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Kingpin
USA, 1996
[Peter & Bobby Farrelly]
Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray, Vanessa Angel
Comedy
In making Kingpin, the Farrelly brothers have achieved the ultimate goal: getting a two hour film to keep its storyline flowing, providing a laugh a minute and keeping an audeince on it's toes. Kingpin follows the success of Dumb and Dumber and precedes There's Something About Mary, and to be honest completely overshadows both of them.

The film opens in 1979, when a young Roy Munsun (Harrelson) begins to find his passion in life; bowling. Ten years later he is to win the State Bowling Tournament which opens the path for a prosperous career. Seventeen years later, in 1997, having managed to let his career slip away from him, Roy happens to meet an Amish fellow, Ishmail (Quaid) from Pennsylvania Dutch Country with a talent just waiting to be nurtured. This could be the one chance he needs to re-start his life. With the Amish community in deep trouble, needing $500,000, there happens to be a bowling tournament in Reno, Nevada, in the near future where the winner takes home $1,000,000. Who is Ishmail to turn his back on Roy's offer to coach him?

On the pairs journey to the 'promised land' there are plenty of possiblities for disaster, the outcomes being generally predictable most of the time but sometimes not. On their travels they have the fortune to meet Claudia (Brit Vanessa Angel - remember the name, she's damn good looking!) who tags along with Roy and Ishmail providing them with the cash to get then into the big money game.

Let us now be honest. In these kinds of films everything always turns out well in the end... at times in Kingpin things don't seem so nice and rosy. Bill Murray, playing the defending bowling champion, has endless opportunities to show off his immense talent. The way he acts is a delight to watch and if nothing else, just watch the last 40 minutes of the film. You will know what I mean when you see it!

All in all,
Kingpin is a fantastic comedy, and personally I do not know of many 12-rated movies like it. Many hilarious quotes can be taken and used to full effect, and I would like to end by quoting one myself... "I thought I'd do you a favour and milk your cows. They were a bit slow in starting, but once they got going it was no problem" says Roy taking a swig of the produce. "Cows?" comes the reply, "We don't have any cows, only bulls". The rest is left up to the imagination!
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