What I've Watched: The League of Ordinary Gentlemen

Not long after my bowling outing with friends, I had a nagging feeling that out there, somewhere, was a documentary about this sport. And because of my psychotic love for documentaries about odd things (Darkon, Bingo, Trekkies), I found one that came out not too long ago called The League of Ordinary Gentlemen.

This is pure gold for people who grew up in the Midwest, where bowling was something we may not have done every weekend as a kid in the '80s, but it was something we did often enough that even our schools had bowling outings because it was cheap, it kept everyone engaged, and everyone was contained in a large room with little chance of escape.

This movie has it all. Drama? You bet. Well, drama if you consider watching washed-up bowlers in the 40s try to reclaim their glory. On a bowling alley of all places, and when it fails they walk 20 feet and start setting up their karaoke machines for the side business they're running (yes, this happens). Comedy? Absolutely. Especially when the wife of one of the bowlers gives probably the moneyshot line of the whole flick, but I'm not going to spoil it for you (just wait until she's wearing the nearly hand-stitched American flag sweater ... then you know priceless material is coming up.

One of the good parts early on is when the new marketer/president of the PBA gives a pep talk to the bowlers in a preseason meeting. Pretty sure Lombardi and William Wallace would have taken notes from this guy.