A new poker mocumentary from director Joe Boyd has received some attention after being awarded the Audience Award at the Cincinnati Film Festival. Amidst a stream of poor poker movies, it seems that “Hitting the Nuts” may be an independent film worth watching. The film is centered around a fictional yearly poker tournament in Scott County, Indiana and follows the exploits of some notable characters that have entered the tournament for a chance to play at the 2007 World Series of Poker. These characters include a lowly Amish farmer, small town preacher, a cafe waitress and the portly returning champion from the previous year. In the style of a documentary, “Hitting the Nuts” chronicles the yearly illegal poker tournament from a seemingly busy hub for a farm style poker league.
The title of the mocumentary is actually a joke in itself. When a player hits the nuts in poker, it means that they have the best possible hand in a certain situation. However, as the story of the film unfolds, it becomes apparent that the characters are more likely to be “hit in the nuts by life rather than hitting the nuts.”
“Hitting the Nuts” is set in rural America – the quintessential mosaic of small town farm life turned upside down by the coming of the biggest event of the year for the county’s residents – normally accustomed to a trip to the Olive Garden or Cracker Barrel as the highlight for the week. In a typical character driven film, the players bring their unique personalities to the felt to compete for, what else, a bowling trophy.
Although “Hitting the Nuts” is a film about an illegal poker tournament, the plot mainly revolves around character development – especially the motivations of the characters for competing in the tournament. According to the company web site, the filmmakers seek to do for poker what Caddy Shack did for golf and Strange Brew did for hockey.
The company behind “Hitting the Nuts” is Rebel Pilgrim Productions. However, an LLC called Hitting the Nuts The Movie, LLC has been registered in Nevada in order to produce, own and distribute the film. Also starring in the film are Matthew Donnelly, Megan Whyte, Joe Boyd, Tara Rice and Sean Michael Murphy. Like any independent film, this one may be tough to find. However, the search for a copy will be well worth your time.
3 Comments - Click Here to Speak Up