Poolhall Junkies

Synopsis: Obsessed by the world of pool, Johnny (Mars Callahan) could be one of the best. But his mentor and "trainer" Joe (Chazz Palminteri), a shady hustler who decides how and who Johnny plays, is holding him back from his dream. When the day finally comes, Johnny breaks from Joe, which leads to only one thing -- violence. Joe is beaten up by some of Johnny's buddies as a sign to leave him alone, and with this final act of freedom, Johnny leaves the world of pool-sharking. After an ultimatum from his girlfriend Tara ('Alison Eastwood'), Johnny finally commits to a "real" job in the construction business, but is soon miserable there. He finds himself spending most of his time with his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum) who it seems is following in his footsteps on the road to a life Johnny left when he broke from Joe. As for Joe, he is bent on revenge for the beating he took, and soon he has a new protégé Brad (Rick Schroder) who is just as good if not better then Johnny. And he's got h
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Director(s): Mars Callahan
Production: Samuel Goldwyn Films
  1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Metacritic:
36
Rotten Tomatoes:
34%
R
Year:
2002
99 min
$504,507
Website
586 Views


The pool hall is a great equalizer.

In the pool hall, nobody cares about

how old or young you are...

what color your skin is,

or how much money you got in your pocket.

It's about how you move.

I remember this kid once...

who could move on a pool table

like nobody had ever seen.

I mean, hour after hour, rack after rack,

his shots just went in.

The cue was part of his arm,

and the balls had eyes.

And the thing that made him so good...

was he thought he could never miss.

I know...

'cause that kid was me.

What they're doing

is forming this new league...

kind of like what they have

for golf and tennis...

but for pool.

They scouted all the best players

in the country...

for 50 spots on this new pro tour.

Then they made their selections.

Last summer, I was in Memphis

playing Bucktooth for that Chevy.

The tournament director himself

was in the room watching me play.

A guy by the name of Toupee Jay.

Anyway, after playing Bucktooth...

this guy Jay comes up to me...

and he says even though

all 50 spots in the tour are filled...

after watching me play, they'd have to make

an exception in my case to carry 51.

Can you believe that? They want me.

He even told Joe

he'd send the invitation himself.

Man, when I was out there playing...

we had no professionals.

All we had was hustlers.

I don't wanna be a hustler, Rags.

I want to be a professional,

and I'm gonna be.

I'm just waiting for my invitation.

What's going on here?

- We were just- -

- We were just what?

You know who this is?

This is Rags, and he's a hustler.

Probably one of the best.

What'd you do? Make him win the first set?

- He's up $20.

- He's $20 up. Right, $20 up.

Then you'd be $50 up, then $100,

then you'd be broke.

Come on, Joe, let me play.

I can beat this guy.

Maybe you can and maybe you can't.

But we don't deal with maybes, do we?

You don't know all the angles yet,

but I do, all right?

He's bad news.

Even if you win, you can't win.

What do you mean, even if I win,

I can't win? I don't understand.

You don't have to understand.

Just listen to me.

If the kid wants to play...

why don't you let him play?

He may learn something.

The only thing he'll learn from you

is how to lose.

I'm trying to do something here.

I'm trying to educate this kid, all right?

So if you got something to say, say it to me.

Otherwise shut the f*** up,

because he's my kid, all right?

He's my f***ing kid.

And I'm gonna make him a champion.

So you stay away from him.

- Mail came today, Joe.

- Thanks, Don.

- White boy's got skills.

- No, he can't.

Damn!

Now let me get this straight.

You're saying that

because you and me are friends...

that makes us n*ggers?

No, "niggas," all right?

There's a big difference.

That's what I just said. "N*gger. "

- No. "Nigga. "

- "N*gger. "

"Nigga," N- I- G- G- A.

- What the f*** is that?

- Man and me, like, we're brothers.

You know, like if I say, "You my nigga,"

that means we're boys.

Like that man you're playing, right there?

That's my nigga Charles.

My n*gger Charles, right?

Hold it. See, you can't say that.

- Only I can.

- Why?

Because, first of all, you don't say it right.

And second, you don't know Charles. I do.

- You do?

- I do.

I've known Charles

since he was knee- high to a duck.

See, me and Charles, nigga, we down.

- You're down?

- Yeah, down.

Of course you're down. You're down

about $5,000. Give me my f***ing money.

You know what?

It is absolutely impossible

to have an intelligent conversation...

with your white ass.

Shoot pool, honky.

This is our night, Johnny.

This is our night. I can feel it.

I mean, you've got them animals in there

eating out of the palm of your hand.

You beat them, you take their money,

you call them names to their faces...

and they love you.

I don't know how you do it.

I never saw anything like it.

Beating a man out of his money, that's easy.

Anybody can do that.

But beating a man out of his money

and making him like it...

that's an art.

That's an art of a true hustler.

But it's getting late...

and I don't wanna be here

all f***ing night, okay?

There's enough drug money in there...

that we're gonna need

a f***ing wheelbarrow to carry it out.

So stop messing around.

I mean, you got a game

those people never seen.

And quite frankly,

I'd like to see it sometime myself tonight.

You're gonna go in there,

you're gonna bump up the bet...

and you're gonna

close this f***ing night out.

So stop wasting my f***ing time.

Just do it.

A bottle of Jack.

I'll be a three- legged dog

if I'm not looking at the Side Pocket Kid.

You don't remember me...

but I saw you play once

about 10 or 15 years ago.

I used to wear a rug.

Toupee Jay.

Yeah, that's me.

I saw this kid play one of the best games

I've ever seen in my life.

Couldn't have been more than

14 or 15 years old...

but, man, he could shoot the lights out!

Now look at him. He's all grown up.

You know, I always wondered

what happened to you.

Why you never made it down

to Johnson City.

Well, Jay, I've never been

much of a tournament player.

- There's no money in them.

- No money?

We just held the U.S. Open in Atlanta.

First prize was $100,000.

But you gotta be invited to those things,

don't you?

We did invite you. A couple of times.

I sent the invitations out myself.

I even called and spoke to a backer

you had in those days.

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Mars Callahan

Mars Callahan (born 1971) is an American actor, film director, producer and writer.He is perhaps best known for the film Poolhall Junkies where he served as director, actor and screenwriter.At the age of eleven, Callahan toured with a children's musical group through thirty-seven states. At fifteen he received his first acting role in the television series The Wonder Years. After honing his acting skills in television he tried for the big screen and soon appeared in various films. Inspired by the directors he worked with Callahan decided to try working behind the camera and in 1998 shot his first short film The Red Bag. In a 2007 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Callahan revealed that he has had serious health problems when doctors found a tumor in his right kidney. He lost his right kidney and right adrenal gland, and has been in and out of a wheelchair for years.Callahan cashed in 94th place in the 2011 World Series of Poker main event, earning $64,531. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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