Blackball (2003)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Mel Smith

Writer:

Tim Firth (written by)

Release Date:

5 September 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

At last, a sportsman the British can be proud of...

Plot:

A rebellious young British bowls player teams with another older and more traditional player to take on the Australian bowls team.

Plot Keywords:

Painter | Sports Agent | Class Conflict | Fall From Ladder | Sports Car

Cast

Paul Kaye	...	Cliff Starkey
James Cromwell	...	Ray Speight
Alice Evans	...	Kerry Speight
Bernard Cribbins	...	Mutley
Johnny Vegas	...	Trevor
Vince Vaughn	...	Rick Schwartz
Imelda Staunton	...	Bridget
James Fleet	...	Alan the Pipe
David Ryall	...	Giles Wilton
Ian McNeice	...	Hugh The Sideburns
Kenneth Cranham	...	Chairman Collins
Terry Alderton	...	Bouncer Jonno
Emma Amos	...	Local News Reporter
Paul Bentall	...	Gate Guard (as Paul Bental)
Neil Conrich	...	Reporter Dave

Also Known As:

National Lampoon's Blackball (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Midfield Films

Trivia:

Mel Smith confessed that five minutes before they started filming they realized everyone was absolutely useless at playing lawn bowls.

Goofs:

Continuity: There is paper confetti all over the floor of the indoor bowling green for the England Vs Australia match, in the next shot there is none.

Movie Connections:

References Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

A lazily written script, plus the always unfunny Vince Vaughn.

At some point the British had decided to emulate the Americans hence started making formulaic comedies. What exactly is a "formula comedy"? It is a movie that starts off fairly okay (sometimes not even that), then gradually becomes sentimental i.e. runs out of gags, and ends in a supposedly exciting but actually utterly predictable finale devoid of jokes. Interestingly enough, the British formula comedy is usually worse than the average American one. The Brits still churn out terrific comedy material for television, but when it comes to the big screen all that potential and talent becomes a puff of mysteriously disappearing smoke.

The soundtrack is typical formulaic comedy crap: sappy pop tunes alternating with elevator music.

Paul Kaye tries his best with a script that is lame beyond belief. The only laugh-worthy moment in the entire movie comes very early on with the astrological-wallpaper/"I'm an astronomer" gag. I presume that if this sports comedy had been made in the States, that Adam Sandler would have been cast as Cliff Starkey: THAT'S the kind of shoddy/cliché writing we're talking about here. The fact that Vince Vaughn is in this should serve rather more than just as a warning...

To see Paul Kaye at his terrific best, check out his X-rated(?) MTV series "Strutter", or his 90s character Dennis Pennis, a pre-Ali G mock U.S. journalist who ridicules celebrities by asking them insulting questions ("Anyone For Pennis?", "VIP: Very Important Pennis".)