A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2004)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Christopher Browne

Genre:

Documentary | Sport

Tagline:

Inside The Wild Wild World Of Professional Bowling!

Plot:

Filmmaker Christopher Browne documents the mission of a group of middle-aged bowlers as they attempt to revitalize the sport and get the television-watching public interested in it again.

Plot Keywords:

Bowling

Cast

Timothy Busfield	...	Himself
Wayne Webb
Pete Weber	...	Himself
Walter Ray Williams

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | USA:Not Rated

Company:

2929 Productions

Movie Connections:

References The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

Whether You Like Bowling or Not, You'll Like This Movie

I must start by saying that I'm a big bowler/bowling enthusiast. That being said, even if I wasn't that big of a fan of pro bowling, I would still like this movie a lot. But since I am a big fan of the pro tour, it made me appreciate the movie that much more. This documentary follows a couple bowlers (Walter Ray Williams, Jr., Chris Barnes, Wayne Webb, and Pete Weber) during a season on the PBA tour, which is starting to spice up their image. There are several different story lines that are followed throughout the film. Williams and Weber are the two superstars of the tour, and get the majority of the movie for themselves, but it also follows former team USA member and rising star Chris Barnes on his journey to greatness, as well as a PBA hall-of-famer with 20 career tournament wins, Wayne Webb. To me, Wayne Webb's story is the most intriguing. Williams and Weber have made millions of dollars bowling and to the bowling world, they are two of the greatest living bowlers, but you rarely see the other side. Wayne has more than $1 million in earnings in his career, but he's lost it all due to a party-heavy lifestyle, as well as gambling. He's making one last chance to make a living on the tour, and despite being a hall-of-famer, he really plays the underdog role.

Overall, this is a great movie which you should take some time to watch. If you don't watch pro bowling or don't know too much about bowling in general, you might not appreciate the movie as much as us bowlers do, but it's still a good solid documentary.