7-10 Split (2007)

Strong and Moving!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I had to stop watching after the first 15 minutes or so. I watched the initial bowling scenes, and realized that I could in no way cheer for any of these characters to succeed. Why? Well, a few scenes earlier they were getting high, then got the munchies, then ate a couple of slices of a pizza that they were in the process of delivering. Then one of them says to cough it back up, and they actually spit out chewed-up pizza back into the box and try to form it so as to look like it was untouched and that nothing happened. Then they delivered it to an innocent, hapless, unsuspecting customer. Beyond repulsive. There was nothing at all amusing about that scene, nor the ones that followed. I'm not the type who feels obliged to watch a movie all the way through, for better or worse. Possibly the movie got better, I don't know. But I wasn't going to waste my time finding out.

As a romantic comedy, there is absolutely NO chemistry here between lead characters "Ross" (Ross Patterson, who proves he is not accomplished enough as an actor to be trusted to assume a first name for a role, other than his own) and "Lindsay" (Tara Reid, who remains good at pouting, if nothing else). Clayne Crawford as "Ross'" sidekick "Mike" completes a trifecta of woeful performances here, with an oddly inflected dialect which seems dubbed by a loop group person for whom English is a second language. That director Tommy Reid elicited such a trio of bottom-tier efforts is no testimonial to the virtues of Hollywood nepotism, and the seemingly endless list of 24 producers (including Tara and Tommy) prove the adage about too many cooks making a rancid roast.Unfortunately, there is no hint that the so-called brains behind 7-10 SPLIT (as STRIKE was initially, and more aptly, titled) were attempting to spoof sports movies, though the climax echoes (no doubt unintentionally) Kevin Costner's golf movie, TIN CUP. Instead, they seemingly tried to put out a SERIOUS version of "stoners meet ROCKY," without so much as a Cheech Marin or Burt Young cameo. The best they could do for Tinseltown's senior citizens was a bit part as PBA commissioner by Ray Wise. Every nuance of this movie seems totally predictable, from the leads' on-and-off-and-on again relationship, to the lonely big mansion scene to the temptations of booze, groupies, booze, drugs, booze, fame--and booze on "Ross." Speaking of the devil, Ross Patterson wrote the screenplay, but if 100 chimps typed at 100 typewriters for 100 hours, chances are at least 15 or 20 of them would do better. If I rated on a straight curve, STRIKE would merit a "1" or "2" out of 10, so "4" may seem overly generous to some viewers.

7-10 Split is the story of Ross (Ross Patterson), a man who just got fired from his crap job working as a pizza delivery boy. Him and his stoner friend, roommate, and former co-worker, Mike (Clayne Crawford) go bowling every week as someone else every time. When Ross realizes he's a really good bowler, him, Mike, and Ross's girlfriend, Lindsay (Tara Reid) go on the road for a bowling championship. They go under the names Ross Vegas, Lil' Reno, and Mike is just plain their manager. The movie also involves a funny, seemingly gay character named Jerry (Rob Huebel). Just like Kingpin, this is a bowling comedy with a lot of good bowling, that although not perfect, is very good. I didn't particularly like this movie. Yes, it's dumb, but it's entertaining all the same. The movie was not as awful as it could of ended up being, but it's not a bad film. The characters are pretty much funny. Look, I'm not saying anything great about this, in fact, it's pretty damn mediocre. That said, it's mediocre entertainment. All I have to say about this movie now is it's worth a rental to get a couple of good laughs.

Watchable but not funny comedy about two annoying wannabe actors who get fired from their pizza delivery job and go across country on the Pro Bowlers Tour.I really don't know what else to say other than the two leads like to dress up in various disguises when they bowl, I have no idea why, but they do. Probably the best person in this just okay film is Tara Reid who turns in a good and sympathetic performance that makes you wonder why she is hanging with the guy who's her boyfriend. My ultimate verdict was I watched it, I never laughed, but then again I didn't turn it off either. Not a ringing endorsement. Your mileage will probably vary.