Poolhall Junkies

In a market that has been repeatedly saturated with compartmentalized film making, taking moments from other films and cut and pasting them into others. This was an unexpected success and a fun movie to watch. Well made, solid in its delivery, photographed beautifully, the shots are constantly moving not distracting or misleading they engage the viewer, you don't get bored watching several games of pool which is most defiantly not a spectator sport. Character development is another success. You know the characters throughout the film, you see the progress, it makes senses and there are no unexpected character jumps. There are some cheesy moments, but they lighten the movie. Not taking themselves so serious, is nice to see in what is a serious movie. With so much mainstream crap being flooded in the market; it was nice to go see a movie that kept me entertained without shoving as much preprogrammed junk in front of my face. I left happy and entertained!

I've personally been waiting to see Poolhall Junkies since I saw Alison Eastwood on the Craig Kilborn show plugging it. I originally wanted to see it because two of my favorite actors were in it(Chazz Palmenteri, and the Great Christopher Walken). Though after the first twenty minutes of the movie I knew those two would be over shadowed by writer/director/actor Mars Callahan.

Callahan stole the show with his natural charisma and attitude. He's got great screen presence and watching him actually kind of reminded me of Christopher Walken except a bit younger and a lot less intense. This movie had a great plot nothing overly original but with the tight script it came off without a hitch. Poolhall Junkies is definetly a must see. Now that the wait is over I can see that it was well worth it.

10 out of 10

You wouldn't be wrong for mistaking Poolhall Junkies as a cocky vanity project for writer/director/star Gregory 'Mars' Callahan (who looks like Jason Lee and Casey Affleck had an affably obnoxious man-baby). Still, it's a slick, snappy sports romp, propelled by a spectacular funky score, and, with the help of some choice casting, more fun than it has any right to be. The story is a tale as old as time, but Callahan wisely ricochets off the main criticism with the most beloved Paul Newman pool precedents (too much talk, not enough pool!), and recognizes that a sterling sports movie is made in its games, not the background drama. The pool hall scenes are flawlessly shot (pun!) with vivacious, crackling energy, and plentiful enough to keep the film breezy and bumping.

The writing on the whole is about as high school calibre as you'd expect, from the hip smack talk posturing which reaches eye-rolling heights at times, to each and every poor female characters, risibly written as 'Male Love Interest Validation Device 101' (Alison Eastwood - yes, Clint's daughter - gamely shoulders the worst of this). Still, some exchanges are goofy enough to genuinely raise laughs, and the cast are all so visibly relaxed and cheery it's hard not to take to them. Callahan himself aces the cocksure swagger, which is enough to carry him through his less impressive melodramatic asides, and he shares some good banter with his younger brother, played by Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum, who, with hair, recalls the wholesome cheekiness of a young Paul Rudd.

Chazz Palminteri's thuggish backer-turned-mortal enemy and Christopher Walken's 'Daddy Warbucks deus ex-machina' may be dopily motivated plot devices rather than characters, but they're both hugely charismatic enough to make it worth the while. Palminteri may be the most stereotypical mobster actor in the industry, but he pours on the threat here, while Walken matches him with enough sly jubilance to reaffirm him as the coolest cat around, owning two characteristic monologues, and nailing an impossibly hard trick shot in one take. Finally, Rod Steiger is delightfully gruff as the pool hall owner with a heart of gold in his final film appearance here.

There are few surprises here as the plot doles out, but the hustling extends beyond the narrative: Poolhall Junkies is too jaunty and enjoyable not to take to. It's not as thought out or engaging as The Hustler (or even The Colour of Money), but Callahan keeps things energetic throughout, and benefits from going shot for shot between pool and drama. Whenever the balls are racked and James Brown blares, Poolhall Junkies has too much moxie not to drink the kool aid, and soak up the sweat of the pool hall anew.

-7/10

I love this movie! I love how the movie was written AND directed. This was my favorite movie before I decided to go to school for TV and Video Production. I watch it now with a new view and still love it. It doesn't follow the same script we see in theaters today and I recommend it to everyone. The cast is great! Chazz Palmintri and Christopher Walken are excellent! I predict that this movie will become a cult classic. Watch it! I trust that those of you who take the time to watch this movie will not be disappointed. In case you didn't know I have to fill up 10 lines of text for this to be submitted so I will just ramble on till it becomes 10 lines. I'm getting close so enjoy the movie and watch it for yourself and then comment on this page. thanks Jessica

Not going to tell you about the movie, there are enough people on here that have. I just wanted to say that I also agree with the people that did not understand the negative comments. I watch a ton of movies so I have a lot to compare this one to. Its not academy award material by any means. But I thought the acting was very good and I enjoyed the storyline. The movie kept my attention throughout. I thought it was one of the better movies that I have seen. I would recommend this movie. All I can say is, you know what they say about opinions...lol.