For the Love of the Game

As a child of the 1980s I have clear memories of going to arcades (and bowling alleys, and mini-golf courses, all of which has extensive arcades back then) and playing various video games. Stand up machines, table-top machines, sit-inside cabinets. Anything you could think of that had pretty lights and controls. And, yes, that included pinball. Now, I'm not good at pinball. I would actually argue I'm really quite terrible at it even though I understand the basic mechanics. Paddles, bumps, flippers, plungers. I get how it works, I know the goal is points. I can enjoy pinball like anyone else. I just suck at it.

I am not a "pinball wizard", you could say. I do, however, find the game interesting, in that same kind of way that I find retro games interesting. Even if I suck at them I can still appreciate the craftsmanship put into creating the games as well as the skill required to play them. Pinball is an interesting game, if you can get into it, and seeing all that the tables could do, all that they were programmed for, makes the game a fun feast for the eyes, ears, and hands. I can appreciate the game.

I think it's that same appreciation that is conveyed so well in Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game. Based on the real life of Roger Sharpe, the man who wrote the book on pinball (quite literally a coffee table book), and who also helped overturn New York's 35-year ban on pinball machines. The city, at the time, said that pinball was gambling and New York City didn't allow gambling so pinball machines had to be destroyed. People could own them for personal use, but there couldn't be any pinball in arcades or other places of business. What the film conveys isn't just the story of overturning that law, but also the deep love players could have for the game itself.

Had he not overturned the law, it's hard to say if Sharpe would be strongly remembered like he is. He wrote the book on pinball, yes, and he went on to work in the industry (after quitting his job at GQ) in various roles. Hell, he and his sons are competitive pinball players. But were it not for that law, and then this movie documenting that whole moment, would I ever be discussing Roger Sharpe on this site? No, probably not. But he got his fifteen minutes of fame and parlayed it pretty well.

The movie picks up with Sharpe (played by Mike Faist, although an older version of the man narrates the story, played by Dennis Boutsikaris) in his early days studying at University of Wisconsin, getting his degree in marketing. He got that degree, yes, but in reality he really got a degree in pinball, having become addicted to the game by a chance encounter at a bar. He found, in that machine, love for the game, a love that he wouldn't shake for the rest of his life. He got married, moved to New York City, got divorced, but still, deep in his bones, what he really wanted was to play pinball. That was his passion.

Desperate for a job, Sharpe applies at GQ and, despite his lack of experience, the magazine hires him to write for their lifestyle section. While in the building he also meets Ellen (Crystal Reed), a slightly older woman with a kid, Seth (Christopher Convery), and the two hit it off. Between his job, and his new girlfriend, Sharpe seems to have his life on track. But it's pinball that calls to him. He finds his center at a machine in a porn hall (yes, porn), and then, when the machine is taken away, he learns all about NYC's law against pinball. Once Sharpe writes his book on the game, to show the world the game isn't evil, he gets cajoled into testifying before the city council about Pinball and, well, the rest is history.

The film is about pinball, yes, but in the spirit of every Hollywood film, it's not just about pinball. This is a (lightly fictionalized) version of his life at this time period. That's why we get the setup for the story, who he was before he moved to NYC, his divorce, his search for a job, finding a pinball table to play, and meeting the woman he'd (spoiler) eventually marry. It all works really well as a true(ish) slice of life story about the man who "saved pinball".

The thing is that the movie has to balance to sides to its tale. On the one hand it wants to document what made Sharpe into the authority on pinball. But, at the same time, it can't just be a dry documentary so it also has to build him as a character, a person, and let you into his life. So the film plays, in many ways, like a romantic comedy. He and Ellen have a meet-cute on an elevator. The date, fall for each other. Eventually she introduces him to her kid. And, yes, they have a fight at some point that seems to end their relationship. It's all the beats of a romantic comedy you expect, so, sure, the film does have its more generic, Hollywood moments.

At the same time, it knows that it's following the formula. That's what makes the inclusion of Boutsikaris's narrator work so well. He can comment on the film, the script, and the story and poke holes in the Hollywood tropes that come up. "Oh, come on," he'll say, "we totally didn't do that..." but then the film glosses on past it because, hell, it is a movie and it needs to entertain the audience. They aren't going to just show up for a dry take on the history of pinball, are they?

Well... maybe. Thing is, the pinball story that's conveyed here is actually pretty interesting. We get to experience the game through Sharpe's eyes, getting caught up in his infectious love for the game. Then, when he decides to document the history of pinball and meet all the creators that are around at the time so he can write about it for his book, you're already invested in pinball as a game. He gets Ellen and Seth addicted and they all find love for this game that just makes you want to celebrate it more. Then, when the big case comes up before the council, you already know which side of the fight you're on. It gets you invested and it's smart about it.

Plus, the film is funny. Its leads, Faist and Reed, have easy chemistry and they can land their amusing lines with aplomb. Their back and forth banter works really well, and it's easy to just enjoy them as they joke and laugh and have fun in the film. Sure, Faist's Sharpe is the center of attention here and Reed's Ellen doesn't get as much to do except be swept up with him, but you don't mind that as much here since the two leads really make the movie feel full and shared. The movie is watchable because of its perfect casting here.

I don't know that everyone will enjoy this film. You have to want to watch a romantic comedy about the "saving of pinball", and that means you have to be interested in pinball at all. But if you are, and this sounds like the kind of movie you can get behind, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's a light, fun, frothy treat that just so happens to be about one of the nerdier obsessions around. What's not to like about that?