A League of Ordinary Gentlemen

Before I ruined my wrists by typing 1 million movie reviews, I used to love to go bowling. And before ABC cancelled it, I used to love to watch the Professional Bowlers Association tour on TV. So A League of Ordinary Gentlemen is pretty much the movie for me, as it’s a documentary on the current state of pro bowling in America. The film follows four bowlers and the buttwipe-esque CEO of the PBA through a year on the tour. Most touching is the story of Wayne Webb, a former world champion who gambled away his winnings. Attempting to return to glory, Webb finds himself throwing gutter balls while his old friend Walter Ray Williams dominates the sport. Not happy with Williams’ polite, self-effacing style, PBA CEO Steve Miller throws his weight behind bowler Pete Weber, because Weber is loud and obnoxious and therefore makes for better television. A League of Ordinary Gentlemen manages to make some cutting commentaries on current culture without losing its bowl-o-centrism, which is a difficult task in this age of steroid enhanced, robot-powered, four-armed bowlers.