The sports genre can tell every kind of story, from a heartwarming underdog’s redemption to a swan song for an aging star or a comedic twist on the sport at hand. With Yassir and Isaiah Lester’s The Gutter, the filmmaking duo attempt to strike a chord similar to the likes of the Farrelly brothers’ Kingpin and Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope, delivering broadly humorous jokes amid a tale of an unlikely bowling superstar. And while they do often find their own unique rhythm, the movie still often largely feels too familiar to fully stand out.
