Eating Raoul (1982) ****

 

With all the 80's nostalgia today, including the return of mullets and mall-bangs, high-waisted pants, and other perversions, it is easy to forget just how seedy things were in the 80's. The satirical, low-budget, '80s, art film “Eating Raul” paints its time as a period of crime and despair, and at the heart of all this vice...swinging. As the opening narration points out, “It is a known fact that prolonged exposure to just such a psychopathic environment will eventually warp even the most normal and decent among us.”

Speaking of normal and decent, Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov play Paul and Mary Bland, a straight-laced couple whose sex life Mary sums up thusly: “I'm not against a little hugging and kissing once in a while.” The Blands long to open a restaurant in the country, but lack the funds for the down payment. Meanwhile, they are very uncomfortable in a city that is being taken over by swingers. One sex-crazed partier gets lost on his way to an orgy and wanders into the Blands' apartment. He tries to rape Mary, and Paul gets home just in time to stop the attack, accidentally killing the swinger. Unsure what to do, they search him, and discover several hundred dollars.

From the seeds of this discovery grows an idea: The Blands will lure swingers to their home and murder them for their cash. The plan works great until a Chicano burglar named Raoul discovers their game, and cuts himself in on the action.

Made on a budget of only $500,000, this absurdist, black comedy delights not because of its amoral, lurid themes, but because of the ultimate innocence of its main characters. Paul and Mary are prissy prudes, but they aren't especially judgmental or hostile to those around them. It is only after repeated harassment and assaults by the depraved sex addicts and criminals in their city that they stumble into the amoral world of murder for profit. Even then, they retain a level of innocence that makes them more sympathetic than the warped orgy-goers and muggers who populate their version of L.A. This same innocence is found in the best character in the movie, Doris the Dominatrix, who cracks a mean whip at parties, but at home is just a sweet, pretty, suburban mom.

If you enjoy kooky, absurd, low-budget films, then this one should definitely go on your list. It's darkly funny and ultimately satisfying. Finally, “Eating Raul” begs the question, “What kind of wine pairs well with Puerto Rican food?”

4 stars out of 5

The Hustler (1961) ***** and The Color of Money (1986) ****

 

Most authors, if they are going to write a sequel to a successful novel, try to get the sequel out pretty quickly, but not Walter Tevis. After the success of his first novel, 1959's The Hustler, Tevis waited 25 years to write The Color of Money. Both novels were quickly optioned for films, and the result is a pair of movies separated by 25 years that make great back-to-back viewing today.

“The Hustler” introduces Fast Eddie Felson, a talented pool player for whom pool is just a means to an end, and the end is money. With his partner, Charlie (Myron McCormick), he hustles around from town to town, pool hall to pool hall. They earn a hundred bucks here and there hustling local players, but there is a part of Eddie that wants more. His goal is to play high stakes pool with the legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). To beat Fats, Eddie has to defeat his own demons, including a self-destructive, self-sabotaging streak.

The film is in beautiful black-and-white, featuring outstanding performances from George C. Scott as a professional gambler who grooms Eddie, from Piper Laurie as a damaged love interest, and from Newman himself. 

 

 

“The Color of Money” picks up 25 years later, and Eddie has changed his hustle, now making a living as a whiskey salesman. He no longer plays pool, but he spends a lot of time in bars, where a lot of pool gets played. He keeps his hand in the game by backing talented, younger players. This is where he meets Vincent (Tom Cruise), a cocky player who is the biggest pure talent Eddie has seen. Vincent is aces at the game, but he knows nothing about the hustle, about how to lose occasionally to keep the other players betting. Eddie takes him under his wing and teaches him the ropes, until he starts to wonder if he has created a monster.

This isn't quite on the level of “The Hustler,” but it's still an outstanding movie, with great performances from Newman and Cruise, as well as their beautiful co-star, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.

If you have ever shot a game of pool in a bar, these movies are required viewing. Both films showcase the game beautifully, and the actors, particularly Gleason and Cruise, do some of their own shots. Both movies ushered in their own resurgence of the sport, with increased sales of tables and cues. They aren't just sports movies, though. These are well-told human stories about excellence and obsession, that can be enjoyed by anyone. I highly recommend watching them in close succession. Together, they make a satisfying tale of redemption spanning decades.

The Hustler - 5 stars out of 5

The Color of Money - 4 stars out of 5