Trivia / Poolhall Junkies

• Box Office Bomb: Budget, $4 million (not counting prints and advertising). Worldwide gross, $563,711.
• The Cast Showoff: Several of the cast members (including lead actor Mars Callahan) were accomplished pool players in real-life, making the sequences where characters execute trick shots much more believable due to being all done in one take.
• Follow the Leader: On its release, the film was widely seen as "Rounders but with pool." It came out two years after that film.
• Throw It In!: As noted on the DVD Commentary, the shot where Uncle Mike (Christopher Walken) nails the trick shot at the upstairs pool table during the party is this — the production team (and Walken) expected to shoot the scene upwards of 15 times, but before the practice shot, Walken asked to have it filmed on the off-chance he made the shot. When he does so, the camera jittering while the other actors give bewildered looks (and Walken staying in-character, but with a barely-concealed grin on his face) were used for the final cut.
• Write What You Know: Co-writer Chris Corso was one of the titular "poolhall junkies", having made a career as an accomplished pool player (and pool hustler) who befriended lead actor Mars Callahan after the former attempted to hustle the latter. Much of the dialogue revolves around tricks and tactics of the era.

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