Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game

The story of Roger Sharpe (Mike Faist and Dennis Boutsikaris), a young journalist who helped overturn a decades long ban on pinball in New York City.

Pinball is set from the perspective of the modern day Roger telling his story as a flashback. He sits down to be interviewed and frequently interjects into the story, and sometimes appears in the flashbacks next to his younger self. It’s an odd and slightly awkward framing device given that the ‘real’ Roger is played by an actor too.

Perhaps this speaks to a certain self-awareness of the fact that there isn’t actually much of a story at the heart of the film. It’s about a man who attended a hearing at city hall and did a pinball demonstration in front of them.

And yet this is a sweet comedy that works pretty well against all odds. It leans hard on its romance element which is central to the plot rather than being wedged in. There’s an infectious easy going charm to it, and the lead actors really get to build likeable characters.

A entertaining gem that shines a light on a little slice of history.