Tilt (1979)

"Why do people get so gross over a game?" - Tilt

A young girl that is a pinball wizard gets caught up in the world of pinball gambling.
Starring: Brooke Shields, Ken Marshall, Charles Durning

Link to IMDB

Neil and Tilt

Neil is a struggling young musician in Texas and he likes to gamble, but when he tries to hustle a tough pinball veteran, Harold "The Whale" Remmens, he gets himself into a world of trouble and earns a serious beating. Neil then heads to L.A. to try to get his music career going, but spends his days working odd jobs instead.
A sassy 14 year old girl, nicknamed Tilt, hangs out in the local bar playing pinball instead of going to school, and Neil is quick to notice her epic pinball skills and they become friends.
As Neil's music career falls apart and Tilt is getting sick of her abusive home life, they decide to go on a road trip to raise money for his demo tape by winning big at pinball on their way to Nashville.


What Neil doesn't mention to Tilt is that he wants to use her skills to beat The Whale for revenge. Between Neil's gambling experience and Tilt's pinball magic, they're soon making big bucks out on the road and having a great time. Meanwhile, he secretly arranges a match with The Whale against his "mystery player" for $3,500.

"Life's like a seagull, the more you feed it the more it dumps on you." - Neil

The Whale

Tilt isn't too happy when she discovers the truth of the situation, and things get emotional when Neil struggles to get her trust again. He's not a scumbag and she's not a naive child, they both are just trying to find themselves in the crazy pinball game called life!

The story of Neil, Tilt and The Whale has an unexpected third act, and I was pleasantly surprised to see where it went. The movie definitely gets slow at times and feels way too long (110 minutes) but overall it's a decent story about growing up as an outsider in the 70's.

Be sure not to miss:
- The Whale's dance moves while he plays are pretty impressive. Take notes, Jeremy!
- Lots of cameos. Geoffrey Lewis, Don Stark, and Lorenzo Lamas

Internet review:
"i really believe that things are NOT what they seem in the "tilt" universe."  - golgo

Should I watch it?
It's good, and fans of pinball will enjoy it even more.

Where can I find it?
On YouTube

Tilt gets...