Poolhall Junkies (2003)

Simply Perfect

Nice effects though.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

You wouldn't be wrong for mistaking Poolhall Junkies as a cocky vanity project for writer/director/star Gregory 'Mars' Callahan (who looks like Jason Lee and Casey Affleck had an affably obnoxious man-baby). Still, it's a slick, snappy sports romp, propelled by a spectacular funky score, and, with the help of some choice casting, more fun than it has any right to be. The story is a tale as old as time, but Callahan wisely ricochets off the main criticism with the most beloved Paul Newman pool precedents (too much talk, not enough pool!), and recognizes that a sterling sports movie is made in its games, not the background drama. The pool hall scenes are flawlessly shot (pun!) with vivacious, crackling energy, and plentiful enough to keep the film breezy and bumping.The writing on the whole is about as high school calibre as you'd expect, from the hip smack talk posturing which reaches eye-rolling heights at times, to each and every poor female characters, risibly written as 'Male Love Interest Validation Device 101' (Alison Eastwood - yes, Clint's daughter - gamely shoulders the worst of this). Still, some exchanges are goofy enough to genuinely raise laughs, and the cast are all so visibly relaxed and cheery it's hard not to take to them. Callahan himself aces the cocksure swagger, which is enough to carry him through his less impressive melodramatic asides, and he shares some good banter with his younger brother, played by Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum, who, with hair, recalls the wholesome cheekiness of a young Paul Rudd. Chazz Palminteri's thuggish backer-turned-mortal enemy and Christopher Walken's 'Daddy Warbucks deus ex-machina' may be dopily motivated plot devices rather than characters, but they're both hugely charismatic enough to make it worth the while. Palminteri may be the most stereotypical mobster actor in the industry, but he pours on the threat here, while Walken matches him with enough sly jubilance to reaffirm him as the coolest cat around, owning two characteristic monologues, and nailing an impossibly hard trick shot in one take. Finally, Rod Steiger is delightfully gruff as the pool hall owner with a heart of gold in his final film appearance here.There are few surprises here as the plot doles out, but the hustling extends beyond the narrative: Poolhall Junkies is too jaunty and enjoyable not to take to. It's not as thought out or engaging as The Hustler (or even The Colour of Money), but Callahan keeps things energetic throughout, and benefits from going shot for shot between pool and drama. Whenever the balls are racked and James Brown blares, Poolhall Junkies has too much moxie not to drink the kool aid, and soak up the sweat of the pool hall anew.-7/10

To begin this review, I would just like to say that the only true false note in this movie is its name. Poolhall Junkies sounds like a flat out "direct to DVD" title to me. So I did some research and found out that it actually played in about 180 theatres in the spring of 2003. It is in fact a decent film and therefore above the whole "rental" stamp that so many moviegoers label a lukewarm experience at the local multiplex. "Junkies" doesn't take itself too seriously and that's part of its charm. But it does try to get the audience's attention in a big way. Characters deliver their lines at a "look at me" persona. To a fault it works. Therefore, I bought the performances and the story knowing that I wasn't ultimately viewing a cinematic masterpiece. And heck, when you're watching a film that registers as screen legend Rod Steiger's last role, you might as well pay your respects.With that in mind, I decided to view Poolhall Junkies after leaving it unattended for a few years. If I had to pick the brain of director Mars Callahan (he also plays the lead role of master pool hustler Johnny Doyle), I'd say he's not shooting (ha ha) a film about a bunch of guys who hang out in pool halls. "Junkies" is more of a character study of his Doyle not wanting to be a hustler but yearning to play on the pro tour. He gets sidetracked in the beginning of the movie when his "trainer" Joe (played with snarling intensity by Chazz Palminteri) holds him back from his dream by forbidding him to compete. "Junkies" then fast forwards to 15 years later with Johnny breaking away from the clutches of Joe and finding his own way. That's the blueprint. From there on it's a fast talking, no holds barred tour of the bleakness that inhabits the world of pool-sharking. As the movie walks the tightrope between intense drama and dry humor, we find Callahan's character eventually trying to break out his brother from jail (Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum) by competing in a big steaks money match against Joe's protégé Brad (Rick Schroeder channeling his inner Steve McQueen or trying to look like him (take your pick)). I don't want to give away too much of the story but be on the lookout for master thespian Christopher Walken (Doyle's financial backer) delivering a speech about lions on the nature channel. It's one of the hidden pleasures that screenwriter Chris Corso throws in to garner this quote machine of a movie a serious cult following (especially with people in the pool community).To be frank (that's the attitude "Junkies" permeates), it helps if you embrace this film for what it is. Granted, it's not a viewing experience that will change your life. It's more like a beer and pizza flick on movie hypertension. It's not healthy but it satisfies.

This movie is a straight-up combination of Rounders, Diner, and The Color of Money. It is hard to watch for a single minute without thinking in the back of your head that you've seen the same exact thing somewhere else before. The acting leans towards wooden (except for the typically excellent Christopher Walken) and the script thinks it's more clever than it really is (example, the gag "hustle" about the RV salesman's shoes).As a pool player, it's fun to see pool on film. Two caveats though. First, most of the pool footage is so zoomed-in that the shots are obviously being done by someone else in a different location, and it's jarring and distracting. Of course the actors can't all be expert pool players but it would be nice to see some of the clothing and scenery that you would expect, and not just balls on tables. Second, the characters are almost always playing 9-ball but also almost always trying to pocket all the balls, which is unrealistic. This may be a concession that a general audience will not know the rules of 9-ball but to anyone who does, it makes the pool scenes surreal.Overall though I appreciate movies about pool and this movie is a solid effort, particularly at its relatively low production cost of $4M, so, a strong 7/10.

I don't hate this movie as much as I hate Mars Callahan. He is an awful person for allowing such precious film to be wasted. It seems to have all gone wrong during the writing process. Mr. Callahan forgot the most important rule about writing: Rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. The trivia section says he wrote this in two weeks. No kidding. The whole thing looks like improvisation. Bad improvisation. We get it, "Mars". You like to play pool. And you're good at it. That's about all I got from this series of pictures masquerading as a movie. The result was about as effective as giving the audience the finger.What else can you expect from this? A bunch of bad jokes that shouldn't go beyond the locker room they're so lame. I didn't get anything from the characters, much less the "lead", the great Mars. He just came off as a douche. And Chazz Palminteri and Chris Walken do their best but two great actors aren't enough to save this Titanic mass of garbage from sinking. They might as well be bumping into walls for 120 minutes. It's too bad YouTube wasn't invented at the time this came out. Could've saved a lot of people a lot of time and energy and money...If you've read this and still decide to rent it, you deserve what happens to you.