"Hitting the Nuts"--new poker movie

The Bluff magazine July issued arrived in my mailbox last week. Among the articles featured on the front page was HITTING THE NUTS: The Next Great Poker Flick. Of course I immediately turned to that page.

The piece itself, written by Lance Bradley, was subtitled "Not Just Another Poker Movie...Trust Us. Bradley goes on to say "that this movie is quite different from anything else that's been made using a poker theme".

From what I read in the article, he's right. Now whether that's good or bad remains to be literally seen.

Bradley reports that the movie, set in rural Indiana, is a "story of an Amish guy, a somewhat-slutty over-the-hill diner waitress, an underage gambler, a crooked mayor, and a poker tournament held in a funeral home. Oh, and it was written by an ordained pastor. This ain't 'Rounders', folks."

While some people might think that an Amish poker player is far-fetched, one night on a local riverboat my guy Mike and I sat in a cash game with a couple of 20-something Amish guys who had extended their rumspringa (sanctioned running around time) so they could play live legally.

Joe Boyd, who wrote, directed and plays the Amish guy in the film told Bradley, "I am from Vegas and a poker player. My wife is from Indiana...mixing two rather extreme worlds seemed ripe for comedy."

There's tons more fascinating stuff in the article and about halfway through, I'll admit, I was hooked. So I went to the website (same name as the movie) and ordered the DVD. Ordering was seamless and I got a nice little note right away from Donna Boyd, whom I assume is Joe's wife. I'll let everyone know what I think once I've seen it.

Sounds like its worth a watch, thanks Lark.

You're welcome. Forgot to mention--the article also said "The Las Vegas Film Festival, which runs July 15-17 at the Las Vegas Hilton, will be screening the independently produced film. "

Sounds interesting... especially the characters in it (gotta be honest, the "slutty waitress" part did get my attention).

I'll be checking this one out for sure. Does "Maverick" count as a poker movie?

is this the one with Woody Harrelson in it? I saw a preview and it looked great

Absolutely.

No--that would be The Grand which is indeed is a great movie! "Hitting the Nuts" just came out and from what I read in the article there aren't any well known actors in it.

Well, I looking forward to seeing it :P

This thread made me wanna watch "The Grand" I loved it.

The only really unrealistic moment was when "Pocker Aces" made his flush on the river against Helmuth and Brunson with trips each, and Phil left without a word...............

Just a like good Indy Car or Nascar movie, I just hope they do end covering the game throughout the plot properly.

I found this movie and watched it.. it's a cheaply made mockumentary (I believe the budget was $25,000).. and it was alright. I first turned it off after 30 minutes, because it has a slow start, but started watching it again a couple of days later and found that it picks up after awhile and there were some pretty funny parts. It's an obvious poke at wanna be poker professionals, and nothing really that special, but it wasn't a totally bad movie.

To be honest, even if you're big into poker, it probably wouldn't hurt to pass this movie up.. unless you're bored and want something to do.

I'd give it a 5.5/10.

Interesting, thanks for the heads up! I will need to keep an eye on it. The fact of the matter is that anybody can make a movie but what truly makes a movie are the writers and cast involved.

I would personally like to see another movie similar to "Ringers" or something like that with a solid cast and a theatrical premier. I'm a sucker for blockbusters.

That's the best title they could come up with?

I think its fantastic movie and interesting, I recommended my friends as well to watch it.

Thanks for the info. I will add it my collection of poker movies