Kingpin (1996)

Directed by: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | 113 minutes | comedy, sports | Actors: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, Bill Murray, Chris Elliott, William Jordan, Richard Tyson, Lin Shaye, Zen Gesner, Prudence Wright Holmes, Rob Moran, Daniel Greene, Will Rothhaar, Mark Charpentier, Brad Faxon

Roy Munson, together with bowling star Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray), manages to rob a few men of their hard-earned money by pretending he can’t bowl, even though he’s one of the greatest talents of all. Just as they are about to drive off together, McCracken abandons Roy to increase his own chance of escaping. The losers take horrific revenge by putting Roy’s hand in the ball machine in the bowling alley that allows him to throw so beautifully. Roy loses his hand and with it his future and spends his days in an alcohol high. Impoverished and bitter, he wants revenge on McCracken, who is doing well on all fronts.

Roy can’t believe his luck when one day he sees the super talent Ishmael Boorg (Randy Quaid) at the bowling alley. He tries to persuade Ishmael to hire him as a manager and enter the championship whose top prize is $500,000. However, Ishmael holds off the boat. He is an Amish and bowling is actually forbidden for him. This sneaky sin is up to that point, but to venture any further into the lake of destruction than to play an innocent game in secret every now and then is really impossible. But then it turns out that Ishmael’s parents are on the brink of losing their farm unless they can raise $500,000 within a short period of time.

‘Kingpin’ is full of flat, dirty jokes, but it’s still a very sweet movie. When Roy wants to show his best side at Ishmael’s family farm, he gets up before the others. He proudly shows the family members a bucket full of milk with the announcement that he was up early to milk the cow. In the beginning he had to try very hard because the milk wouldn’t flow as smoothly, but after that it went without a hitch. To underline his country love, he takes a big gulp from the bucket. Then Ishmael’s father (William Jordan) is surprised to notice that they don’t have a cow at all. They do have a bull. The really funny incidents and the bland humor in combination with the almost farcical violence are very witty due to the restrained acting. Especially because of the latter, the film never goes too far, but is often endearing.

Also the weird haircuts of Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray, especially at a later age, where their hair is combed very unappetisingly over the bald crowns and pathetically blown up with every movement, are completely in style. Totally wrong, but it still makes you smile. A sweet, funny film full of flat humor that is more touching than offensive.