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Overview
User Rating:
Directors:
Writers (WGA):
Barry Fanaro (written by) &
Mort Nathan (written by)
Release Date:
26 July 1996 (USA) more
Tagline:
A comedy right up your alley. more
Plot:
A star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
The Pull List Comic Reviews: ‘S.W.O.R.D.’, ‘Punishermax’, ‘Strange’ and More
(From The Flickcast. 12 November 2009, 12:00 PM, PST)
Quaids Post Bond
(From WENN. 6 November 2009, 8:11 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Now I Know Why I Quit Bowling more (167 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Woody Harrelson | ... | Roy Munson | |
| Randy Quaid | ... | Ishmael | |
| Vanessa Angel | ... | Claudia | |
| Bill Murray | ... | Ernie McCracken | |
| Chris Elliott | ... | The Gambler | |
| William Jordan | ... | Mr. Boorg | |
| Richard Tyson | ... | Owner Of Stiffy's | |
| Lin Shaye | ... | Landlady | |
| Zen Gesner | ... | Thomas | |
| Prudence Wright Holmes | ... | Mrs. Boorg | |
| Rob Moran | ... | Stanley Osmanski | |
| Daniel Greene | ... | Calvert Munson (as Danny Green) | |
| Will Rothhaar | ... | Young Roy | |
| Mark Charpentier | ... | 1979 Bowling Buddy | |
| Brad Faxon | ... | 1979 Bowling Buddy |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for crude sex-related humor and a drug scene.; Rated R for some crude sex-related humor. (edited version)
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
113 min | USA:117 min (R-rated version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Finland:K-10 | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (No. 34604) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:R (director's cut)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The person shouting "Ernie, you 'da man!" at the final showdown between McCracken and Munson, is Will Ferrell. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: US Postal Service logo visible on mail box was not used in 1979. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Office: Branch Closing (#3.7)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Superman more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (167 total)
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I say this in a good way: this film captures bowling's underbelly, where even the pro stars sometimes have to supplement their income the old-fashioned way: by taking it directly from obviously weaker bowlers who somehow manage to be convinced to risk their money. Just as poker games are often won with guns, bowling for money has hazards all its own, something I learned even as a junior bowler hustling games after the league on Saturday.
Roy E. Munson (Woody Harrelson) is such a loser that acting like a total loser is actually called "being Munsoned." The term is named after an incident where some victims of a bowling hustle relieve Roy of his right hand in a gruesome manner which involves bowling equipment. Somehow, even THAT manages to be funny, which speaks to the quality of this film, a film smart enough to have its three main stars on screen for most of the time. The 1979 accident was the result of Roy taking the fall for the hustle engineered by legendary bowler Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray).
Fast forward to 1996, and Roy stumbles across an Amish bowler named Ishmael Boorg (Randy Quaid), the most talented bowler he's ever come across. He offers to coach Ishmael for a $1 million tournament in Reno, Nevada that can save his family farm, but Ishmael is conflicted (the deepest emotion of the film) because he has strayed from the Amish country. Ishmael's brother is the requisite family member sent to bring the stray relative back home, and Vanessa Angel is extra-hot as the love interest for almost every guy in the film.
If you think this is a parody of bowling, the joke may be on you. Hang around enough lanes, in certain places, and you just might see these guys or something very close to them. Just be careful if they look drunk and want to play for money.