By Robert Scucci
| Published
Whenever I mention one of my favorite ’90s comedies involves bowling, the first assumption people make is that I’m talking about The Big Lebowski. While I celebrate the Coen brothers’ entire catalog like anybody else with a brain, I still have to point your attention to 1996’s Kingpin, starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, and Bill Murray, as one of the finer films about losing your bowling hand after a hustle gone wrong, and kidnapping an Amish man with the intention of entering him into a competition against your life-long rival who’s past behavior is the reason why you’re permanently disfigured.
If you can think of any other movie that runs through the above premise better than Kingpin does, then I’d like your people to contact my people because I’m probably missing out if another such film exists (you may say that I’m a dreamer).
Roy’s Redemption Arc (Or Something Like That)
Kingpin kicks off as a true underdog story when we’re introduced to Roy Munson (Woody Harelson), a former Iowa State bowling champion who lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania working as a salesman 17 years after “the incident.” The incident in question occurred in 1979 Iowa, after Roy won the state bowling competition and decided to try going pro, defeating Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray) in the process. Salty about losing to some new hotshot, Ernie tricks Roy into running scams against a group of locals who quickly realize what he’s up to, but only before Ernie flees the scene as they shove Roy’s hand into the ball return machine, tragically ending his career before it even fully started.
Roy’s living situation in Kingpin is terrifying, as he’s always behind on his rent, and his landlady, Mrs. Dumars (Lin Shaye), makes aggressive sexual advances toward him, suggesting that if he obliges she’ll be a little more forgiving about the money he owes her. Working as a door-to-door bowling supply salesman, Roy meets Ishmael Boorg (Randy Quaid) when visiting one of his clients. Wanting to exploit Ishmael’s talent as his manager when he learns about a competition in Reno, Nevada that boasts a million-dollar prize, Roy immediately receives pushback from Ishmael because he belongs to the nearby Amish community, where bowling is forbidden despite his natural talent for the game.
Hustling Their Way To Victory
Reluctant to join Roy at first in Kingpin, Ishmael agrees to work with the disgraced bowler upon learning that his family farm is on the verge of bankruptcy. During another botched hustle-job (notice a pattern here?), Roy and Ishmael tick off a wealthy bowling enthusiast named Stanley Osmanski (Rob Moran), and flee his mansion with his girlfriend, Claudia (Vanessa Angel), who immediately butts heads with Roy, making an innocent and pure Ishmael uncomfortable to the point of abandoning them on their way to Reno.
Learning that McCracken, now a household name in the national bowling circuit, will be attending the competition in Reno, things get personal, as Roy wants to put his archrival in his place, even if he has to do it himself with his prosthetic hand.
Not For Everybody
I’ll be the first person to admit that Kingpin isn’t for everybody, but if you’re a fan of any of the talent involved with this film, you’ll be comforted to know that they really give it their all in this ridiculous sports comedy. From Roy’s problem drinking corrupting an angelic Ishmael to Ernie McCracken’s oily comb over and perceived charm with the ladies, Kingpin is aqual parts raunchy and heartfelt like most Farrelly brothers outings.
If the mean-spirited exploitation of an Amish man in order to get revenge and closure on a decades-old rivalry sounds like something you’d be into, then Kingpin (streaming for free on Pluto) is the movie to make a double feature out of with The Big Lebowski the next time you’re looking to enjoy a raunchy sports flick.
