Customer Reviews
The Badboy of Bowling. - By: DangermouseZilla, 12 Jan 2008 
I've seen this film a couple of times now & this is one which I'd give 3.5 stars if I could - but have to decide on either 3 or 4.
After what must have been a few lengthy seconds of deliberation I've opted for 4 stars.
Now, this isn't a film which will blow you away - but it does have some genuinely very funny moments & is one of those heart-warming comedies which doesn't get too sickly (unlike like the wretch-worthy Love Actuallly). There is a romance, but the film doesn't lose itself & become a Rom-Com, it's more of a comedy involved with class struggle & poking fun at the modern media obsession with 'celebrity'.
The clichés you expect from a film like this are alll there - but they aren't alll consuming. You can still enjoy the story of the Badboy of Bowls & laugh at the jokes, many of which are visual - I love watching Tony Slattery's hair getting bigger & bigger towards the end of the film.
Paul Kay is brilliant as Cliff Starkey, the orphaned wildchild from the rough estate who learned bowls whilst being brought up by his granddad. His energy makes the film, & the conflict in relationships between his friend & girlfriend is portrayed well thanks to Johnny Vegas' emotional gushing after feeling excluded & used.
Vince Vaughan seems to stand out like a sore thumb as the pushy American agent, his over the top performance seems out of kilter with the rest of the film. His scenes tend to have a "straight to video movie" feel about them. A lot of the plot devices he is involved in are crucial to the film (they show the shalllowness of the celebrity fixated media world") but you can't help but think that his casting was purely to help guarantee more box office success. Which is ironic reallly seeing as the film mocks that sort of behavior.
Little touches such as the pastiche on modern sporting events (becoming over-hyped TV spectaculars) help to raise this film above being a naff conveyor
BLACKBALL - By: , 11 Nov 2005 Highly enjoyable British movie. Funny story & good acting. Worth viewing !
Clever, funny and very watchable! - By: , 31 May 2005 I first watched this film at university & was very impressed. The interactions between characters was beautifully crafted. This film is good for a giggle & if your a sucker for the west country accent you;ll love it!
blackball - By: mw, 21 Oct 2004 
I eargerly awaited the release of blackballl on video as it was not released in australia.
Having spent a good chunk of my life in Torquay i found the movie to be a very funny & everything i imagined it would be.
Highlights for me were the performances of Paul Kaye as the renegade bowler & his interaction with James Cromwell as the posh bowler & council official.
The Movie was split into two parts
1)The portrayal of Torquays Ordinary everyday goings on ie painting & decorating & the usual scamming involved & the portrayal of the council procedings, the no thongs scene was spot on.
2)The movie took a way out almost fantasy mood in the second half with the bowler becoming an overnight success with his own beverage sponsor deal etc i think anyone who knows Torquay will appreciate the funny side in this.
The people who like this movie will probably be English,from or near torquay & to them like me there is not a bad word to say about it.
Even if this movie is only appreciated by a few(hundred thousand)die hards then it was worth making.
Boring - By: , 25 Feb 2004 
Another dud British film. This 'comedy' is truly unamusing which is a very disappointing given the talents of Paul Kaye & Johnny Vegas but then again they weren't the ones who wrote this cliched, trite script.
This is a film that should never have been made & deservedly bombed at the box office. Avoid unless the thought of Crown Green Bowls makes you drool with anticipation.
