Plot: What’s it about?
Two decades ago, Peter and Bobby Farrelly made a name for themselves with Dumb and Dumber. Or did they? After watching the new retrospective featurette included on this disc, I was surprised to learn that they actually had a hard time getting new scripts. Dumb and Dumber was viewed as a Jim Carrey movie and the Farrelly’s were “lucky to be attached to it.” That’s pretty hard to imagine as the Farrelly’s have had great success with films since like There’s Something About Mary and Me, Myself and Irene but no one ever said that Hollywood was a logical place. And, c’mon, aren’t we hard-pressed for movies about bowling? I used to bowl all the time and, admittedly, I have a lot more fun on the golf course, but there’s a certain charm to the sport. Combine that with the talents of Bill Murray, Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid and it sets the stage for a pretty decent comedy.
Roy Munson (Woody Harrelson) is an up and coming bowler who mistakenly gets involved with ego-maniac “Big” Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray). Big Ernie sets up Roy as part of a hustle and allows Roy take the fall (the “fall” in this case is his bowling hand). Time passes and Roy delves into the dark reaches of alcoholism, letting his bowling career pass him by. However he meets Ishmael (Randy Quaid), an Amish bowling prodigy, and convinces him to be his trainer. Traveling around, the duo start to make their mark on the sport, but “Big” Ern is literally the man to beat. And so the stage is set for the tournament where Ishmael is set to take on “Big” Ern. Will he prevail or will the jerk with the worst haircut in cinema history walk away with the prize?
Kingpin is hilarious. I’d forgotten how funny the movie was and how entertaining Harrelson, Murray and Quaid really are. While this wasn’t the financial powerhouse that Mary was, it still set the stage for their future films and, as mentioned above, we needed a movie about bowling! Of note, I did read where this was the Farrelly Brothers biggest financial disappointment, namely due to it being released in the Summer of 1996 (Olympics). But once it hit home video, it recouped all of its financial losses. Still, it does make you think and/or wonder – whatever happened to Vanessa Angel?
Video: How’s it look?
This is one of those films that I’ve seen on numerous formats ranging from VHS to LaserDisc to DVD to Blu-ray and now we’ve got a 4K copy to analyze. How fun. Truthfully, I’ve never really had an issue with the way this film looks on any format (I tend to get engrossed in the film itself as opposed to monitor bit rates and such), but this new 4K scan adds a new scan from the original 35mm negative giving us a new HDR and Dolby Vision Masters. To the lay person that means “it looks better.” Colors are certainly a bit on the peppier side, detail has been improved (we can now see Bill Murray’s hair in all its 4K glory) and most of the grain is now gone. In short, if you’ve been clamoring for the definitive version of this film – here it is.
Audio: How’s it sound?
An upgraded DTS HD Master Audio track replaces the previous Dolby Digital one found on the DVD. While not an audio powerhouse, the movie does sport a variety of interesting surround sounds that keep the action moving. The Farrelly Brothers are known for their soundtracks and this sports a pretty good array of songs from the late 70’s (think disco). Vocals are strong and crisp, the front stage handles the majority of the action and the surrounds lend a bit of support as well. It’s a good, though fairly standard, comedic mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Essentially everything that appeared on Paramount’s 2014 Blu-ray has made the leap to 4K, with the addition of a new commentary track. Yay!
- Theatrical and Extended Cuts – Two versions of the movie are present on this Blu-ray, the theatrical cut as well as the 4 minute longer Extended edition. There’s not a lot of difference aside from a few more lewd and extended scenes. Either one should be fine, though since it’s there – I’d go for the Extended cut.
- Audio Commentary – This is the same track that appeared on the DVD from the 90’s, but it’s still entertaining. We learn a few things about the film: Woody is not a good bowler, Randy Quaid is and the horse in the Amish country is a camera hog! It’s an entertaining track and a good listen.
- Audio Commentary – Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry collaborate on a new track for this three decade-old film. The duo have done some other tracks for films like Blackhat, Marty and Flatliners to name a few. That said, they’re all film connoisseurs and know their stuff. It’s a rather upbeat track that is chock full of witty insights and factoids about the film. It’s a breath of fresh air to be sure and it’s nice to see others who are as entertained with this film as I.
- Kingpin: Extra Frames – The new supplement is this 20 minute featurette with the Farrelly Brothers. We get some archived footage with Harrelson and some other members of the crew, but we really get a good idea as to how this movie came to be, their trouble in casting it (Harrelson and Peter Farrelly were roommates in the 80’s for a few years while Harreleon was on Cheers) and so forth. It’s a good little feature and it’s nice to see them revisit one of the films that made them who they are today.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
While not the financial powerhouse that Dumb and Dumber or There’s Something About Mary, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Kingpin. As a bowler (in college, it was a mainly a drinking league and we also bowled), I think they nailed the stereotypes pretty well. This new disc gives us a great-looking transfer as well as all the legacy features from Paramount’s Blu-ray and a new audio commentary track. Strike!
