The new and improved Tour now has a terrifically well-made and astute film documenting its birthing pains.
Comment
03/01/07
League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2005)
91 %
Reviews Counted: 34 Fresh: 31 Rotten:3 Average Rating: 7.3/10
Consensus:
Even if bowling isn't your sport, this colorful documentary is still an entertaining watch.
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Synopsis: Though never a sport of Kings, at one point in time bowling occupied a perfectly respectable place in the pantheon of American sports. It has long been one of the most popular participatory sports in America. When Eddie Elias convinced the country's top 33 bowlers to kick fifty bucks into a... [More]
Genre: Television
Starring: Steve Miller
Reviews
easy to take in, much like spending an afternoon at the lanes with some watery beer
03/01/06
"League" is unexpectedly inspiring as we watch the plucky little league, which only draws a quarter of the advertising revenue of hockey despite having better TV ratings, fight for its survival.
11/18/05
Homely but enjoyable...if you might not want to join this 'League' permanently, you should find it a pleasant crew to spend ninety minutes with.
10/04/05
Without the social questions posed at the beginning of the film, the footage of the competition is not likely to be strong enough on its own to lasso in a new generation of players.
10/02/05
Director Christopher Browne took a lesson from Steve Miller, when it comes to bowling on TV (or in the movies), 'it's all about scoring, pace, and energy'.
09/30/05
It's a workmanlike film, but by the time two of the above bowlers are rolling against each other for the PBA championship, Browne has the audience sweating every spare.
09/26/05
After a few flourishes of Errol Morris-like editing, first-timer Browne settles into a tone resembling the ESPN telecasts so crucial to the PBA's revenue stream, thriving on the intrinsic drama of competition and the league's emerging star system.
08/19/05
Closer to a rah-rah public-relations video than a curtain-yanking investigative piece.
08/17/05
Bowling with Purpose and Meaning, even if they aren't Bowling for Columbine
07/11/05
The film is part nostalgia, part wary tale of wasted youth and part underdog struggle.
07/08/05
Manages to be funny, sad and as informative as you'd want any movie about bowling to be.
07/08/05
It's a curious movie, in the best sense, acknowledging that everybody is obsessed with something, then finding out why this particular group of people is obsessed with this particular pastime.
07/08/05
Gentlemen is distinguished by its extraordinary access to the players and tour operators.
07/07/05
Top Critic
Christopher Browne's documentary acquaints us with these gentlemen by presenting us their passionate quirks that actually don't make them very ordinary at all.
06/04/05
Its 98 minutes are as easy to enjoy as picking up a spare, and we don't mean a tire around the waist.
06/03/05
First-time helmer Chris Browne's sense of humor captures perfectly the contradictions, absurdities and drama at the intersection of class, media, money and sports without dissing any of his player/subjects.
06/02/05
Top CriticRelated Forums
DOCU-"A League of Ordinary Gentleman" opens May 27 in NYC & June 3rd in Los Angeles!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
DOCU-"A League of Ordinary Gentleman" opens May 27 in NYC & June 3rd in Los Angeles!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
DOCU-"A League of Ordinary Gentleman" opens May 27 in NYC & June 3rd in Los Angeles!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
DOCU-"A League of Ordinary Gentleman" opens May 27 in NYC & June 3rd in Los Angeles!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/12/05
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