Blackball (film)

Blackball
DVD cover
Directed byMel Smith
Written byTim Firth
Produced byJames Gay-Rees
Starring
Music byStephen Warbeck
Distributed byIcon Entertainment International
Release dates
  • 5 September 2003 (2003-09-05) (United Kingdom)[1]
  • 11 February 2005 (2005-02-11) (United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$48,000 (US)

Blackball (also known as National Lampoon's Blackball) is a 2003 British sports comedy film based on the game of lawn bowls. The screenplay was written by Tim Firth[2] and the film was directed by Mel Smith.[3] The film features James Cromwell as a master bowls player and Paul Kaye as a naturally talented player who have differing social backgrounds; they are placed together by Vince Vaughn to play for England against Australia. Its fictional plot is based on the bowls player Griff Sanders, who was also referred to as "The Bad Boy of Bowls".[4][5]

  1. ^ Pierce, Nev (4 October 2003). "BBC Blackball Review". BBC.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2003. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  2. ^ "Blackball | Film | The Guardian". The Guardian. 7 September 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  3. ^ "The Tim Firth Blackball Home Page". Timfirth.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  4. ^ Colley, Ed (16 September 2003). "Blackball Future Movies Review". futuremovies.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Troubled times for the Gazza of the green". The Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2018.