Kingpin is one of four great comedies coming to us from the Farrelly brothers. The other three are Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, and finally Me, Myself & Irene. Going the extra mile, they created this zany sub-genre that swept through the nineties with ease. Creative, hilarious, and above all heartwarming, time simply flies with them. And this one is no different. Full of life and vibrant characters, it will soon become one of your favorite comedies. I still watch it from time to time and never disappoints. Not only the script is full of great lines, making fun of everything but there’s also a lot of slapstick comedy done well. There’s a certain air of innocence about this whole movie. It’s like it never got to be old and now it can make us feel young for at least ninety minutes.
Violently funny and brutal, Kingpin is the type of comedy that studios are trying to revive. I mean, just imagine the pitch meeting for this movie. So, we have our main character, a former bawler who lost his hand in an accident. And then he teams up with, okay I’m gonna stop you there, you’re greenlit motherfucker! It’s truly amazing how many subjects are explored in this movie. Everything from sports, disabilities, money, religion, friendship, and the list just goes on and on. Plus what’s the last movie about bowling you’ve seen? Okay, I guess Big Lebowski can count as one of them, but can you name some more? Kingpin was just one shitting scene away from Rabbit Reviews hall of fame.
Roy Munson is a one-handed washed-up professional bowler with no money and shitty life. He used to be a big shot in the bowling world with a promising future but after a horrible incident, everything went downhill for him. He even has to trade sexual favors to pay his rent. However, all that is about to change when spots Ishmael…
Kingpin is just a good old comedy with all the usual stuff. Drinking, sex, and a lot of jokes about the rubber hand, and plus fucking Bill Murray to sweeten the deal. By the way, Bill just read the script and then improvised every fucking line. I still can’t believe how funny this guy is. Woody Harrelson gave one hell of a performance as Roy and Randy was just fantastic as Ishmael. Check him out it in another great movie from the nineties Freaked.
All these things create a very special atmosphere that lifts your spirits no matter how you’re feeling. I mean you can’t be worse off than Roy, that’s for certain. This mood takes you over, a mood that makes you laugh at some jokes that you wouldn’t think about laughing. And some of them will just catch you totally off guard, you simply wouldn’t be expecting them. And this is why I recommend you check out this movie. It will take you to a time when it was okay to make this sort of edgy comedy. I can only wonder what the future holds for us…
Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Writers: Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, Bill Murray, Richard Tyson, Zen Gesner
Fun Facts: Urge Overkill are the band that sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Reno tournament.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116778/
