Blackball (2003)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Mel Smith

Writer:

Tim Firth (written by)

Release Date:

5 September 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

At last, a sportsman the British can be proud of...

Plot:

A rebellious young British bowls player teams with another older and more traditional player to take on the Australian bowls team.

Plot Keywords:

Painter | Sports Agent | Class Conflict | Fall From Ladder | Sports Car

Cast

Paul Kaye	...	Cliff Starkey
James Cromwell	...	Ray Speight
Alice Evans	...	Kerry Speight
Bernard Cribbins	...	Mutley
Johnny Vegas	...	Trevor
Vince Vaughn	...	Rick Schwartz
Imelda Staunton	...	Bridget
James Fleet	...	Alan the Pipe
David Ryall	...	Giles Wilton
Ian McNeice	...	Hugh The Sideburns
Kenneth Cranham	...	Chairman Collins
Terry Alderton	...	Bouncer Jonno
Emma Amos	...	Local News Reporter
Paul Bentall	...	Gate Guard (as Paul Bental)
Neil Conrich	...	Reporter Dave
Pamela Cundell	...	OAP #1
Josie D'Arby	...	Herself
Mark Dymond	...	Kyle Doohan
Rosie Ede	...	The Cleaner
Neil Finnighan	...	MTV Awards Stunt Guy
Christopher Godwin	...	Bowls Official
Howard Goorney	...	Reg Boyt
Beau Holmes	...	The Kangaroo Mascot
Ian Lindsay	...	Dull Referee
Mark Little	...	Mark Doohan
Angus Loughran	...	Himself
Nigel Lindsay	...	Targitex Chairman (as Nigel Lyndsay)
Meredith MacNeill	...	Suzi
Geoffrey McGivern	...	Brian Cronk (as Geoff McGivern)
Felicity Montagu	...	Astronomer (as Felicity Montague)
Stephen Noonan	...	The Advert Director (as Steve Noonan)
Ian O'Hara	...	The Lion Mascot
Vicki Pepperdine	...	Henna Haired PA (as Vicky Pepperdine)
Jeff Rawle	...	Dennis
Julian Rivett	...	Journalist #1
David Schneider	...	Young Buck Reporter
Marlene Sidaway	...	Fifty-year Old Lady
Tony Slattery	...	Flash Referee
Jon Snow	...	Himself
Barry Woolgar	...	Journalist #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Duncan	...	(uncredited)
Jess-Luisa Flynn	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Vic Reeves	...	TV Director (uncredited)

Directed by
Mel Smith

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Tim Firth		written by

Produced by
Mairi Bett	....	line producer
Steve Christian	....	executive producer
Bruce Davey	....	executive producer
Liam Foley	....	associate producer
James Gay-Rees	....	producer
Duncan Reid	....	executive producer
Mel Smith	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Stephen Warbeck

Cinematography by
Vernon Layton

Film Editing by
Chris Blunden

Casting by
Carrie Hilton

Production Design by
Grenville Horner

Art Direction by
Sarah Kane
David Walley

Set Decoration by
Gemma Ryan

Costume Design by
Nigel Egerton
Anja Mai

Makeup Department
Kevin Alexander	....	hair stylist
Kevin Alexander	....	makeup artist
Kirstin Chalmers	....	hair designer
Kirstin Chalmers	....	makeup designer
Nicola Matthews	....	additional makeup artist
Laura McIntosh	....	additional makeup artist
Caroline Mulligan	....	additional makeup artist
Sara Riesel	....	hair stylist
Sara Riesel	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Neil Grimshaw	....	post-production supervisor
Mark Grimwade	....	unit manager
Marshall Leviten	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matthew Baker	....	second assistant director
Dez Gray	....	third assistant director
John Greaves	....	second unit director
Max Keene	....	first assistant director
Danny McGrath	....	third assistant director
Andrea Slater	....	third assistant director: crowd

Art Department
Steven Adamson	....	painter
Laurence Archer	....	dressing props
Trevor Daniels	....	property master
Gary Gleeson	....	head of department painter
Gary Gleeson	....	painter
Craig Gray	....	construction manager
Barry Howard-Clark	....	stand-by props
Mansel Jones	....	carpenter
Barry Kirkham	....	dressing props
Mike Malik	....	stand-by props
Nathan Middleton	....	painter
Garry Moore	....	stand-by carpenter
Nina Ross	....	assistant art director
Andrea Simpson	....	art department assistant
Wayne Thompson	....	carpenter
John Tinney	....	carpenter
Ruth Winn	....	stand-by art director

Sound Department
Hugo Adams	....	foley editor
Sandy Buchanan	....	foley mixer
Peter Burgis	....	foley artist
Michael A. Carter	....	adr recordist (as Mike Carter)
Tony Cook	....	boom operator
Andie Derrick	....	foley artist (as Andi Derrick)
Gillian Dodders	....	adr editor
Gillian Dodders	....	dialogue editor
Mark Heslop	....	supervising sound editor
Tony Jackson	....	sound recordist: second unit
Brendan Nicholson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Colin Nicolson	....	sound recordist
Richard Pryke	....	dubbing mixer
Andy Wilkinson	....	assistant sound editor
Andrew Caller	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Steve Lucas	....	special effects supervisor
Sam Hue Vashon	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Henry Badgett	....	digital compositor
Steve Boag	....	optical coordinator
Martin Bullard	....	optical coordinator
Mark Curtis	....	digital compositor
Stefan Drury	....	visual effects producer
Chris Elson	....	digital compositor
Michael Elson	....	head of production: MPC
Dave Gurney	....	optical camera: Cineimage
Rudi Holzapfel	....	visual effects supervisor
Stuart Lashley	....	digital compositor
Phillip Leonhardt	....	digital compositor
Jessica Norman	....	digital compositor
Sarah Soulsby	....	digital compositor
Sally Spencer	....	visual effects coordinator
John Van Hoey Smith	....	rotoscope artist
Niki Wakefield	....	digital compositor
Daniel Walton	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Gareth Milne	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Eugene Adabari	....	still photographer
Marc Atherfold	....	second assistant camera
Ray Brown	....	electrician
Richard Carroll	....	clapper loader
David Cozens	....	focus puller
Jamie Fowlds	....	Steadicam operator
Jamie Fowlds	....	camera operator
David Fox	....	stand-by rigger
Colin Gallagher	....	electrician
John Golding	....	director of photography: additional photography
John Golding	....	second camera operator
Dave Gray	....	stand-by rigger
Adrienne Hayward	....	camera trainee
Tony Jackson	....	Steadicam operator
Tony Jackson	....	camera operator
James Layton	....	assistant camera loader
Andy Long	....	gaffer
Zac Nicholson	....	focus puller: second unit
John Rake	....	grip
David C. Romano	....	grip
Steven Schofield	....	electrician
Matt Shaw	....	clapper loader: second unit
David Summerfield	....	assistant grip
William Tracey	....	rigging gaffer
Karl Watkins	....	director of photography: second unit

Casting Department
Millie Chadbon	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charlotte Child	....	costume assistant
Anne Lavender-Jones	....	additional costumes
Sophie Norinder	....	crowd dresser
Vanessa Woolgar	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Steve Harrow	....	post-production consultant
Steve Maguire	....	assistant editor
David Rees	....	film grader

Music Department
James Bellamy	....	music editor
Chris Dibble	....	scoring mixer
Ian Neil	....	music consultant
Dan Rose	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Charlie Simpson	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Joanne Batten	....	production assistant
James Biddle	....	production coordinator
Eddie Booth	....	assistant location manager
Daniel Budd	....	assistant accountant
Jeremy Burnage	....	assistant production coordinator
Mike Clark-Hall	....	production assistant
Amanda Clarkson	....	stand-in
Chris Craig	....	moving lights consultant
Cuong Dang	....	production assistant
Nicky Earnshaw	....	production assistant
Giles Edleston	....	location manager
Julia Finn	....	unit publicist
Sarah Gardiner	....	production assistant
Nicole Gregory	....	unit publicist
Azzam Ibellini	....	stand-in
Paula Jalfon	....	physical production executive
Jason Jalloul	....	floor runner
Luke Maker	....	stand-in
John Miles	....	production accountant
Richard Morrison	....	title designer
Calum Morrissey	....	stand-in
Sara Sawyer	....	stand-in
Tina Shadick	....	accounting assistant
Elizabeth Tremblay	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Midfield Films
• Icon Entertainment International

Distributors

• Icon Film Distribution (2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• First Look International
• Palisades Pictures (2004) (USA) (all media)

Special Effects

• Cine Image Film Opticals (digital end titles)
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)

Other Companies

• Shepperton Studios  movie studio
• AFM Lighting  lighting
• ARRI Media  camera and grip equipment
• Arion Facilities  telecine transfers
• Axis Films  camera equipment provided by
• Compuhire  computer and video playback
• Cutting Edge  negative cutting
• Fig Productions  main titles design
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Production Copier Company  production equipment and services
• Reel Sound  sound post-production
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script
• Sargent Disc  production services
• Special Treats  epk camera

Also Known As:

National Lampoon's Blackball (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Midfield Films

Trivia:

Based on a true story of Griff Sanders who was thrown out of the Torquay Bowls Club for "improper conduct" (including writing "tosser" on the back of a score card).

Goofs:

Continuity: There is paper confetti all over the floor of the indoor bowling green for the England Vs Australia match, in the next shot there is none.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Right Stuff (1983)

Gentle comedy that we Brits do so well

Ok, so this isn't going to be hailed the new The Full Monty, and doesn't have the romantic edge of Four Weddings And A Funeral, and it may not even have the charm of Bend It Like Beckham, but Blackball is an amusing, sometimes laugh-out-loud tale of the underdog winning through in the end.

Paul Kaye (more famous for his role of Dennis Pennis) plays Cliff, a guy living on a run-down estate but who has a talent for Crown Green Bowls, a sport more recognised for the older generation. But when a team from Australia are storming in the bowls arena, Cliff decides that his only way of getting to play them, is to win a bowls contest for the County Championship, a competition won 23 times in a row by Roy (James Cromwell). Of course he wins, but loses the championship and the chance to bowl for 15 years in professional competition due to a rule that Cliff broke.

The rise to fame is helped by a sleazy sports agent (Vince Vaughn) and Cliff becomes the bad boy of bowls. He also falls for Roy's daughter (Alice Evan s) and in his rise to the big time, almost loses everything that he holds dear to him, from his Grandad (Bernard Cribbins), his best friend (Johnny Vegas) and his girl.

This isn't going to win any major awards and may be forgotten about six months down the road, but it's an undemanding piece of comedy cinema that will have you chuckling all the way through. Nice performances from all involved, and a great soundtrack too.