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POOLHALL
JUNKIES Rating:  Director: Mars Callahan Producers: Tucker Tooley, Vincent Newman, Karen Beninati Writers: Mars Callahan and Chris Corso Director of Photography: Robert Morris Cast: Mars Callahan, Chazz Palminteri, Rick Schroder, Christopher Walken Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Ryan
Kugler
2/23/03
I've always found that it's best not to read other reviews before writing my own. Still, I couldn't help but notice the headline on a review that is currently posted on another site. It says something to the effect that Poolhall Junkies is the best "pool" movie since The Color of Money. Yeah, I suppose that Poolhall Junkies is the best poolhall-based film since The Color of Money (which was the best "pool" film since The Hustler, 25-years earlier). Of course, it's the only film since The Color of Money to feature the world of pool as prominently as it does. It's like saying that The Two Towers is the best epic adventure to feature Hobbits and Orcs since Fellowship of the Ring. Bottom line: this guy's statement really isn't saying much.
Poolhall Junkies follows the formula of similar movies (both aforementioned "pool" epics and Rounders) to a tee. Johnny Doyle (newcomer with the bitchin' name Mars Callahan) is an expert pool player and an even more successful shark. When he finds out that the man that took him in (Chazz Palminteri) has been holding out on him all these years, he sets his mentor up to take a big fall.
After this incident, Doyle decides to give up the life of the hustle and go legit, both for him and for the woman that he loves (Alison Eastwood). Things quickly go back to their old ways however, when Joe (Palminteri) re-enters Doyle's life with a new protégé (Rick Schroder, I laughed too) in tow. Soon, the showdown is on.
The rivalry between Doyle and Joe and the final match between the two young pool prodigies are the two primary focuses in Poolhall Junkies, but we also get some unnecessary filler. Especially bothersome are the numerous episodes involving Doyle's brother (Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum, looking really strange with hair) and his buddies. There are just too many scenes of these guys hanging out at the local coffee shop or at the local poolhall talking their "movie" lingo and acting cool.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed all of the stuff between Doyle and his girlfriend's Uncle Mike (Christopher Walken bringing some much-needed class to the proceedings). Their first meeting, which ends in the two teaming up to hustle Eastwood's boss, is a real highlight of the film. It was during this scene especially where the potential that this film had emerged. Unfortunately, it quickly goes back to its old, unconvincing "poseur" ways.
Director/co-writer/star Callahan seems like a great guy to hang and shoot-the-shit with (due to his uber-cool attitude and winning charm), but as the head honcho calling the shots and the actor whose front-and-center in almost every scene, he just doesn't cut it. Don't get me wrong, Callahan would have been perfect as one of the less featured guys in Swingers, but his lackluster direction, clichéd tough guy dialogue (which he co-wrote with Chris Corso) and uninspired acting (not to mention the mostly weak performances turned in by his supporting cast) are just too amateurish to make this thing work. The most positive thing that I can say (besides that the pool scenes are well shot and Walken is great in a minor role) is that it kept my interest throughout and I was never bored. I suppose that the best way to describe the end product is that it's entertainingly bad, with the potential to have been decent.
The thing that sucks the most about all of this is that I love movies about the art of the con and about the little guy coming up and defeating the big guy, and I especially love stories that delve into the vices of gambling and addiction. Unfortunately, Poolhall Junkies doesn't deliver the goods in any of these departments and is a pretty big disappointment because of it.
Ultimately, Poolhall Junkies is
too insignificant (and small) to go down in the books as a disaster,
though truth be told, it was one of the Spring releases that I
was most looking forward to and it didn't deliver.
(A Gold Circle Films/Samuel Goldwyn Films release. Opens in
limited release on February 28, 2003.)
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