In an interview last year, “Coach” Wayne Catledge, the Executive Producer of the new 2019 billiards film HeartBreak, told me he set out to create a movie that was about “hope and inspiration.” On that note, he certainly succeeded.
Intentionally eschewing many of the familiar billiards movie tropes such as hustlers, bar room brawls, and never-in-real-life trick shots, HeartBreak instead focuses on billiards as both a path to redemption and as a come-from-behind underdog story. The fact that the movie is highly predictable, and feels like a mash-up of other well-known movies (though not necessarily about billiards), does not detract from the joy of watching it. And, for once, the attention to the actual game of pool feels authentic, even if the lead character’s rapid rise from behind does not.
The movie centers on two characters – Harry Platt (Brett Rice) and Mina Li (Jane Park Smith) – who have been brought together by a game of pool. As we quickly learn, both have had their share of hearts broken. Harry is a Vietnam vet and former billiards pro, who passes the time getting lights-out drunk and blaming himself for a failed marriage and a daughter doing jail time. Mina is a divorced, Korean up-and-coming billiards player, who does not have the means to take care of her autistic son, so comes to the US hoping to become the #1 women’s player (?!) and achieve enough winnings to return a proud and capable mother.
Early in the film, Harry gets introduced to Mina, who is seeking a billiards coach to help her achieve stardom and riches on the baize. While she’s got a strong break, Mina lacks discipline and the necessary technical skill to succeed on the tournament circuit. But, Harry’s initial tutelage, which consists of constricting Mina in a weightlifting harness (to minimize her shoulder movement) and berating Mina to mindlessly follow his three-part mantra– (1) See the pattern; (2) Nobody here but me; and (3) My favorite shot; – doesn’t have the intended impact.
Things go from bad to worse when Harry nearly kills himself drinking and Mina misinterprets Harry’s stares and words that she will need to “earn her keep” and demeaningly offers herself naked in exchange for his continued instruction. But, like all story arcs that hit rock-bottom, the down-on-their-luck duo eventually rebound. A sober and more accommodating Harry allows Mina to find her groove and start dramatically improving her game.
HeartBreak culminates (of course!) with Mina entering the Southeast Women’s 9-Ball Tour, which features cameos from professional billiards players Dawn Hopkins and Shanelle Lorraine, as well as BCA Hall of Famer Ewa “The Striking Viking” Laurance as the champion-to-beat. (It’s a role that instantly reminds genre fans of Jimmy “The Whirlwind” White in the 1991 snooker film Legend of the Dragon.)
As both Coach Catledge and Brett Rice are seasoned pool players, it’s no surprise the film gets the sport’s details right. The billiards sequences focus on the fundamentals and position play rather than making high-risk cuts and low probability banks. Practice and routines are emphasized, not flash and tricks. It’s also a nice touch when Harry honors Mina with a Nitti cue, rather than a more movie-friendly cue, such as a Balabushka (cf. The Color of Money).
Sure, the final match feels about as absurd as Daniel LaRusso crane kicking Cobra Kai Johnny Lawrence for victory in The Karate Kid, but given all the sadness HeartBreak’s two protagonists endure, I’m okay with a little billiards make-believe.
