar, it is colored with brilliant actors and filled with beautiful music. It is absolutely necessary to have it in the collection!