Kingpin
A star bowler whose career was prematurely “cut off” hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.
- Director: Bobby Farrelly / Peter Farrelly
- Genre:Comedy | Sport
- Runtime:117 minutes
Cast
Woody Harrelson : Roy Munson
Randy Quaid : Ishmael
Vanessa Angel : Claudia
Bill Murray : Ernie McCracken
Chris Elliott : The Gambler
Roy Munson (Woody Harrelson) is a bowling prodigy who wins the 1979 Iowa state amateur championship and plans to leave his tiny hometown of Ocelot to go on the Professional Bowlers Tour. He wins his first tournament, defeating an established pro named Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray) in the finals and earning his enmity. McCracken sabotages Roy’s car, then convinces him to join in a bowling cash game hustle for the money to repair it. The scheme goes awry when the marks realize they’ve been hustled; Roy is abandoned by McCracken and the angered marks amputate Roy’s right hand by shoving it into a bowling ball-return mechanism.
In present day, a down-and-out Munson sports a prosthetic hook covered with a fake rubber hand and sells bowling alley supplies for a living, with little success. Roy resides in a seedy apartment building in Scranton, Pennsylvania where an unpleasant landlady is constantly after him to pay overdue rent. On a sales call, Munson catches sight of an Amish man, Ishmael Boorg (Randy Quaid), rolling a respectable game. Munson tries to convince Ishmael to turn pro, with him acting as manager. Ishmael declines the offer as he has little interest in worldly affairs — bowling is his only vice.
After having unwanted sex with his repulsive landlady in lieu of rent, Roy sees a headline on a bowling magazine advertising a $1,000,000 winner-take-all tournament in Reno, Nevada. Roy poses as an Amish man and visits the Boorg family home to once again try to convince Ishmael to enter the tournament, with Roy as his manager. Ishmael reluctantly agrees when he receives news that the Amish community will lose their land unless a $500,000 payment can be raised.
Roy discovers that Ishmael isn’t as skilled as he first thought as Ishmael’s self-claimed 270 average is based on a 15-frame game, instead of the standard 10 frames — based on the notion that the Amish are obligated by tradition to do everything “half-again” as much as everyone else. Roy decides to take Ishmael home since he no longer believes Ishmael can win the $1,000,000. Ishmael convinces Roy to give him another chance and take him to Reno. Roy reluctantly agrees and after some coaching along the way Ishmael’s game steadily improves. Read more
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