User reviews

Poolhall Junkies is one of those little sweet pieces of film that can hold your attention throughout, get you to grin even when a joke isn't that funny, and let the viewer know debut filmmakers, such as Gregory "Mars" Martin, can still serve a purpose in a widening scumish movie season.

Martin plays Johnny Doyle, a poolroom hustler who after being controlled by a gangster (Palminterri) for fifteen years, breaks away in a sudden movie to go for bigger money. Unfortunately, his movie isn't helped by his cocky little brother (Rosenbaum) and friends who try to hustle the money for themselves only to get in deeper trouble with a semi-pro player.

The story and twists may have been seen in similar poolhall movies, yet the quick wit and even quicker style is on the mark. Lest I not forget, Steiger and Walken turn in two grand performances - Steiger, in his last film, as a weary poolroom worker, and Walken, who is very often both creepy and exceptional, gives fans a treat with a monologue that can only be compared to the one he gave in Pulp Fiction. Not everyone may follow this film, and it'll probably be out of theaters very soon, however it remains a treat for those who like quirky indie gangster movies. A-

You wouldn't be wrong for mistaking Poolhall Junkies as a cocky vanity project for writer/director/star Gregory 'Mars' Callahan (who looks like Jason Lee and Casey Affleck had an affably obnoxious man-baby). Still, it's a slick, snappy sports romp, propelled by a spectacular funky score, and, with the help of some choice casting, more fun than it has any right to be. The story is a tale as old as time, but Callahan wisely ricochets off the main criticism with the most beloved Paul Newman pool precedents (too much talk, not enough pool!), and recognizes that a sterling sports movie is made in its games, not the background drama. The pool hall scenes are flawlessly shot (pun!) with vivacious, crackling energy, and plentiful enough to keep the film breezy and bumping.

The writing on the whole is about as high school calibre as you'd expect, from the hip smack talk posturing which reaches eye-rolling heights at times, to each and every poor female characters, risibly written as 'Male Love Interest Validation Device 101' (Alison Eastwood - yes, Clint's daughter - gamely shoulders the worst of this). Still, some exchanges are goofy enough to genuinely raise laughs, and the cast are all so visibly relaxed and cheery it's hard not to take to them. Callahan himself aces the cocksure swagger, which is enough to carry him through his less impressive melodramatic asides, and he shares some good banter with his younger brother, played by Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum, who, with hair, recalls the wholesome cheekiness of a young Paul Rudd.

Chazz Palminteri's thuggish backer-turned-mortal enemy and Christopher Walken's 'Daddy Warbucks deus ex-machina' may be dopily motivated plot devices rather than characters, but they're both hugely charismatic enough to make it worth the while. Palminteri may be the most stereotypical mobster actor in the industry, but he pours on the threat here, while Walken matches him with enough sly jubilance to reaffirm him as the coolest cat around, owning two characteristic monologues, and nailing an impossibly hard trick shot in one take. Finally, Rod Steiger is delightfully gruff as the pool hall owner with a heart of gold in his final film appearance here.

There are few surprises here as the plot doles out, but the hustling extends beyond the narrative: Poolhall Junkies is too jaunty and enjoyable not to take to. It's not as thought out or engaging as The Hustler (or even The Colour of Money), but Callahan keeps things energetic throughout, and benefits from going shot for shot between pool and drama. Whenever the balls are racked and James Brown blares, Poolhall Junkies has too much moxie not to drink the kool aid, and soak up the sweat of the pool hall anew.

-7/10

Poolhall Junkies exhibits a breathtaking spectacle of pool brilliance. It leaves nothing out - Jump shots, masse shots and superbly illustrated draw and bank shots.

First and foremost, it is a sports film, though fundamentally incorporates certain genres like romance and action so as to not alienate the movie going audience. However, unlike the hustler - which many perceived was a love story with a Pool backdrop, and the Color of Money - which put more emphasis on money and gambling than on the sport of pool itself, Poolhall Junkies displays Pool in all its unadulterated beauty.

It failed to be a smash hit, I dare say, as there were no huge names in the film unlike the above mentioned two which had Tom Cruise and Paul Newman. Nevertheless the casting is excellent. Mars Callahan does a great job playing Johnny - the talented and cocky hustler with an inherent deep regret of not being a pro, and Rick Shroder plays the great steely eyed and fierce opponent, with, lamentably, a not so terrifying name, Brad. Furthermore Christopher Walken adds tremendous spice to the film as Johnny's stakehorse, with an exultant presence, inspirational philosophies and a few wickedly innovative pool shots to boot.

Some bits seem derivative from the Hustler and/or the Color of Money, especially the clichéd hustle dialogue, but they work well, it's part of what makes a hustling film, and adds to its comedic value! I would rate this 8 out of 10, overall, but if a definitive Pool film is what you want, look no further than this.

Not going to tell you about the movie, there are enough people on here that have. I just wanted to say that I also agree with the people that did not understand the negative comments. I watch a ton of movies so I have a lot to compare this one to. Its not academy award material by any means. But I thought the acting was very good and I enjoyed the storyline. The movie kept my attention throughout. I thought it was one of the better movies that I have seen. I would recommend this movie. All I can say is, you know what they say about opinions...lol.

The film Poolhall Junkies centers on pool shark Johnny (Mars Callahan), who breaks free from Joe (Chazz Palminteri), his mentor and one of the dirtiest hustlers around. He makes the break upon finding out that Joe hid his being invited to shoot with the pros from him, and from here things become violent and Joe breaks Johnny's hand. Joe uses pool shark Brad (Rick Schroder) to bring Johnny's younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) into the picture, as he hustles Danny and proceeds to beat him up and to threaten his life for the money he owes him. In the chaos, Danny tries to knock off a pawnshop and is arrested and imprisoned. It is then up to Johnny to play Brad for the cash to get his brother out of jail.

Director Mars Callahan successfully made this a film about achieving greatness. Throughout the film, we know Johnny has possibly missed his chance to be great. A chance many get once in a lifetime. But throughout the film, we see that Johnny is a great person, sticks to his morals (although they are a bit hazy), is a true friend, and always has some goodness at heart. At one point, Johnny swears off of the game, but returns when the stakes involve getting his girlfriend Tara (Alison Eastwood) her dream job in the law firm she happens to be interning at. In doing this, he meets and befriends her Uncle Mike (Christopher Walken), who backs him and gives him the money he needs to possibly win his final game.

The pivotal choice in music for this film is very original. It went very well with the key moments it was placed in. At one point in the final pool game, the two competitors pass by one another, and right at that point there is a howl in the music that has been playing throughout the game. This makes the meeting that much more exciting. This film was excellently pieced together, and probably both under credited and under viewed.

This movie is a straight-up combination of Rounders, Diner, and The Color of Money. It is hard to watch for a single minute without thinking in the back of your head that you've seen the same exact thing somewhere else before. The acting leans towards wooden (except for the typically excellent Christopher Walken) and the script thinks it's more clever than it really is (example, the gag "hustle" about the RV salesman's shoes).

As a pool player, it's fun to see pool on film. Two caveats though. First, most of the pool footage is so zoomed-in that the shots are obviously being done by someone else in a different location, and it's jarring and distracting. Of course the actors can't all be expert pool players but it would be nice to see some of the clothing and scenery that you would expect, and not just balls on tables. Second, the characters are almost always playing 9-ball but also almost always trying to pocket all the balls, which is unrealistic. This may be a concession that a general audience will not know the rules of 9-ball but to anyone who does, it makes the pool scenes surreal.

Overall though I appreciate movies about pool and this movie is a solid effort, particularly at its relatively low production cost of $4M, so, a strong 7/10.

Christopher Walken happens to be one of my favourites, and it was a nice surprise to see him in this film - but even without his charismatic acting, it would surely have been worth the time. Excellent showing of the game at it's brilliant best, it is also pretty funny, mostly believable (even tho a couple of times the hustling was made a bit too easy) and has more depth than Color of Money or the old one which had Minnesota Fats in it.. forgot the name of that one.

I'd double rate this film 9-10 for pool players, 7-9 for others.

Oh and the guy playing the hustler is a nice find, hope to see him in some other new films too.

All Johnny Doyle his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) who it (Mars Callahan) ever wanted is to play pool against the best. He's got a mouth that won't shut up. For 15 years, his handler Joe (Chazz Palminteri) used Johnny to hustle pool and prevented him from entering tournaments. He tries to leave pool behind and go straight. When that turns sour, he goes back to pool. His girlfriend Tara (Alison Eastwood) hates him playing. His younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) thinks he's better than he actually is. He befriends Tara's boss Uncle Mike (Christopher Walken) by hustling a rival. Joe breaks Johnny's hand and has a new protégé in Brad (Rick Schroder).

Mars Callahan's directing and acting is below par. However there is an audacious energy about this movie. He's shooting for both Swingers and The Hustler. Mars is nowhere near good enough to hit the target but he really tries. It's low budget indie with hard talk, real pool and some great actors. The big missing elements are a better director and a better leading man.

I've personally been waiting to see Poolhall Junkies since I saw Alison Eastwood on the Craig Kilborn show plugging it. I originally wanted to see it because two of my favorite actors were in it(Chazz Palmenteri, and the Great Christopher Walken). Though after the first twenty minutes of the movie I knew those two would be over shadowed by writer/director/actor Mars Callahan.

Callahan stole the show with his natural charisma and attitude. He's got great screen presence and watching him actually kind of reminded me of Christopher Walken except a bit younger and a lot less intense. This movie had a great plot nothing overly original but with the tight script it came off without a hitch. Poolhall Junkies is definetly a must see. Now that the wait is over I can see that it was well worth it.

10 out of 10

POOLHALL JUNKIES hedged its bets by sprinkling notable guest stars throughout the film. Christopher Walkens, Chazz P, etc. The movie itself is good, although I had expected to learn some things about pool that I did not know going in, and was a tad disappointed by the lack of "insider information" present in JUNKIES.

Still, it's a good movie, with nice direction by the star/director, and the film moves well enough that it never bores. The narrative structure is a bit cliche, and as previously mentioned POOLHALL JUNKIES really doesn't break the mold of your average sports movie.

Good, but could have been a lot better.

6 out of 10

(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie)

I am a big fan of pool, and have been watching all the pool movies I can find. The obviously great Hustler and Color of money are the only two of any quality I have found. The pool played in Poolhall Junkies is absurd, the way the plot develops is so slow and preictable and the ending is just dull. To me it seems strangely disjointed in places with many scenes not fiting or joining to those around them. Its not funny enough for a comedy and the plot and action is too thin for anything else. It is a little better than Stickmen which is not even worth comment.

Can it really be that to make a good film about pool Paul Newman is needed ? Surely someone with a brain out there can come up with something a little better than Poolhall Junkies, I'm considering writing a script myself.

After seeing this film all I can say is wow! The flow was there, combined with the screen chemistry, made an excellent combination. Christopher Walken played a small part in this movie, but the parts he was in just blew me away. It was fun to watch him be a cocky SOB. It was funny. The best scene with him was when he told Chazz Palminteri that he was a millionaire and 80k meant nothing to him, yet to Chazz it was more than he could chew. (what he said more or less) The movie was filled with excitement, humor, and a lot of crazy shots that I probably will go out of my way to try and learn. Being someone who enjoys the game of pool I loved knowing the hustler moves ahead of time. (The kid falling for the 4 balls of the table trick was great, but he had to learn right.) Either way pool is a great game, and it's nice to see a movie that took the sport and turned it into a great visual experience through the lives of the actors. Excellent acting, casting, and just an overall good movie going experience. And I hope that many of you can see this movie and get as much fun out of it as I have.

Gregory 'Mars' Martin's Poolhall Junkies, is one of the best movies of 2002. Christopher Walken co-stars with Martin in this very well done directed "pool" movie about what to do with a talent, and Hustling!!! I mean how many pool movies have you seen? Honestly?

SO, the acting was'nt great, so what? It has laughs, and it has action, I STRONGLY suggest you go out and spend $5 to rent this at your local blockbuster, and spend 90 minuets watching it... I did, and I don't regret it.

NOW, I don't write many reviews, only for movies I really liked or hated... Now me writing this review, that's saying something!!!

WATCH IT!

It is difficult to say what Gregory 'Mars' Martin does worst - writing, directing or acting - but that somebody would pay him to do all three is incomprehensible to me. The script is riddled with unconvincing characters, weak motivation, bad dialogue and clichés; with the exception of Christopher Walken, the acting is poor, and when you see thespians like Rod Steiger and Chazz Palminteri act badly, you know the director is inept; and Martin, in the lead role, probably does the worst job of the entire cast. His hardass act is completely unconvincing; his Ben Affleck impersonation is a little better but ultimately redundant, since there's already one Ben Affleck in Hollywood, and he's not that interesting an actor at that. I give this a three out of ten and say a silent prayer that I will never see Christopher Walken in a piece of crap like this again.

There isn't really much to say about this film. It has the basic formula, average script, average acting and yet I can't help but enjoy it. Considering it's style and snappy dialogue, it is quite obviously a Swingers inspired project and although not as successful, it still makes for some great viewing.

The cast is excellent. Walken is a standout. He brings so much to this movie, quite frankly I can't see it working without him. And Mars Callahan... A solid actor; and I get this guy, I get what he's doing and I can only hope to see him growing creatively through more of his work in future. But I am not holding my breath, writing and direction and quite clearly not his strengths and I fear that he will never top this film.

This is one of those movies that will no doubt spawn a cult following, especially among the pool hustlers out there. Look out for the great Trees Lounge reference too, a nice touch.

I don't know what is going on with the release of this film, but I bought it on (region 0) DVD at K-mart in Australia, despite the fact it hasn't hit cinemas yet. Essential viewing for any pool fanatic. 8/10.

There are a lot of different things going on in this movie, but they all come together at the end. There were a few scenes where the line delivery was a little corny, but over all it was a great movie.

It's not a rip off of Rounders, it just happens that the pool hustler life is very similar to the card players. The pool backdrop was just for entertainment. If you're a real player, you understand the subculture of players in every town. Some of us are tournament players, some are pros, some are hustlers, some are just playing for the hell of it. This movie covers all of those characters. I especially enjoyed the way it touched on the fact that non-players don't understand the addiction. They do not realize how you can loose yourself in 8 hours of racking and breaking, and they are easily frustrated and jealous of this passion for playing.

Overall the movie was great considering 'we' don't get many movies about pool. Watch it a few more times and you'll love it.

I don't know why I like this movie. But, I do. The whole quiet as a church line is retarded, I cringe every time it is said. I can't believe no one else brought that up. The shots are not all that hard, and if you watch closely some are unwarranted. Why take a fancy, hard shot when you have a duck in the corner. Your opponent will realize you are a good shot and that they are being hustled. Anyone who watched the hustler or color of money knows that you have to let the opponent think they are better than you. Pulling off crazy shots will impress them and make them not want to bet. Also, they make it sound like this guy has never left his hometown. If he is the "god of pool", why would anyone play him for money? All that said, I still like this movie and have watched it several times and will probably watch it in the future. I guess it is my guilty pleasure movie. Everyone's got one, this one is mine.

This movie truly rocks. Mars Callahan does a tremendous job on writing, directing, and starring in the film. I guess you would have to be a lover of the game to truly give this film the recognition that it absolutely deserves. And the fact that Rod Stieger, Christopher Walken, Chaz Palminteri, Rick Schroder, and Alison Eastwood are in this movie is utterly amazing.

My personal favorite scene is when Johnny(Mars) was talking to Saint Louis Louis(Massey). When Louis says to his little brother Danny "Don't let him fool ya, your brother can move the rock with the best of them" and Danny replies "Whats the rock?" to Johnny. Johnny says "Thats the cue ball." and walks off. To me that is really a great scene. It just makes believe that he is so modest that he doesn't realize how naturally talented he is and how great he can be.

A good movie, but definitely nothing special. It has a been-there, done-that feel, and it doesn't give any insights into the minds of a pool player besides the cliche "i'm the best therefore I'm the best" nonsense.

There are very few movies that give you laughter, worry, and a happy ending. This movie has it all. The main actor is one of the best I've ever seen. He should have had a bigger role in That Thing You Do :)

This is a fun movie, its an uplifting movie, its enjoyable repeatedly. I really can't believe this movie is rated any less than 7-8 stars considering how good it really is. This movie deserves more ratings than a re-hash of Footloose for crying out loud.

I can only assume that the lower reviews are from die-hard pool players that want to call BS on things, but like any movie that's not the point. I didn't watch Happy Gilmore and give it 2 stars because the golf wasn't realistic. Its very well written, well produced, well directed, and well acted. Period. Oh and btw, its a movie!!

Watch it, enjoy the music, enjoy the acting, enjoy the writing, enjoy! I've seen it dozens of times over the years and I still LOL at times. Really I'd love to see Christopher Walken and Mars Callahan together in more like this. The production cast really should have made the Card Sharks movie :)

Good enough movie and entertaining. From the beginning it had a feel like I had seen it before. Except instead of driving a truck. It was construction. Even had the girlfriend lawyer who didn't like him gambling! Then he bets to win a job for somebody important in his life. Not himself this time but for his girlfriend! When he gets beat up, it really sealed the deal for me. I had absolutely seen this movie before! I just wish Christopher Walken was in the first movie instead! I did have to check and see which movie came out first. 1998 wins it by a long shot. Most definitely a pool version of Rounders!

I don't hate this movie as much as I hate Mars Callahan. He is an awful person for allowing such precious film to be wasted. It seems to have all gone wrong during the writing process. Mr. Callahan forgot the most important rule about writing: Rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. The trivia section says he wrote this in two weeks. No kidding. The whole thing looks like improvisation. Bad improvisation. We get it, "Mars". You like to play pool. And you're good at it. That's about all I got from this series of pictures masquerading as a movie. The result was about as effective as giving the audience the finger.

What else can you expect from this? A bunch of bad jokes that shouldn't go beyond the locker room they're so lame. I didn't get anything from the characters, much less the "lead", the great Mars. He just came off as a douche. And Chazz Palminteri and Chris Walken do their best but two great actors aren't enough to save this Titanic mass of garbage from sinking. They might as well be bumping into walls for 120 minutes. It's too bad YouTube wasn't invented at the time this came out. Could've saved a lot of people a lot of time and energy and money...If you've read this and still decide to rent it, you deserve what happens to you.

Some Plots make you want to watch a movie, sometimes certain actors or actresses make you want to watch a movie, but this movie is on a playing field of it's own, A cast of new coming and unknown actors, Put it all on the table, Christopher Walken's supporting role strengthens the main character and as always brings his Presence to the screen. Easily the best pool movie, soundtrack, characters, this movie never gets old. Certain people won't watch low budget or as movie buffs call it B movies because they think its a waste of their time they would certainly be wrong with this title. Being a low budget movie it was great entertainment. If you like drama, if you like pool, or if you just good movies Here's a title for you.

Good movie, but don't focus on the fact they use pool in it. It's about the relationship of Johnny Doyle who needed a father figure and then had to be one. Very in depth if you look into it. And Walken is great.

Seriously. This entire film was a bunch of incredibly contrived garbage. Alison Eastwood acts like a piece of wood. The writer/director/star of this movie couldn't act or write or direct.

Case in point, this ridiculous mini-scene at an RV lot: "I'll bet you (something ridiculous) I can tell you where you got your shoes." "Yeah, where?" "You got your left shoe on your left foot and your right shoe on your right foot." (Cut to next scene, with the con accomplished.) What a load of crap! Anyone who has ever been to New Orleans knows that old line.

I believe that this is a bold cinematic misadventure. This film is terrible on every level. I would encourage the filmmaker to cut his losses and go back to barber college or clown school or anything that requires him NOT to be in front of or behind the camera.