Michael Kelly plays a bookie who starts taking bets on Little League baseball games.
All Square, a movie about a reformed bookmaker who starts taking bets on Little League baseball games, made its debut on March 10, 2018 at the SXSW Festival.
Too few movies about gambling are made — and that goes double for sports betting films. For that reason, it is nice to see a new take on the subject, even if it is a comedic take on bookies and gambling. All Square does not have a lot of star power, but several of the actors do a charming job.
Michael Kelly is the key player. Viewers might remember Michael Kelly from House of Cards. All Square gives Kelly a chance to show his comedic talents as a out-of-luck local bookmaker.
Jesse Ray Sheps holds a major supporting role in the film as the main Little Leaguer and does a conscientious job. Pre-teens can be spotty in the movies, but Sheps does well in a rather worldly movie.
Critical Reviews of All Square
Critics called the movie a dramedy, or a cross between a drama and a comedy. One even said that with a larger budget, All Square could have had the potential of being a cinematic thriller with more excitement throughout the film. Instead, it is more of a character study.
I cannot imagine a movie about betting on Little League baseball being a “cinematic thriller”, but I guess that is why I do not review movies. Director John Hyams talked about Timothy Brady’s first screenplay to make it on the silver screen, saying, “I read the script and was just knocked out by it, so immediately, myself and Michael set about trying to help get it made. In the process of doing that, I think we both became greedy and wanted to do it ourselves.”
Because it is a comedy, the subject matter is not explored in any great detail. A film about sports betting is going to involve a certain amount of problem gamblers, or people who might be problem gamblers.
Timothy Brady: A Sports Bettor?
Hyams and Kelly teamed up with Mill House Motion Pictures and star Yeardley Smith’s production shingle, Paperclip, to make the film possible. The film had a quick production, as it took only a year from the time the duo received the film’s script, All Square was good to go.
John Hyams said in an interview at the SXSX Festival, “I’d read so many things that Tim had sent me in the past and was always very impressed with what he wrote. But something about this [was], I was literally on the last page, dialing his number, reading the last few lines.”
“I was just like, ‘Tim, where did this come from?’ And he was like, ‘I just kind of wrote what I wanted to write this time, instead of what I thought everyone else should write.”
All Square‘s Basic Synopsis
In the film, small-town bookie John Zbikowski, played by actor Michael Kelly, has found himself at a troubling loss trying to collect on debts that people owed him. Zbikowski cannot seem to catch a break after football season ends and basketball season nears its final games.
Zbikowski’s bad run hits him when he gets kicked out of a bar one day. It might have been a blessing in disguise when he runs into one of his ex-girlfriends, Debbie (Pamela Adlon), at a different bar. After having a one-night stand with her, he ends up befriending her son, Brian (Jesse Ray Scheps).
The relationship between John and Brian makes for an unusual but compelling scenario of friendship.
After discovering that Brian plays baseball, Zbikowski gets the wild idea to start a betting ring on his little-league games. As the money starts to move in, Zbikowski steps it up a notch and uses his skills as a former baseball player to teach Brian how to up his game as a pitcher.
All Square Behind the Scenes
As one might expect, as the season progresses, so do the crowds. Once people who do not typically come to watch the little league games start to show up, the commissioner and city council candidate, Matt Smith (Josh Lucas), begin to get suspicious.
It is a cute movie about a ridiculous subject. Betting on Little League baseball would get a bookmaker into so much trouble, because it would so quickly lead to underage match-fixing or point-shaving. The film does a good take on paying off gambling debts.
Director John Hyam’s is in new territory, because most of his previous work has been on action movies. Timothy Brady is the first-time screenplay writer, at least for a feature film.
Debbie (Pamela Adlon) is less of a fully developed character than one would have expected. As someone who should be a front man given that her child is being used as a betting target in a gambling business, she comes out more of a background player.
SXSW Festival in Austin
The South-by-Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin each year has become a major event. Hollywood stars descend on the film festival, while countless musical acts head to the city in hopes of being noticed. Austin residents either immerse themselves in the fun or complain about the traffic problems the festival causes – or a little bit of both.
