Plot
A star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.
Release Year: 1996
Rating: 6.7/10 (35,753 voted)
Critic's Score: 43/100
Director:
Bobby Farrelly
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray
Storyline Roy Munson was raised to be the best bowler in the world (trained early on by his father). But a fellow bowler, Ernie McCracken and a misunderstanding with some rough punks, leaves poor Roy with the loss of his bowling hand! Not to let this get him down, he gets a prosthetic hand and becomes a travelling sales man. But it's really all down hill for him from that night on until ... One day he meets Ishmael who is Amish and sneaks away from the farm to bowl (his fellow Amish would disown him if they knew)! Roy convinces Ishmael to let him be his trainer and he'll make him the best bowler the world has ever seen. Reluctantly Ishmael agrees to go on the road and shortly afterwards actually finds that life outside the farm is quite fun. Soon their paths cross that of Ernie McCracken who is still a top ranking bowler. While Roy's career and life have landed in the toilet bowl, Ernie is still drawing huge crowds and all the babes...
Writers: Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan
Cast: Woody Harrelson
-
Roy Munson
Randy Quaid
-
Ishmael
Vanessa Angel
-
Claudia
Bill Murray
-
Ernie McCracken
Chris Elliott
-
The Gambler
William Jordan
-
Mr. Boorg
Richard Tyson
-
Owner Of Stiffy's
Lin Shaye
-
Landlady
Zen Gesner
-
Thomas
Prudence Wright Holmes
-
Mrs. Boorg
Rob Moran
-
Stanley Osmanski
Daniel Greene
-
Calvert Munson
(as Danny Green)
Will Rothhaar
-
Young Roy
Mark Charpentier
-
1979 Bowling Buddy
Brad Faxon
-
1979 Bowling Buddy
Taglines:
You wouldn't want to meet these pinheads in an alley.
Release Date: 26 July 1996
Filming Locations: Interstate 80, Reno, Nevada, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $27,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $5,582,000
(USA)
(28 July 1996)
(1956 Screens)
Gross: $24,944,213
(USA)
(13 October 1996)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
USA:
(R-rated version)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Roy's car is a 1972 Cutlass Convertible.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Skidmark is about to beat up Ishmael, Roy punches Ishmael with his right (rubber) hand.
Quotes:
[First lines]
[the caption reads "Ocelot, Iowa. 1969." Roy Munson's father is fueling a car at the Munson Service Center. He calls out to the driver:]
Calvert Munson:
All set, Charlie! Young Roy:
Pa!
[Young Roy, running, trips over a very low white picket fence, breaking half a picket as he runs to his dad]
Calvert Munson:
[Grinning]
Whoa! Young Roy:
Hey, Pa! You got time for a game before supper? Calvert Munson:
Go get your ball. I'll meet you out back.
[Mr. Munson has installed a very small bowling lane in the back yard]
Calvert Munson:
Okay, Roy, come on, I want to see some smoke on this one!
[...]
User Review
A completely underrated comedy
Rating: 10/10
Kingpin, (despite what you may think) is a ground breaking comedy.
Don't let the unpopularity of the people's recognition of this film
missguide you; it is a truly hilarious film.
Woody Harrelson plays the ultimate dead-beat. A washed up
ex-professional bowler. A man who's become a disgrace. A man who would
rather float around in his existence as a mortal wound of obscurity and
drink himself to death, than possibly making something of himself
again. He meets up with a dense amish kid named Ishmael. Ishmael's so
stupid, so naive and oblivious
of what's going on around him--that he makes it funny.
Bill Murray appears off and on in this twisted picture--and all of his
screen time is absolutely precious . Kingpin is a piece of comedic
gold, that many have overlooked....
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