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Regular
Price $14.98
Starring:
Pete Weber,
Walter Ray Williams,
Timothy Busfield,
Wayne Webb (III),
Directed By:
Christopher Browne,
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Release Date: 2003
Studio: Magnolia
Format:
Color,
DVD-Video,
NTSC,
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Customer Reviews for
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
PBA brought back to life
There is a film company which makes only documentaries; its motto: "Everything else is just fiction". It is amazing how compelling documentaries--even documentaries about bowling--can be.
This film chronicles the renewal of the floundering Professional Bowlers Association tour. Three Microsoft employees purchase the PBA for 5 million dollars. They breathe life into the organization by hiring a foul-mouthed, Ironman executive, re-energizing a cocky bowling celebrity, and reinvigorating an aging bowling legend. Together they lead the tour back to the land of milk and. . .well, not quite. They all agree, bowling is not the sport, the pastime it once was in America in the 1960s-70s.
Remarkable, what is in this true tale: bluster, victory, chutzpah, loneliness, defeat. . .and lots of fat people.
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
Brings back a lot of memories
Wow this really brings back memories of my past, can remember when on Saturday afternoons came around, we all went to the TV and watched Pro Bowlers Tour on ABC, and great to see someone try to bring back the times of the bowlers who give their all to not only make money for them and their family but also the ones who didn't know how to handle the money they did make during that time, only thing I wish now is the the present PBA would do is show the winnings for each week now, and try to get bowling back where is should be.A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
Insight into the lives of a pro bowler
Be warned, I like watching bowling. As someone who used to bowled but could never break into the 200 average class, I am fascinated to watch the pros in action.
This tells the story of how a marketing guru tries to recreate the pba tour together with sponsorship and television coverage. There are no punches pulled when it comes to the difficulties of resurrecting a sport that has fallen on bad times. And it is interesting to see how, from a business angle, they went about doing this.
But the best part of this dvd is the insight into the lives of a few pro bowlers who were very frank about their lives and about their hopes and thoughts about the new venture. At the end of the dvd there is some interplay between two rivals (Walter Ray Williams Jnr and Peter Weber) and a showdown on the lanes to provide a fitting end to the film, but it is also fascinating to see into their lives, how they live, how their families cope or in most cases do not cope with their spouses on tour most of the time.
There are some good clips of past experts - not enough for my liking - but better than nothing.
I miss the old tournaments like the Firestone of Champions and I am not sure that the current pba has got the formula right to make the sport attractive to sponsors and advertisers. But if you like bowling and like to watch the pros in action and also want to see how it feels to be a pro bowler away from the limelight and the final day, then get this dvd; some very human stories here. One bowler describes how from a very young age he decided to make his living at bowling and how bowling seemed to be a permanent fixture in the sports arena. Now he feels cheated as this 'permanent' fixture has disappeared and his life to date seems completely wasted. A familiar story, not only in sport, but one told here with some honesty and openness.A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
A wonderful depiction on a much maligned sport
I've been a huge bowling enthusiast for a long time now and I think this is was one of the more enjoyable documentaries I have seen in a long time. Watching the PBA on both ABC and now ESPN, it can appear to seem much more glamorous (yes I realize for most people to use "glamorous" to describe bowling might be inappropriate)but the reality is that it is very, very lonely.
As of current, Walter Ray Williams, Jr, Pete Weber, and Chris Barnes are all professional superstars and I believe all in the legitmate running for the Player of the Year. It was so interesting to see the behind the scenes struggles for each.
And then there is Wayne Webb, a very tragic story of a man who felt like he was owed more from bowling. I felt the movie captured perfectly his disdain for the new evolution of the sport.
Anyway an excellent insight into the business of the PBA and its champions.A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
For those of us non-bowlers
This is an excellant movie. It doesn't go through the steps of bowling rather than what a pro bowler goes through. Much props to them and those that are keeping it alive. I don't watch much of the alternative sports on tv but will keep an eye out for the tour from now on. This movie is worth the purchase and don't keep it to yourself, share with your friends. They might laugh at first but thank you later.A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
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