Bingo remains one of the most popular games in the world. From Europe to North America, people just can’t seem to get enough of the game. And this ongoing cultural love affair with bingo has made its way several times into different movies. Whether you’re a fan of the game or just love some awesome snippets from interesting films, here are some of the best bingo scenes captured on film.
King of the Bingo Game (1999)
Arguably the greatest 26 minutes of film dedicated to the game, King of the Bingo Game is a short film set in the 1940s. In depression-era Harlem, New York, struggling African American Sonny frequents a bingo parlour in hopes of being able to provide for his family. The short film culminates in a scene where Sonny takes the stage in a bingo game show inside a theatre in New York, with his finger on the button of a spinning bingo wheel.
Does he end up getting the jackpot? An artistic, jazz-scored exploration of how one game can change a person’s destiny, King of the Bingo Game is actually adapted from a book of the same name. Literariness’ analysis of author Ralph Ellison’s work refers to the book as “one of his most poetic presentations of the unfeeling chaos of the modern world.”
Rampage (2009)
This film is not for the faint of heart. Disgruntled wage slave Bill Williamson takes his frustrations out on the fictional town of Tenderville, Oregon. Armed with guns and knives and clad in a full-body suit of ballistic armour, Bill goes on a random murderous rampage. But this is interrupted when he enters a bingo hall filled with senior citizens.
Fully engrossed in a game of 75-ball bingo which Cheeky Bingo’s guide to the game identifies as the most popular version in North America. As Bill enters the bingo hall, the seniors don’t really seem to notice him so he takes a break from his rampage, sits down for a bite, and leaves shortly after. In this scene, bingo certainly saves the day.
Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
In this sequel to the blockbuster comedy, Malcolm Turner reprises his role as the Fuller family’s nanny. Big Momma decides to take the family out for a relaxing night of bingo. But Fuller’s daughter Carrie has other ideas.
Yelling ‘bingo!’ just when their family has sat down, Carrie draws the attention – and the ire – of the other players in the hall. Big Momma then teaches Carrie that you absolutely do not just yell out ‘bingo!’ for no reason when you’re inside a bingo hall. It’s a light-hearted reminder of basic bingo hall etiquette.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
Arguably Jackass godfather Johnny Knoxville’s greatest performance on film, Bad Grandpa is a masterpiece for anyone who loves prank-related comedies. Finding himself in a bingo hall, Bad Grandpa proceeds to annoy everyone around him. It’s a masterclass in what you’re not supposed to do inside a bingo hall. In a one-of-a-kind tribute to the game, Knoxville drinks the bingo marker fluid to cap off the bizarre encounter.
Whether you’re a fan of Adam Sandler comedies, action-filled flicks, or Kubrick-like art films, you’ll find the aforementioned scenes that tackle humanity’s relationship with bingo, interesting to say the least. And as both the game and the filmmaking develop over the years, we can expect more creative ways for bingo to appear in future movies.
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