One of the things I like best about Poolhall Junkies is its lack of grim desperation.
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Brassy and energetic, first-time director Mars Callahan's vividly photographed ode to the seductive allure of professional sharking succeeds in making the game seem genuinely kinetic and thrilling.
60
VarietyTodd McCarthy
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Callahan mostly overcomes its grungy technical quality with entertaining dialogue, nervy confrontation scenes, decent thesping and some truly spectacular shooting on the green velvet.
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
New York PostLou Lumenick
For all his skill with a cue, the charisma-challenged Callahan is no Nia Vardalos in the acting department -- let alone a Paul Newman or Tom Cruise.
The result is by no means the embarrassment that many such offerings from unjustifiably vain actor-auteurs have been, but nor does it present much of anything new or compelling to demand one's attention.
38
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Stole so many details from the earlier film, "The Hustler," that you have to think of it as either a bad parody or an unfortunate homage.
30
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
Callahan's feature debut is a one-way ticket to Palookaville.