Product Description

The guys who brought you There's Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber strike again with a gut-busting farce that's "just too funny" (Los Angeles Times)! Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid and Vanessa Angel come up winners in this riotous, joke-a-second comedy with plenty of balls. Harrelson is Roy Munson, a pro bowler who seems destined for greatness, or as close to greatness as a bowler can get. But after a run-in with angry competitors, Roy finds himself sadder, wiser and minus his bowling hand! Years later, he meets the naive Ishmael (Quaid), an Amish bowling whiz. Together they set out for a million-dollar tournament in Reno, and along the way pick up Claudia (Angel), a sexy vixen with brains, attitude and really big...ideas. With her help, they make it to the tournament. But will Roy and Ishmael win the big match and score fame and fortune...or will all their hopes and dreams go barreling down the gutter?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4259 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-05-18
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.com
The team behind Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary--two really stupid, gross-out films that worked and were quite funny--also made this really stupid, gross-out comedy that doesn't work and isn't funny at all. Woody Harrelson stars as a former bowling phenomenon with a hook for a hand, and Randy Quaid is an Amish farmer with a hidden talent for pins. The two join forces and get a sexy business partner (Vanessa Angel), and the film starts looking more and more like a jokey variation of The Color of Money. The Color of Money, however, didn't feature jokes about having oral sex with a hideous landlady or defecating in a sink or dragging disgusting stuff out of one's teeth with a length of floss. Bill Murray provides some much-needed relief as Harrelson's ex-partner turned rival. How come this stuff is obnoxious while the equally perverse punch lines of There's Something About Mary are a riot? It's a great mystery, all right, but there it is. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

"Was I talking out loud?"
"Kingpin" has quickly become a cult-classic, and it is easy to see how it became that. The Farrelly have created a comedic masterpiece with this movie. There are so many funny lines and so many memorable moments. Vulgar, disgusting... and hilarious all the way through, "Kingpin" is a comedy treat that stands out from most of the comedies of today.

Roy Munson was a bowling legend until a hustling gig gone wrong ended up taking his right hand. Now, Munson is an alcoholic mess who can't even afford his rent. Everything seems to be a giant downward spiral for him until he sees somebody who has the potential of becoming the next great bowler that he could've been. That person he sees is Ishmael; a person of Amish decent that secretly goes bowling without his family's knowledge. Munson knows that with this Amish bowler under his watch that they can turn the bowling world upside down...or at least do their best not to "Munson" it all up!

I absolutely love this movie. It is hilarious and clever at the same time. There are sick and vulgar gags, to be sure, but I don't see them as overly gratuitous or annoying. They work for what the film is trying to accomplish. There are many, MANY moments were I am laughing out loud hysterically. Woody Harrelson is terrific as the alcoholic mess, "Roy." Randy Quaid is also a joy to watch, as he always is. Yet, I must admit that the man who simply steals the show without breaking a sweat is Bill Murray. He is brilliantly funny and outrageous in the most subtle of ways. He's always the showstopper without trying too hard. I loved everybody in this movie, but I have to admit that Bill was the one who I was the most impressed with, and he makes the movie what it is. The script is extremely funny and takes the comedy to a different level.

The DVD is poor when it comes to special features. It'd be great if they would releases a special edition of this movie, as it is extremely popular. The great thing about this movie is that it's not PG-13 anymore and now has an R-rating, which includes footage that was not included in the original theatrical version. The picture and sound quality is more than satisfactory. The DVD includes both widescreen and fullscreen versions. Commentary from the Farrelly Brothers and the original theatrical trailer are included as well. I wished more was included, but hopefully a fully-loaded special edition will come out sometime in the near future.

"Kingpin" rolls strikes every single time when it comes to delivering laughs and a great script. While the gags can be a bit disgusting and vulgar at times, they are not gratuitous and they end up working in the movie. If you're looking for a comic gem that is unlike any other comedy that is out there, this may be the one for you. A five-star movie all the way!

Overlooked comic masterpiece
And not for the squeamish.

I may have been the only one laughing out loud when I saw this in the theater. I remember at least two people walking out sometime during the show. No matter because for me, this ranks as one of the the most brilliant and unique comedies in a long, long time.

The Farelly Brothers, who would return to us in such top form with "There's Something About Mary" give us an insane twist on the comeback-kid story.

Woody Harrelson is Munson, a washed-up former bowling protege who finds a way out in Ishmael, a simple Amish farmer with exceptional skill on the bowling lane. Munson sees the kid as a tool for revenge, for money, for fame -- all the things that were denied him (largely by the hand of his ruthless rival, deliciously played by Bill Murray in one of his funniest supporting roles).

What follows is a practically non-stop series of gags, satire and slapstick that are brilliant in their timing and effect. The Farrelly Brothers give us no mercy as we follow Munson and Ishmael on their journey. But the jokes, many of which border on the surreal, never seem gratuitous. It's just the filmmakers having a total blast, and I for one appreciated it.

Probably the Funniest Movie of the 90�s!
The Farrelly Bros. have proven themselves to be inspired comic directors that have enormous talent even if their idea of humor is crude and raunchy. Their short career has been filled with ups and downs starring with `Dumb and Dumber' which is so-so, then `Kingpin', which is probably their best, followed by `There's Something About Mary' which has a softer side and a larger audience and then the Jim Carrey misfire `Me, Myself & Irene'. While `Mary' is often thought of as their best, `Kingpin' is in a lot of ways better and has a higher LPM (laughs per minute) average. Quite possibly the funniest movie of the 90's, I'm not saying it's the best comedy, just that it's the most constantly funny. Woody Harrelson is hilarious and so is Randy Quaid as bowling Amish (?) Ishmael. Bill Murray is hilarious and steals almost all his scenes. Vanessa Angel is the super-sexy Claudia, she is the typical sexy female presence that the Farrelly Bros. seem to need to round up the cast, in order they are; Lauren Holly, Vanessa Angel, Cameron Diaz and Renee Zellweger. As for the typical `hair gel' joke we've come to expect from the Farrelly's, this time it deals with Roy `milking a bull' and drinking the `milk'. The film is filled with these jokes that are still hilarious even after repeated viewings. It also features a great soundtrack with songs from Goldfinger and other modern bands. The `bowling sequences' are well made, nicely edited with a great soundtrack, with a heavy dash of humor and exciting as well. Roy loosing the tournament and avoiding the typical ending was a great move and heightens the originality level, which is very high. Peter and Bobby Farrelly are very talented comedy filmmakers and some of their films (at least 2) have become instant comedy classics. If they're lucky they might be considered the `Mel Brooks' of their generation, not because their humor is the same (it isn't, Brooks is better), but because they are fearless and original filmmakers that revive the comedy genre every decade or so. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film an 8!