Why is Bingo One of the Most Popular Games of Luck Seen in Cinema?
One of the best tactics that screenwriters use to relate Hollywood blockbusters to its viewers is to introduce elements that the audience themselves will resonate with. This usually begins with the character and their particular predicament. But screenwriters are also able to evoke resonance with audiences with activities that we might do ourselves. Why is bingo one of the most popular games of luck seen in cinema?
The reason bingo is often used in films is that the backdrop of the bingo hall is a setting that can be played with. Take comedy Big Momma’s House 2, for example, where Martin Lawrence’s undercover FBI agent attends a bingo game. The film plays with the serious way in which some people take the game when one of Lawrence’s group accidentally shouts ‘bingo’. The scene uses the fact the game is a social activity to bring further hilarity when Lawrence is accused of ‘stealing someone’s man’, which plays out to a large audience.
Bingo is used in Hotel Transylvania to show the similarities between the world of vampires and monsters and the human world. The Hotel Transylvania resort hosts a bingo game with tiny skulls instead of balls being called. Moreover, bingo is played in the thought-provoking horror film The Babadook at a retirement community the protagonist works in. The scene represents the churning of protagonist Essie Davis’s life and the monotony she faces, which makes her a prime target for the horror that plays out.
Compare this to slots in films, which are often done as a solo activity. Tension is generally higher for slots scenes as their jackpots can be more immediate than a drawn-out bingo game. Ocean’s Thirteen features a small slots scene that highlights Brad Pitt’s character and his acting prowess. While in the airport, he suggests to someone else that they play his machine as it has been paying out. The man does so, proving Pitt was right. The scene highlights that for Brad Pitt’s protagonist, the films aren’t about money, but the act of putting a plan together and finding a team to do it.
Similarly, slots are played in the film Casino, which is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Robert DeNiro. The film was released to critical acclaim, and also makes a subtle point. Slots are used to highlight the character’s personalities and needs, as they act of a point of focus with each character playing for a different reason, while bingo scenes push the plot forward by having groups of people take part in something.
Even with the move online, bingo is a highly interactive game. Bingo has evolved past being played in a hall with numbers being called out and uses elements of digital technology to bring a new version of the game to players. As this bingo sites review shows, there are plenty of sites to choose from in a busy market, with each site pulling out all the stops to attract players with bonuses and special offers for signing up. Perhaps in the future, online bingo could be used in cinema in the same way traditional bingo is.
Bingo scenes make for great movie scenes due to the time the game takes to be played, the social setting the game opens itself up to, and the tension that can be built throughout, especially with the other players. It makes sense that the theme is used across in cinema.
