The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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Best Player
Comedy · Family · TV Movie · 2011
After his parents decide to move to a retirement home in Florida, professional gamer Quincy “Q” Johnson (Jerry Trainor) must find a way to raise 175,000 dollars to buy his family home. After hearing about a tournament for the game “Black Hole” with a grand prize of 175,500 dollars, Quincy enters the tournament, only to be faced with a new challenge. An equally skilled gamer, named Chris Saunders “Prodigy” (Jeanette McCurdy), has become the one block in Quincy’s plan, defeating him at every turn. Quincy then teams-up with his friend Wendell (Amir Talai), to try and find ways to stop Chris from entering the tournament.
Movie details
Best Player
“Do you have what it takes to be the best?”
2011 Comedy · Family · TV Movie 1h 29m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.6 / 10
Community rating
After his parents decide to move to a retirement home in Florida, professional gamer Quincy “Q” Johnson (Jerry Trainor) must find a way to raise 175,000 dollars to buy his family home. After hearing about a tournament for the game “Black Hole” with a grand prize of 175,500 dollars, Quincy enters the tournament, only to be faced with a new challenge. An equally skilled gamer, named Chris Saunders “Prodigy” (Jeanette McCurdy), has become the one block in Quincy’s plan, defeating him at every turn. Quincy then teams-up with his friend Wendell (Amir Talai), to try and find ways to stop Chris from entering the tournament.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Best Player?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Damon Santostefano
Written by
Richard Amberg
Jerry Trainor
Quincy 'Q' Johnson
Jennette McCurdy
Chris 'Prodigy' Saunders
Janet Varney
Tracy Saunders
Jean-Luc Bilodeau
Ash
Amir Talai
Wendell
Elfina Luk
Mrs. Chen
Julia Maxwell
Cindy
Court is in session
Put Best Player on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.