This film is listed as a documentary on the rental service I watched it on, but don’t be fooled. It’s about the guy who convinced NYC to overturn its 30 years ban on pinball machines in the mid ’70s and it contains the man in question being interviewed, but the bulk of the movie is a traditional narrative film. Which isn’t a crime, but I was hoping for a little more about the history of the game than I was for the story of the guy and his relationship as he writes his book about pinball.

But, hey, for what it actually is, it’s charming and enjoyable. I could have lived a long life not staring at the lead actor’s soup catcher mustache, but his girlfriend was super appealing and their chemistry was great. Weirdly, the film is narrated by an actor playing the older real-life version of the main character as he’s being interviewed. As if this was a real documentary. It’s a bit of a head scratcher, but at least its a unique take.

The film contains a disappointing amount of information and history of the game itself. I’m not a fan of pinball at all… I don’t “get” the strategy or skill required to play it. But the history of the game is interesting and I was hoping the film would provide a detailed analysis of the physics and gameplay mechanics. What makes a good table? What makes a great player? What’s the history and why was it banned? But this isn’t that movie. We do get some interesting history and details, but it’s a little scattershot and incomplete.

This is a charming but fairly slight little film about a very specific slice of American culture and history. It’s pretty broad and not very deep about its subject but the actual story of the man and his girlfriend is appealing and sweet. It’s a mix of a movie but ultimately I was on its side.

Score: 81