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‘The Gutter’ Review: Yassir and Isaiah Lester’s Irreverent Bowling Comedy Leaves ’Em Rolling in the Aisles


Shameik Moore shines as a ne'er do well who finds luck on the lanes in 'The Gutter,' from first-time directors Yassir and Isaiah Lester.

Although Walt changes things up from a fast-pitch softball-like windup to simply throwing the bowling ball overhand, you just don’t know where a sight gag or a sharp one-liner will hit you when every part of the frame seems like a ripe opportunity for humor. It’s a thin clothesline of a plot when Walt realizes he’s the alley’s only hope for survival, but durable enough for all the jokes the Lesters pile on top of it, reminding of the irreverence of early Zucker and Wayans brothers’ comedies to suggest it takes at least two to make something this fleet-footed and funny. The silliness is inspired when it ranges from the juvenile acronym of the Super League of Bowling (SLoB) to the sophisticated area-appropriate outfits Walt and Skunk start wearing to tournaments across the country, with costume designer Melissa Walker extravagantly dressing them up as two-thirds of TLC.

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