Pool Cue News and Review

So I finally got around to seeing Juno and all I can say is I have a new obsession that goes by the name of Diablo Cody. Diablo Freakin’ Cody. She works as a stripper, writes the Juno script in the Target food court and scores a dumptruck full of awards and honors. Plus, she’s found a way to be snarky and sincere. Ah Diablo, my tattooed, foul mouthed muse… Anyway, all this movie watching and hero worship got me thinking about the Holy Grail of pool: the next Color of Money.

About every 25 years, a movie about pool makes it to the mainstream and the industry rejoices. First we had The Hustler in 1961. Then 25 years later we had The Color of Money in 1986. So the 3rd coming of the mainstream pool movie is just around the corner. There have been pretenders to be sure. Pool Hall Junkies is a favorite among pool players but never made it to the mainstream. A few years ago there was a big buzz about Mr. Sarah Michelle Gellar starring in a pool movie. Sadly, “Shooting Gallery” never made it to the theaters and quietly died in the DVD hospice.

So what do we have to look forward to? First is the 9 Ball “project”. The producers clearly know how much this flick is worth, since they’re selling DVDs with tickets for the bargain price of two bucks. Hmm… a movie starring a pool player with no acting experience, an awful script and no financing? Next!

The other ray of hope is the Kid Delicious flick. Now this one actually has a real studio behind it, but the problem is that its been 3 years and there’s still no movement on the deal. The author did finish the book so in theory he’s working on a script, but you could fill a ball park with the number of scripts that have been optioned by a studio that never got made into a movie.

So, will our savior be in theaters by 2011? Will a screenwriter the caliber of Diablo Cody or a director the caliber of Martin Scorsese make a movie about pool? Hell, I’d even take a Will Ferrellesque spoof. If a spoof about the ultimate underground ping pong tournament can get a wide theatrical release, can’t we get the same for pool?

Even in this darkest hour, there is hope. Chris Eigeman, a real life Johnny Drama, wrote and directed Turn the River which <gasp> stars real actors! Famke Janssen plays the lead Rip Torn costars.

Interestingly, Variety actually gave the flick a pretty nice write-up back in November. Unfortunately, the flick doesn’t have a distribution deal yet and since its an indie, I’m guessing its headed straight to Netflix or at best, a limited release in arthouse theaters.