Bowling on the screen

Friday, Jan. 26, 2007 | 8:45 a.m.

Maybe it's the pure drama of athletic competition that keeps Hollywood coming back to the bowling alley for inspiration.

Or maybe it's just the funky shoes.

To mark the PBA Tour's return to Las Vegas for this weekend's Motel 6 Classic at the Strike Zone at Sunset Lanes, we were going to list our Top 10 favorite bowling movies. But we thought we'd quit before "Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama" (1988) ended up on the list.

1) "The Big Lebowski" (1998)

Bowling takes on mythical status in this cult favorite starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman. It's got a Raymond Chandler plot, Buzby Berkley dream sequences and great supporting performances from Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Elliott, Julianne Moore, John Turturro and, music lovers take note, Flea and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Joel and Ethan Coen made a movie that gives Dude a good name.

2) "Kingpin" (1996)

Campy comedic performances by Woody Harrelson, Bill Murray and Randy Quaid. The Farrelly brothers ask you to suspend your disbelief (and your good taste) in a movie that combines themes from "The Hustler" and "The Natural." Belly laugh at a star bowler who loses his bowling hand in a disagreement with a rival and tries to guide a protege to the holy grail in Reno.

3) "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen" (2004)

This documentary traces attempts to bring the pro tour back to the glory days of the '50s and '60s. It focuses on former PBA chief Steve Miller and four pro bowlers: Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber, Chris Barnes and Wayne Webb.

4) "Ed" (2000-2003)

OK, this is a TV show, not a movie. But its heart and soul was Stuckeybowl. Tom Cavanagh plays a big-city lawyer who moves back to his hometown, buys the bowling alley and sets up his law practice where he can hear the pins fall. Stuckeyville was supposed to be an Anytown in Ohio, but it was filmed in New Jersey. Bet you $10 you can still find it in reruns.

5) "Dreamer" (1979)

Fresh out of "Animal House," Tim Matheson stars as a bowler in this "Rocky" ripoff.

6) "Mystery Men" (1999)

This tale of misfit superheroes includes Janeane Garofalo as the Bowler. We want her ball - a skull imprisoned inside golden Lucite.

7) "Racing with the Moon" (1984)

Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage play pinsetters waiting to join up in World War II.

8) "That Night" (1992)

Juliette Lewis goes to the local alley and falls for the counter boy, played by C. Thomas Howell. "Buffy" fans know this was the first screen role for Eliza "Faith" Dushku.

9) More old TV

A nod to "The Honeymooners," "The Flintstones" and "Laverne & Shirley" for having regular bowling content. For game shows, you couldn't beat "Make That Spare" and "Bowling for Dollars."