Though 12 different billiards movies have been released since Poolhall Junkies in 2003 (Don’t believe me? Check my list.), the only one that really catalyzed the billiards community with anticipation and passion was the most recent one, the 2012 billiards movie 9-Ball, written and directed by Tony Palma.
It wasn’t just that the film starred Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) pool professional Jennifer “9mm” Barretta as the lead, or that Allison “The Dutchess of Doom” Fisher and Jeanette “Black Widow” Lee, perhaps the two most famous women in billiards, were going to appear in the movie. It wasn’t even that the American Poolplayers Association (APA), the world’s largest pool league, was a sponsor of the movie (though it significantly helped that the APA marketed the movie to its 265,000 members). It was that the movie sought to show pool as a professional sport. As Palma told me, “I wanted to take the essence of pool out of the smoky backroom bar scene and shine a bright spotlight on it…I wanted to focus on one woman’s dream of becoming a professional pool player.”
This proven, well-worn theme of an aspiring athlete overcoming obstacles to pursue a dream is so recognizable in cinema, from Rocky to Rudy, from Hoosiers to Hoop Dreams, yet it had never been done in billiards, a sport that is too often derided as a barroom game with professional players too often caricatured as hustlers. (Yes, the movie The Hustler likely contributed more to the popularity of pool than any other single event, but it also did reinforce the stereotype.)
Under this lens, it’s clear why the APA sponsored the film, why the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) endorsed the film, and why interest and enthusiasm abounded from all across the globe, years before the film even began shooting. Similarly, it’s why individuals like Allison Fisher and Jeanette Lee lent their name. According to Palma, “[Jeanette] felt the movie would be beneficial to pool…She felt it would get people interested in playing in an organized league…she felt it told a very positive story about pool and about women in pool.”
For those not familiar with the movie, it follows the life of a young Gail (played by Barretta), who is left in the care of her creepy uncle Joey (played by Kurt Hanover), after her father is murdered. The uncle, sensing great pool skills in his niece, turns her onto the life of hustling and uses her as a way to make money for himself. But, as Gail gets older, she aspires to break out of that lifestyle and join the APA to become a professional 9-ball champion.
(Interestingly, Poolhall Junkies also is about a skilled billiards player who dreams of becoming a professional, but has his plans sabotaged by his mentor/trainer, also named Joe. Of course, that’s where the similarities between the two movies stop, and as we all know, Poolhall Junkies ultimately presented a far less positive portrayal of league play/players.)
9-Ball took Palma almost 5 years and a budget just under $1 million to make, such was the challenge of “independently writing, casting, directing and producing a dramatic, contemporary, character-driven feature film.” Financing was a big issue. Fortunately, Palma produced a trailer from some of the original scenes that generated excitement and ultimately landed him an angel investor.
With all the anticipating mounting for so long, it is not a surprise that when the movie was finally released in November, 2012, reviews ran the gamut (as you can clearly see on IMDB or Amazon). Regardless of whether the movie is a little too “feel-good,” my primary criticism of 9-Ball is the sheer lack of pool. In my interviews with both Palma and Barretta, they dismissed this criticism. “It’s really a character-driven story more than it’s a story about pool,” said Palma. Barretta also said, “It’s not a movie about pool, it’s a movie with pool in it. I don’t think a montage of fancy shots will help tell the story. Nobody is impressed by them.” But, given the movie’s noble purpose, I wish the movie had emphasized and shown in much greater detail the beauty, skill and art of an exceptional game of billiards. Of course, Martin Scorsese did this exceptionally in The Color of Money, as did Mars Callahan in Poolhall Junkies. But, even a little known film like Carambola (2005) figured out how to weave in incredible examples of three-cushion shots. In 9-Ball, Barretta’s final rail shot is a stunner, but it’s a rare treat.
On the other hand, I think too many of the movie’s harshest critics did not understand Palma’s underlying objective to “shine a bright spotlight on pool…and to talk about a sport that is deserving of being in the Olympics.” Measured against this goal, I give the movie high marks, and I join the thousands of others around the world who, according to Palma, have sent emails and Facebook messages saying how much they appreciated the portrayal of billiards in 9-Ball and its obvious respect and love for the sport.
To conclude, I want to share the sentiments expressed by Michael J’s Cues in Toledo, Ohio. “Overall in my opinion this movie promotes the game and that is great for the business of billiards…An honest reflection of the game as it stands today!! The game of billiards needs to be shown more as a game the whole family can enjoy.”.
To watch or purchase 9-Ball, go to Tubi or Roku. You can also join the 9-Ball community on its Facebook page or follow 9-Ball on Twitter (@9Ballthemovie).
Special congratulations to Jeanette Lee, who appeared in 9-Ball, for her induction just days ago into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.
