If you had told me 6 months ago that the most fun I would have watching a movie would be in a biopic about a guy and his love of pinball, I would have thought you were crazy. Yet here we are. Pinball: The man Who Saved The Game tells the surprisingly compelling story of Roger Sharpe who, in 1976, helped overturn a 35 year long ban on pinball machines in New York City. Told in a documentary style by having an older Roger cut in and out of scenes as he narrates his life while also being interviewed for a supposed “documentary”. It was a brilliant creative choice that I cannot overstate. It doesn’t sound like the craziest of plots, and in fact the film knows this. Instead, it proves that even simple concepts can be extraordinarily entertaining if the right people can put it together.
As mentioned, the film follows young Roger Sharpe, played by an electrically charming Mike Faist, and while billed as “the man who saved pinball”, his story is so much more than that. As Roger himself (played in documentary fashion by Dennis Boutsikaris), it’s really just a footnote in his actual story. What we get to see play out on screen also shows so much more than that. We see Roger grow as a young man, develop relationships (especially with girlfriend Ellen and her son Seth), begin his career in journalism, eventually writing his own novel, and most importantly we see how much he loves pinball and how it shapes him into who he is as a person.
It was extremely impressive that the film was able to be enthralling with such a simple concept. This has quite a bit to do with Mike Faist’s performance as young Roger. He embodied every minute detail of nerdy boy Roger, and his passion for pinball was so clear on screen. I heavily commend his performance as one of the driving factors of the film. He was especially charismatic and equally as awkward in scenes with Ellen, played by Crystal Reed, and her son Seth, played by Christopher Convery. Their chemistry was off the hook. What’s more is that the scenes they shared together made me genuinely happy.
Biopics tend to go too far or take themselves too seriously in telling a dramatic story that it becomes overdone. I am so glad that the filmmakers took the time to ensure that this film didn’t fall into that trap. They knew the story they were telling wasn’t over the top, and they acknowledged it in the film. However, they set out to have a good time and that clearly came out on screen. Were there moments of drama? Yes of course. But it never went over the top. The film remains grounded in its subject matter to show it isn’t serious.
One of this film’s defining factors, however, came from behind the camera. Everything from the editing to the writing and direction, to production design and costuming just felt so on point. I have to give credit to directors Austin and Meredith Bragg, they set out to make a good film and they were able to bring out the best in everyone from cast to crew. Plus, as writers, they were able to deliver on some really funny moments and also some very poignant, emotional ones. The editing was especially extraordinary. There were moments I had to acknowledge how the sound and the music interplayed with what occurred on screen and made for solid comedic or dramatic moments on camera.
What especially impressed me was how everything looked so grounded in the 1970s. The set designs were great. The costumes had that proper 70’s funk to it. It just felt so creatively proper and well put together. They were able to capture 1970’s NYC quite well. Even explaining GQ, which is where Roger got his start as a writer, and those who worked there felt so real to the 70’s.
Final Thoughts
I cannot say enough how fun it was to watch this Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game. I enjoyed every second. Between the performances of it’s lead actors, to everyone who operates behind the camera, I was entrenched in entertainment from start to finish. The jokes were funny, the story was interesting, the characters felt grounded and real. Everything just seemed to work, and you could tell on screen. Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game is smartly written, cleverly acted, and most importantly, doesn’t try to do to much, yet it found a way to still tell a compelling, fun story with a really interesting premise. If you have the opportunity, go watch this film.
