Kingpin

Rating:
Summary: Good Comedy that actually Delivers...
Review: "We don't have a cow!" Jeez, that was hilarious! The entire movie made me laugh. There aren't that many movies with amish people in them.

This does a great job of entertainment. It is funny at the same time though. 5 stars. Especially for Woody Harrelson.

Rating:
Summary: The Farrelly Brothers Strike Back
Review: Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid are set for the big score in the gross-out comedy "Kingpin". An unfortunate incident with some angry competitors ruins the dreams of promising pro bowler Roy Munson (Harrelson). Years later, Roy discovers Amish bowling prodigy Ishmael (Quaid) and set to win a million-dollar bowling tournament. "Kingpin" is a surprising laugh-out-loud comedy that never loses the Farrellys' unique charm for toilet humor. The story is certainly entertaining and offers some hilarious moments. Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid deliver some great laughs and as eccentric pro bowler "Big Ern" McCracken, Bill Murray is simply hysterical. The hilarious comedy is presented in both 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and standard full screen formats. The DVD contains a detailed video transfer and a pleasant 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Its supplemental features include some additional footage and an audio commentary track by Directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Overall, "Kingpin" is a worthy bargain purchase and earns a "C+".

Rating:
Summary: "Was I talking out loud?"
Review: "Kingpin" has quickly become a cult-classic, and it is easy to see how it became that. The Farrelly have created a comedic masterpiece with this movie. There are so many funny lines and so many memorable moments. Vulgar, disgusting... and hilarious all the way through, "Kingpin" is a comedy treat that stands out from most of the comedies of today.

Roy Munson was a bowling legend until a hustling gig gone wrong ended up taking his right hand. Now, Munson is an alcoholic mess who can't even afford his rent. Everything seems to be a giant downward spiral for him until he sees somebody who has the potential of becoming the next great bowler that he could've been. That person he sees is Ishmael; a person of Amish decent that secretly goes bowling without his family's knowledge. Munson knows that with this Amish bowler under his watch that they can turn the bowling world upside down...or at least do their best not to "Munson" it all up!

I absolutely love this movie. It is hilarious and clever at the same time. There are sick and vulgar gags, to be sure, but I don't see them as overly gratuitous or annoying. They work for what the film is trying to accomplish. There are many, MANY moments were I am laughing out loud hysterically. Woody Harrelson is terrific as the alcoholic mess, "Roy." Randy Quaid is also a joy to watch, as he always is. Yet, I must admit that the man who simply steals the show without breaking a sweat is Bill Murray. He is brilliantly funny and outrageous in the most subtle of ways. He's always the showstopper without trying too hard. I loved everybody in this movie, but I have to admit that Bill was the one who I was the most impressed with, and he makes the movie what it is. The script is extremely funny and takes the comedy to a different level.

The DVD is poor when it comes to special features. It'd be great if they would releases a special edition of this movie, as it is extremely popular. The great thing about this movie is that it's not PG-13 anymore and now has an R-rating, which includes footage that was not included in the original theatrical version. The picture and sound quality is more than satisfactory. The DVD includes both widescreen and fullscreen versions. Commentary from the Farrelly Brothers and the original theatrical trailer are included as well. I wished more was included, but hopefully a fully-loaded special edition will come out sometime in the near future.

"Kingpin" rolls strikes every single time when it comes to delivering laughs and a great script. While the gags can be a bit disgusting and vulgar at times, they are not gratuitous and they end up working in the movie. If you're looking for a comic gem that is unlike any other comedy that is out there, this may be the one for you. A five-star movie all the way!

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Gross, and Heartwarming
Review: A well-written, character-drived comedy with its share of yucky moments and adult humor, but many good laughs throughout. Most important - and what makes it watchable repeatedly - is the human element, characters you grow to love and care about.

Rating:
Summary: Bowling is Funny!
Review: Okay, maybe bowling isn't funny but Bill Murray is! The best performance in the picture is given by a guy who doesn't even make the cover! Okay, the rest of the cast and the film are funny too but it's Bill Murray that'll make you watch this one again and again.

This DVD presents the film in your choice of 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen or 4:3 full screen for the uninitiated. The picture is sharp and clear and colors are saturated.

Sound is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The sound of the movie is concentrated on your front speakers with your rear surrounds utilized for a few sound effects. Basically what you'd expect from a comedy like this one.

The disc features the uncut version of the film, bringing the rating up to an R from the original PG-13. Liner notes indicate where the additional scenes are. Also featured is a commentary track from the Farrelly brothers throughout which they identify all thier family, friends and neighbors who appeared as extras. The theatrical trailer is included for good measure.

This DVD doesn't overflow with extras but certainly overflows with laughter. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Just plain funny.
Review: Sometimes you need to sit down and watch a movie which doesn't attempt to make you work at understanding the plot. Kingpin is one of those movies. Just sit back and let it go. I enjoyed this movie very much and once or twice a year, I enjoy it again. If you are looking for a laugh, please jump right in. No academy awards here. Just a good time.

To the snobbish critics of this flick, Why did you watch this movie to begin with? Did you anticipate a socially redeeming theme interwoven with thought provoking relationships? I bet you anticipated the anthology of bowling and were devastated by the off color humor.

Get a life.

Rating:
Summary: A bowling film...
Review: I have to admit kingpin is an under-rated film but this has the same mentality as a film called kung pow and it's slightly better than kung pow mainly due to the performance of Bill Murray but i liked it it's a different comedy with hook hands and bowling. The amount of bowling in the film is only sparse so you dont want to try and get into this film just because of the potential of bowling. I would recommened this film to the easy going kinda person whos willing to laugh at stupid antics it reminds me of dumb and dumber to a certain extent which i would recommened instead of this as Jim Carrey edges it with all the comic actors in the movies for the past ten or so years, watch it if it's on TV or rent it out or buy it if you can get it on VHS for cheap.

Rating:
Summary: So stupid, it's almost fatal
Review: For some reason, a good friend of mine recommended this film to me... probably because he knows I like to go bowling. The little bit of bowling that takes place in this movie is about the only thing worth while... and when it comes down to it, nothing is really worth while in this mind-numbing flick.

Roy Munson (Woody Harrelson) was groomed by his father from the time he was a young child to be a professional bowler. As he reaches adulthood in the late 70s, he quickly becomes well known as the best bowler in the state, and the hero of his home town of Ocelot.

He soon teams up with Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray), a bitter, manipulative con man who would be the top bowler if it were not for Munson.

The short-lived partnership turns to tragedy when, thanks to McCracken, Munson is attacked and loses his right hand. This is supposed to be a comedy - even the scene in which he loses his hand is intended to be funny. Don't get me wrong - I understood the humor, and maybe if I was incredibly drunk, I would laugh - but nothing about someone being permanently disfigured is funny.

Non-stop slapstick jokes are used throughout the film, using Munson's prosthetic hook. This worked in the Peter Pan re-make, "Hook," but does not work here.

The film fast forwards to 17 years after his disfigurement an not much has changed - he has been drinking himself into sorrow the entire time. This is also made out to be a comedic element - a man so devastated, that he drinks his life away in utter despair and loneliness. Funny, huh?

Even though he can't bowl, he loves the bowling experience and is a struggling salesman to bowling alleys. During a sales call, he encounters Ishmael Boorg (Dennis Quaid), an Amish farmer who has snuck to the bowling alley to re-live an experience he had with his grandfather years before.

Munson convinces Boorg that he is a bowling genius and that they should go to Reno, Nevada to a million-dollar bowling tournament.

A worldly, drunk, selfish man takes a selfless, naive Amish farmer across the country in a beat-up wreck... a recipe for humor, right?

About every cliche you can think of happens - before the film is over, Ishmael has been dressed in drag, gotten drunk, gotten grotesque tattoos and been in fist fights. As though it were by osmosis, Munson suddenly becomes less selfish and suddenly sober.

The viewer is bombarded with tasteless gags, disgusting bedroom humor, implied animal abuse, and foul bathroom humor.

I have a great sense of humor, which is why this film did nothing to provoke me to laughter.

The acting was as good as it could have been in such a story. Like another slapstick, bathroom-humor film, "There's Something About Mary," the Farrelly brothers try to have a tongue-in-cheek approach to this movie. The characters are almost winking at the audience. The difference is that in "There's Something About Mary," the comedic timing worked and the gags were not predictable.

In order to rally bowling fans to see the film, many pro bowlers, including the legendary Mark Roth, are given cameo appearances - but none of them have more than 1 or 2 seconds of screen time and none of them have any dialogue.

This film is a true waste of celluloid and talent... and worse, a waste of time to watch.

Rating:
Summary: FATAL PINHEADS: The Brothers had something here!
Review: Kingpin (1996) Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, Bill Murray, Chris Elliott, William Jordan, Richard Tyson, Lin Shaye, D: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly. A former bowling champ ends up a haplessly hook-handed (and bald) bowling manager for an innocent Amish man, who has a powerful swing. Blood relative of DUMB AND DUMBER (with the same two pinhead directors) has a lot going for it, some outrageous gags and laugh-out-loud punch lines, others just plain disgusting. But very stupid . . . and heavy-handed comedy lurches in the gutter. A spare that had potential. Running Time: 113 minutes and rated PG-13 for crude, sex-related humor and a drug scene.

Rating:
Summary: Overlooked comic masterpiece
Review: And not for the squeamish.

I may have been the only one laughing out loud when I saw this in the theater. I remember at least two people walking out sometime during the show. No matter because for me, this ranks as one of the the most brilliant and unique comedies in a long, long time.

The Farelly Brothers, who would return to us in such top form with "There's Something About Mary" give us an insane twist on the comeback-kid story.

Woody Harrelson is Munson, a washed-up former bowling protege who finds a way out in Ishmael, a simple Amish farmer with exceptional skill on the bowling lane. Munson sees the kid as a tool for revenge, for money, for fame -- all the things that were denied him (largely by the hand of his ruthless rival, deliciously played by Bill Murray in one of his funniest supporting roles).

What follows is a practically non-stop series of gags, satire and slapstick that are brilliant in their timing and effect. The Farrelly Brothers give us no mercy as we follow Munson and Ishmael on their journey. But the jokes, many of which border on the surreal, never seem gratuitous. It's just the filmmakers having a total blast, and I for one appreciated it.