“Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game” on taking chances in life
Written by Shannon Langas. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
“Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game” reminds us that life is defined by risk. The comedy follows Roger Sharpe, a real-life pinball wizard who helped lift New York’s thirty-year ban on pinball, as he navigates romance on his path to save the game.
In the early 1940s, pinball was outlawed in New York City by mayor Fiorello LaGuardia due to his belief that the game was a disguised attempt to get children addicted to gambling. Most major cities followed LaGuardia’s example, conducting raids on bars and arcades and throwing the machines into the river. It wasn’t until 1976 when Sharpe played a game of pinball in front of the New York City Council to prove that the game was based on skill rather than luck, that the ban was lifted.
Sharpe’s relationship with Ellen, a typist, artist and single mother, is at the center of the movie. Just like pinball, Sharpe says that love is a game of risk and choices. Letting himself fall for Ellen is dangerous. So is calling a shot in a game of pinball.
“Pinball” is heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny. The comedy is supported by a pseudo-documentary style, where an older Sharpe (played by Dennis Boutsikaris) breaks the fourth wall. He appears to the audience and speaks to the filmmakers, delivering deadpan and self-aware jokes. Even though the film deals with divorce and familial conflict, it never becomes cynical. Sharpe is an awkward and kind protagonist, endearing without becoming a caricature. If you’re looking for a movie about new love, taking chances and the awesome power of pinball, this is the film for you.
