I had expected a fun, simple sports comedy when I saw this. Instead I got a lazy, unfunny, god awful piece of film. Blackball makes a lot of assumptions of it audience, going beyond 'suspension of disbelief' to simply not trying. The love interest effectively appears out of nowhere, falling for the 'hero' at first sight, as he yells at her teenage pupils! The villain is bog-standard 'snob' to the hero's 'slob' but thats what a sport's comedy is, so not a problem. The problem is the young, wild bowler is unlikeable as they come. He's effectively every Adam Sandler character thrown into one but without the redeeming qualities. His relationship with the love interest effectively consists of him being obnoxious and her swooning. It as if the writer took bullet point notes of what a sports comedy is, but forgot why those key points work. At one point there's an 'emotional' moment of victory, barely 15 minutes in, the hero having only had crushing victories. At the halfway mark, apparently the success goes to his head, alienating his loved ones etc. but his personality and actions don't change, he is as irritating and self-centred as ever! There's simply no reason to care. The hero's 'badboy' persona is so overblown and garish, it strikes as a cynical and again LAZY effort. There's a scene where his slick PR agent attempts to win him over through various insincere threats and niceties, while he remains unmoved. That is the definition of this film.Lazy. This film's only value is as an example of how-not-to.

Run of the mill sports comedy film. You've seen the plot before a thousand times, mega talented but unruly sportsman gets a crack at the big-time and a dull rom-com love interest sub-plot fills the gaps. The film has no build up or background it's just, bang, straight into the story from the first shot which seemed very odd. The main character played by Paul Kay is arrogant and annoying when, as he is the underdog, he really he should be endearing, this distroys the whole point of the film. But my main gripe is that film simply isn't funny, I barely raised a chuckle throughout the entire film. The film is a complete turkey. Even the brilliant Jonny Vegas couldn't save it. Avoid.

As our hero in this movie so aptly put it "tossers". You would think some one claiming to be a film critic would at least get their facts right before proving to all and sundry that their research was substandard to say the least.The game depicted in the movie and referred to as bowls is in fact lawn bowls. Some Mid West critics seemed to be confused on that.The game does not involve winning "20 rounds". For a start they are called "ends" and l believe to win you need to score 20 or 21 points depending on the competition.And to my favourite, our hero must win his "county championship" not his "countries (sic) championship" to be able to play for England.Even more deplorable was the attempt by some US critics to explain a game they had no idea of, it would be the equivalent to me describing baseball as "rounders with one team attempting to score more runs than the other". Clearly the game is a lot more complex than a simple statement can cover.I am frankly appalled at the low standard of critcal analysis being displayed by some online US movie sites. By and large the reviews lack research, critical attention to the actual movie itself, (l really don't give a toss about one critic spending 2 paragraphs talking about his Blockbuster movie card), and any evidence that the reviewer has actually seen the movie (a sheep like mentality would seem to run through online reviewers).One thing l will agree with the NY reviewer about though is that this sort of movie has been done to death, and bowls really doesn't capture the imagination as much as the film makers think it will.If really wanting a movie on bowls, might l suggest the Australian Indie "Crackerjack".

OK So black ball is a film about bowls! A film that contains lots of obscenity such as words that describe things people do when they are alone and watching films of an adult nature. I myself am doing a degree in film studies. Us Brits have a bit of a problem we are trying to be the Americans the major difference is that we ain't. This film is a feel good movie, simple as. I left feeling happy and contented. We can look deeply and describe what it wasn't so it wasn't Basic Instinct, wasn't Any Given Sunday, wasn't Gladiator. For me it achieved everything it set out to you laughed? If you didn't then you obviously probably find Schindler's List comic. Mel Smith is a comedian and I think a clever one, yes some of the jokes were immature. But for me it had a feeling of Ballykissangel or Monarch of the Glen about it. So come on guys lighten up watch it again and this time let it wash over you don't come up with expectations of a clever political comedy like Wag the Dog because it just ain't there. This is a film that takes you through the trials and tribulations of a person who only finds out what he's gained when he loses it. The two Australian bowlers remind me slightly of the American Athens 4 x 100 metre team all confident winking at the camera. Right until a cheeky Brit goes and nips them at the post.My advice experience this film, watch it with some mates a beer or a glass of wine and laugh at it. Its funny and stop being hyper critical and come out of the intellectual coffins the British film industry has been slipping into.