The Place For The Latest Movie Reviews
Cast: Bob Purzycki
“Bowling for the Mob” is the story of a man considered by many to be the greatest bowler that ever lived, yet his life became a struggle to conquer his inner demons. By age 12, Bob Purzycki was one of the best bowlers in the country. He was set to compete at the World's Fair in 1964 in Queens. Two days before, a neighborhood kid hit Bob in the face with a mallet and crushed the side of his head causing permanent loss of vision in his left eye. Despite everyone telling him to give up, Bob trained to bowl with one eye. By his 18th birthday, his game had improved to a 220 average - a score that was unheard of in 1970. He joined the Professional Bowlers Association at 19 and won Bowler of the Year in 1973 and 1974. Then Bob got involved with the underworld as the mob began making bets on his tournaments, which started a downhill spiral. After getting involved with the mafia, a viscous battle with drug abuse and doing jail time, he redeemed himself and went on to play in the Super Bowl High Roller in Vegas. He won the grand prize beating the best bowlers in the world and became champion at 47. An amazing story of one man's mistakes and accomplishments, Purzycki says it best "I was either going to kill somebody, kill myself or end up in an insane asylum."
Bob Purzycki was one of the world's best bowlers at 12 yrs-old, that's a better impressive feat for anyone let alone a child. That's when things started going bad for him. One day while playing in the yard he was hit in the face by a friend with a mullet and lost vision in one eye. He was molested by a neighbor on a regular basis and was too afraid to say anything, he also was struck by a car which broke both his legs. Then he got involved with the Mob, Bob fell victim to cocaine addiction by getting involved with some very bad people, Having been to the top all of a sudden he found himself homeless, smoking crack and in prison.
"Bowling for The Mob" tells the story of how Bob was able to over-come the bad luck and his own inner demons to rise once again to the top. It also shows a man who even today is determined to help others with addiction problems. You could call this a sports documentary if you wanted too but even if you don't like bowling this is an inspirational story that anyone can relate too even if you never had an addiction of your own. As much heart-ache as Bob and his family suffered it's still a feel good story and leaves you with a smile on your face.
Before sitting down to watch this film I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it or not but I can safely say now that I loved it. A tragic yet inspiring story of one man who beats the odds more than once to not only become a bowling champion but a champion in life as well.
I highly recommend picking this wonderful documentary up, anyone that has a heart is going to love it.
You can order the DVD HERE.
EWO Films
***** Out Of *****