Blackball is
a simple comedy film, based on a true story of lawn bowls. We are of
course not referring to some form of breakfast-cerial recepticle placed on a
patch of grass for some unexplained dark purpose (possibly evil), but to the
sport of the same name. You may ask yourself if there are any new angles
that a film can take on the tired old 'Lawn Bowls' genre, from the old
spaghetti-lawn-bowls movies staring John Wayne to the biblical lawn-bowls epics
of the 1970's we've seen it all. But Blackball managed to create a space
for itself in this already overcrowded market.
Starring Paul Kaye and Johnny Vegas, amoung others,
this film deserves to be a big sucess. It plays on all the right notes, produces good
jokes in all the right places, and although we can all guess what the ending is
(it's a sports movie!), the fun lies in finding out how we get there.
Paul Kaye plays Cliff Starkey, a decorator with a great talent for bowls.
However, he is more than a bit cocky, and refuses to play on the exclusive
greens with the older players he detests. But when the legendary Australians
are planning to come over to our shores, he makes it his goal to play
for England and end the Ozzy's seven-year winning streak. If I tell you much more
we're heading into spoiler territory. Needless to say, things don't go entirely
to plan...
This film is cleverer than you might imagine. It plays on being a sports
film, showing us the rise to fame of Starkey, the stress it wreaks on his
friends and girlfriend, and the way his agent manipulates him. But it also takes
references from famous sporting moments and cliches, often turning them around
and laughing at them.
Kaye is a gifted comic - we knew that already - but he also shows himself as
a decent comedy actor in this film, which is something else entirely. He manages
to make Starkey just the right side of extremely annoying. He's like that
stupidly talented guy you used to know and never really liked, but couldn't help
envying. I ended up cheering for him, anyway.
Blackball is at most major cinemas, and deserves your cash. Go see.
Rated 15.
