It’s blood, sweat, beers and tears out there on the playing field. Emotions run high and heroes can be created with the swing of an arm. What some people refer to as a goofy pasttime akin to miniature golf or cow flopper tossing, these pro players fashion careers out of. They’re fighting for their lives out there and who knew that the world of professional bowling could be so dramatic?
After giving a very well-informed, as well as thoroughly entertaining, brief history of the game and its rise through the ranks as a televised professional sport only to ultimately fall and have itself yanked from the air waves in the late ’90s, “A League of Ordinary Gentlemen” follows the lives of several pro bowlers as they prepare to jumpstart their careers in the corporate owned resurrection of the televised league. This is where the drama kicks in and watching this documentary isn’t unlike watching a well-written narrative feature.
Christopher Browne’s documentary acquaints us with these gentlemen by presenting us their passionate quirks that actually don’t make them very ordinary at all. It’s enough to get the audience howling at all the right spots only to tense up later when the big game finally rolls out. You don’t have to be a bowling fan to enjoy this one. “A League of Ordinary Gentlemen” is geared to please audiences of all tastes.
