Blackball

It's richly ironic that a comedian perhaps best known for triggering a fit of clinical depression in Steve Martin by asking him why he wasn't funny anymore should himself be so horrendously unfunny on screen, but Paul Kaye certainly proves that's... Full review

Blackball is a movie about a kid who plays lawn bowl and he isn\\'t excepted by the rich community and they don\\'t want him to play the game. What he does is he wins and becomes this big celebrity and they... Full review

When first being sent this film for Christmas by a few family friends it didn't really strike me as the type of film that i should devote my time to watching, (never judge a book by its cover) , as... Full review

I did not like the marketing of the film in he UK which sold the film as a comedy with a weird theme, when what the film actually is is a romantic comedy with dramatic moments and hilarious moments about... Full review

I would recommend you, who is thinkin about seeing this movie.. Go see dodgeball instead.. And have you already seen it, then dont bother see this one as well.. It is a replica.. A bad one... The good parts in the... Full review

You rent a comedy to make you laugh right? This one isn\\'t the greatest, but does enough to make you laugh. Vince Vaughn is great as usual.... Full review

Well I was looking in my video shop for a 7 day rental (ie all those old films people don't want to watch any more), and was feeling quite hungover, so I didn't want to waste too much time. I... Full review

I hired this film from my local library having run out of decent films to watch and absolutely loved it! Yes, it's stupid, no, we don't know what she sees in him, of course bowls is the most boring game... Full review

Cliff Starkey comes from the rough end of Torquay but is a master bowls player considering that he refuses to set foot onto the snobbish green of Ray Speight's bowling club. When he hears that Australia's hottest young bowlers are... Full review

A very funny British sporting comedy from Mel Smith (Bean, High Heels and Low lifes), which involves a similar sport, and in turn could be deemed as Torquay's answer to "Kingpin" - its certainly as crazy and entertaining.Torquay painter and... Full review

As a social allegory, Blackball is more forward-looking but also more neurotic, pitting stuffy tradition against a global cult of celebrity without clarifying which is the greater evil. But viewers who cant watch Blackball with a glow of patriotism arent likely to find it entertaining for other reasons. ... Full Review

While "Blackball" does have some interesting social commentary concerning the gap between generations, the meaning of celebrity and the uncomfortable coupling of sports and advertising, its messages are lost in a sea of clichéd moments and characterizations. ... Full Review

It seems the folks at National Lampoon found an independent film they consider to be just lowbrow enough for them to buy out the rights to in Blackball , an over-the-top comedy surrounding the game of lawn bowling in the UK. However, the makers of Blackball just can't seem to find the humor in anything not related to bastardizing the game of bowls, so they have opted not to even bother trying, letting the drama drag down the comedic momentum, with characters that aren't worth the time to try to invest any ... Full Review

The plot struggles, the direction is limp, and Blackball just fails on so many levels. In others it struggles to raise even a smile - unfortunately this is the case with Blackball. The problem may have been Paul Kaye himself. ... Full Review

moves along at a pace that wraps you up in the upbeat story, aided by an excellent soundtrack.....End to end, 'Blackball' delivers quirky one-liners....In their sidekick roles, Johnny Vegas (Starkey's best mate) and Bernard Cribbins (his persecuted granddad) steal the show in some hilarious scenes....The story is a clichéd one -.... ... Full Review

The couple enjoyed a whirlwind romance Comic Johnny Vegas has split from his wife, a little over a year after they were married in San Francisco. ... Full Article

Blackball is little more than an amalgam of many of the most popular sports movies covering traditional gaming sports played by mostly older men in serious fashion. ... Full Article

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright 2004 Filmcritic.com Apparently there is a sport in Britain with the awkward name of "lawn bowls" that is essentially shuffleboard on a grass lawn. ... Full Article