THE STORY – When Walt discovers a talent for bowling, he goes pro to save the local alley, but his hilariously obscene and crude style ruffles some feathers.
THE CAST – Shameik Moore, D’Arcy Carden, Paul Reiser & Susan Sarandon
THE TEAM – Yassir Lester (Director/Writer) & Isaiah Lester (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 92 Minutes
There’s something comforting about watching movies centered around losers. The stakes are low, and the vibes are chill… it’s “hakuna matata” cinema. “The Gutter” is just that. The new sports comedy from directors Isaiah Lester and Yassir Lester isn’t trying to be inspirational or motivational—it simply wants to make the audience laugh. And in that sense, the film is a strike (Luckily, this is a movie about bowling, not baseball).
The title obviously refers to the space where you don’t want your bowling ball to end up, but it could also be used to describe the proverbial place from which the characters crawled. All of the main players represent the lowest dregs of society – they’re lazy, profane, and lacking in social skills. And yet, they still make for compelling figures that are easy to root for. Leading the pack is Walt (Shameik Moore), a functionally illiterate dude who struggles to hold onto even the easiest jobs. Eventually, he charms his way into working the bar at an unpopular bowling alley run by Mozell (Jackée Harry). There, he meets Skunk (D’Arcy Carden), a has-been who spends her days drinking at the bowling alley and her nights drinking at the bowling alley. By accident, Walt discovers that he’s actually quite good at bowling, albeit with unconventional techniques. He and Skunk decide to break him into the professional leagues, hoping to strike it rich and take down the champion, the cocky Linda Curson (Susan Sarandon).
The cast is absolutely the main reason to check out “The Gutter.” Moore is an affable leading man, even if he’s playing a character who you’d avoid on public transportation. He’s pleasantly dopey and brings a hilarious physicality to his comedic moments. He continuously finds new and surprising ways to contort his body while playing a sport as seemingly structured as bowling. It should come as no surprise to anyone who watched “The Good Place” that Carden is an absolute riot as the shameless Skunk (she’s so clueless that upon introducing herself to Walt, she’s surprised when he asks if she’s named after the animal). Her line readings are confidently bizarre, constantly taking other characters and the audience by surprise. Harry also makes an amazing impression in her brief but memorable role. She smartly plays her character with a grounded intensity, giving even the most absurd lines an energy of realism, which only makes them funnier. And Sarandon is a blast to watch, committing to her no-bullshit character. She’s perfect casting for the part, playing brazenly sexual yet blasé.
The screenplay is stuffed with more jokes than a backed-up ball return. Of course, the high amount of punchlines means that not all of them land, but it’s easy to excuse the duds knowing that a laugh-out-loud quip is right around the corner. The film is simply ridiculous; it doesn’t ground itself in reality. Instead, it builds an absurd comic world where every character is tuned to the same deranged lead-in-the-pipes energy. It’s over-the-top and never takes itself too seriously, even when the plot seems to be heading into the typical perfunctory second-act weighty feeling. It steers clear of dipping into a maudlin moment like so many comedies seem obliged to do.
“The Gutter” will not change any lives or stay with viewers long after the end credits. But much like a casual game of bowling, it’s about the fun you had along the way. Pay it a visit—no weird shoes required.
