With a weak plot, “Poolhall Junkies” is one movie that is fortunately saved from mediocrity by its cast.
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You know a movie is bad when its publicity machine attributes positive quotes about it from not so well known and sometimes unknown sources. So it is with a little trepidation that when I looked at the front DVD cover of the movie "Poolhall Junkies" that I notice a quote from of all people, Larry King. Yes, the oft-married CNN interviewer makes his debut as a movie critic! What could this mean? Aren´t there any reputable movie reviewers out there able to give any positive feedback? King is quoted as saying, "Walken and Palminteri are dynamite!" I wish he would tell us something we don´t know already! Let´s check our facts here. With a strong cast that consists of heavyweight actors like Chazz Palminteri, Christopher Walken and Rod Steiger, how can any movie ever go wrong? Well, in "Poolhall Junkies", very little is wrong in terms of acting but very much is when it comes to the story.
First, the story brings nothing new to the table, so to speak. The words "hustler" and "pool" go so well together, many movies that feature one, simply do not exist without the other. A familiar tale of a down-on-his-luck pool hustler coming back against great odds to protect a family member and at the same time, fulfill his dreams, is so cliché and overdone, Paul Newman must be smirking at this latest tired endeavor by Mars Callahan. Newman, if you remember, practically wrote the book on portraying pool hustlers, first with his role as ´Fast Eddie´ Felson in 1961´s "The Hustler" and later, reprising the same role in 1986´s "The Color of Money" with Tom Cruise.
Together with Chris Corso, Mars Callahan co-wrote the script for this movie years ago but was unable to find any financial backing to get it made. A story later emerged about them getting the idea for the script after they tried to hustle each other at pool (Corso and Callahan wouldn´t reveal who won). When they wrote it, Callahan slated himself to star in the role of the younger brother, Danny Doyle. However, after so many years, Callahan is now old enough to grab the lead role of Johnny Doyle aka Side-Pocket Kid. In this movie, Callahan has the distinction of writing the script, directing the movie and also starring as the lead actor.
Johnny Doyle (Mars Callahan) has always been a phenom in the game of pool. So good in fact that he was invited to join a prestigious professional league when he was only a teenager. However, unbeknownst to him, Johnny´s mentor/backer Joe (Chazz Palminteri) sees Johnny´s future differently. Joe is the local thug that deems himself smooth enough to know everything there is to know about hustling pool, taking Johnny under his wing since he was abandoned by his parents years ago. Instead of encouraging him to pursue his dreams, the manipulative Joe uses Johnny to make money for him by hustling in dinky pool halls. Not wanting to lose his cash cow, Joe secretly destroys the many invitation cards sent by the pro league that comes Johnny´s way, leaving him discouraged about his future. As the movie fast forwards fifteen years later, we still see Johnny, older but none the wiser, hustling pool for pittance with Joe close by his side. A chance meeting with a member of the pro league reveals the true nature of Joe´s manipulative ways to Johnny. Leaving Joe in a lurch and in debt with a gangster named Chico (Glenn Plummer), Johnny decides to turn his life around and find another line of work outside the pool halls.
At home, Johnny lives with his girlfriend Tara (Alison Eastwood), a beautiful law student who doesn´t approve of his pool hustling. A chance meeting with Tara´s Uncle Mike (Christopher Walken) at a dinner party proves useful later on when Johnny´s little brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) foolishly falls into a trap set by Joe and his latest protégé, Brad (Rick Schroder). Danny worships his brother and is eager to follow in his footsteps to become a great pool player. Johnny tries to discourage him but you can smell trouble coming from a mile away. A showdown is now set for Johnny to redeem himself and at the same time, get Danny out of trouble.
Johnny has never wanted the life of a pool hustler, preferring to play the game that he loves legitimately. As we are reminded time and again throughout the movie, for Johnny, it´s not about the money but about the excitement of making the shot. So what we have here is a lovable hustler with a heart of gold that has never had the courage to take the chance to find out if he is as good in the game of pool as many say he is. Rest assured, by the end of this movie, Johnny would take the final step towards his dream, bail his brother out of trouble, win back his girlfriend and teach Joe a painful lesson in hustling. As you can see, predictability is unfortunately this movie´s biggest weakness. Call it corny or even clichéd, as "Poolhall Junkies" makes no effort to surprise us. However, I must give kudos to Callahan and Corso for the great dialogue featured in the movie. One of the best exchanges of dialogue in the movie comes early between Johnny and Chico, bantering about the correct pronunciation and usage of the word "nigga". A hilarious exchange indeed.
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[release]11124[/release]