Top 5 Bingo Scenes of All Time
By Maria Fedco
Bingo’s growth has been exponential. The game is getting attention even from the younger generation who hitherto thought of it as an ‘old people’s’ game. In many literary works, including some movies, bingo has been depicted as a pastime game for grandma when she retires.
That is no longer the case and Hollywood may have had something to do with the turnaround. Movies have helped to bring attention to the game. The Hollywood angle depicts bingo in various lights: some comedic, others dramatic as well as political.
Bingo is rapidly taking over the online community as one of the most popular games to play. Online sites such as Cheers Bingo have made the game even more accessible.
Bingo in the Movies
Here are a few movies that have incorporated bingo into their screenplay. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that your favorite has made the cut. Bingo enthusiasts can relate to some of the action surrounding bingo in these movies.
Rampage
The bingo scene in this movie is hilarious but not for the right reasons. It does not exactly get you rolling on the floor in glee, but bingo fans get the significance of the actions herein.
The movie revolves around a young man who, alienated from the world, is convinced that overpopulation is the reason the world is in chaos. He decides to do something about it. He gets himself a suit of armor and guns and decides to take revenge on anyone the ever rejected him.
He walks into a bingo hall armor and all, and barely stirs the players’ concentration on the favorite pastime. The elderly players do not even acknowledge his presence with so much as a glance. The young man is astonished!
He orders a sandwich, takes a few bites and then walks over to the announcer and takes a ball from her. That is the only time the players glance up at him. Immediately he returns the ball, they resume their game.
Lesson learned: nothing, but nothing comes between the players and their bingo.
Hotel Transylvania
The laughs are constant in this one. This children’s movie centers on a hotel run by Dracula. Some of the patrons include nefarious characters such as Frankenstein and a few mummies. Monsters frequent this hotel and one of their popular pastimes is playing a game of bingo.
However, this is not your usual bingo hall. For starters, the balls are small skulls and are read by an elderly lady with huge ears sticking out the sides of her head. Eunice, Frankenstein’s wife, stamps her card and screams out, “Bingo!” She simmers down fast when a goblin-esque woman with grey hair piled in a bun on her head gobbles up the card off the table.
Real life bingo players are nothing close to monsters. However, they don’t play around their game. When they are playing for big money, they can be serious and ruthless.
King of the Bingo Game
This one takes you on an emotional journey with Sonny, a bingo fan who is trying to win a significant amount of money for his poor family. Any bingo fan can relate to the adrenaline surge one feels when you have your card as you wait for the numbers to be called.
The Wog Boy
A boy finds his dream girl but ruins his chances with her and his reputation by getting involved in a car crash with her boss. To prove his worth, he hosts a Bingo Day at a Greek Orthodox church where he calls the cards in a variety of foreign languages.
His translation of number 22 elicits groans and cheers from various sections in the group. He gets to the Vietnamese section and an elderly man leaps to his feet to collect his prize. Steve, the boy, hands over a huge white lion statue which does not seem to excite the Vietnamese at all. In Vietnam, they have elephant statues, not lion ones.
Steve tells him that in Australia, everything is the same. This scene depicts the disappointment felt by players when the prizes are nothing to be excited about.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Johnny Knoxville, who always has some mischief up his sleeve, takes up the role of an elderly gentleman in this movie. He goes into a bingo club and decides to join in on the fun. True to form, he leaves a group of utterly disgusted and horrified bingo players with his crazy shenanigans.
Conclusion
Bingo is not only recognized in movies as a worthwhile pastime but is gaining quite a following among more youthful players especially now that it is accessible online. Hollywood depiction of the game may have helped accelerate its popularity.
Matt Doyle Media 