Poolhall Junkies
(Note: This film got limited release in NY/LA and other markets in February and March but didn't expand to other markets as of yet.)

Johnny Doyle was destined for a great life as a professional pool player but his lifelong father figure Joe (Chazz Palminteri) was overprotective and wanted to use him as a hustler instead. So he stuck around in the club circuit, befriending a few people and laying low, never to become rich and famous with the tremendous talent he's got. One day, he becomes fed up and leaves Joe for a more normal life, outside the hustle of pool halls. He soon finds that his new life is hard to adjust to without the game of pool. Soon enough, all the pieces start to fit together for his triumphant return. He meets his girlfriend's uncle, Christopher Walken in a small but enjoyable role, who team up in a pool game to get some money from her lawyer bosses. Joe returns with a professional to show up Johnny. With the distraction of his brother in jail after being defeated by this new pro (Rick Schroder), Johnny must put that and a broken hand aside to defeat his former mentor.

Poolhall Junkies seems to be a movie that tries too hard to be cool. There's trick shot after trick shot. There are the smart jokes and smart cons. It never stops. It's also very heavy on the pool. This isn't your garden-variety pool games. Miraculous shots only a trickster could do show up in almost every scene. It all becomes just a big cliche. His forays to move on to a normal life, once as a construction worker and another as a motor home salesman, are half-hearted and are set up against him so that you know exactly what he's gonna do next. No small detail ever goes unnoticed and the star, also the director, makes sure of it. All these little things may become important later on and it makes us obsess on what he's gonna do next instead of focusing on the visuals, a much more fascinating thing to focus on. 2 stars