… All the Marbles (1981)

(On Cable TV, December 2020) Peter Falk with forever be Colombo, but his film career is filled with hits, from his dead-on Bogart impersonation in Murder by Death to a very odd turn in City of Angels to, well, a rather decent turn in female wrestling drama movie…all the Marbles. Here we are, clearly in the early 1980s, following a female tag-team wrestling team and their manager (Falk) as they tour the decaying pockets of the United States interested in female wrestling, going from one terrible hotel room to a low-rent venue, always looking for bigger and better engagements. It’s a miserable living and an equally miserable movie at first, as the lead trio keeps squabbling, running into trouble and losing faith in their ability to succeed. Things eventually change for the better in the film’s later half, as the protagonists move west for greater and greater success. It all culminates at a Reno face-off with their biggest opponents, an event during which Falk’s character demonstrates his talent for working the crowd. As an underdog sports comedy, it features the expected comeback and the marginally happier finale than the film’s opening moments. Falk is quite good here, with his gravelly voice reflecting a man who knows he’s spiralling down but always clinging to the hope of a break. While the film is not always pleasant to watch, it does build to something better. I’m reminded of the adage “three good scenes and a great finale” – you really can’t go wrong with a big final victory.