Ben Stiller’s ‘Born to Bowl’ Docuseries Packs Punch with Raunchy Humor!

Who would have guessed that bowlers can be so foul-mouthed?

The daring five-part HBO docuseries “Born to Bowl,” which shadows five pro bowlers on the Professional Bowlers Association circuit, is rife with irreverent humor, intense competition, and plenty of shouting and swearing, all narrated by Liev Schreiber.

Produced by Ben Stiller, the series might remind you of the real-life antics similar to those in “Kingpin.” The creators, James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, acknowledge the 1996 bowling film starring Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid as a source of inspiration. Given Stiller’s role and the focus on an often-ignored sport, comparisons to “Dodgeball” are also likely.

“That movie taught me never to pour sugar into a car’s gas tank unless I wanted to wreck the engine. It also taught me never to try hustling in a remote bowling alley, because you might run into a priest who’ll chop your hand off,” Hernandez shares with a chuckle.

Their admiration for “Kingpin” reached a peak during the filming of the fourth episode, which features Australian bowler Jason “Belmo” Belmonte. “It was surreal to see art imitating life. The US World Series of bowling was held in Reno, Nevada, at the same bowling center where ‘Kingpin’ was filmed. Arriving in Reno for the finale was a mind-blowing experience, especially since I’ve been obsessed with that movie for so long,” Hernandez reveals.

Apart from Pete Weber, few bowlers are widely recognized. Whether it’s the quirky pair from “Kingpin” or John Turturro’s character Jesus Quintana in “The Big Lebowski,” bowlers are often the butt of jokes. Hernandez and Lazarte aimed to shift this perception.

“Typically, bowling-themed movies and TV shows lean towards humor. Our main goal with this series was to maintain that humor, but without mocking the bowlers. We wanted to uplift rather than punch down,” explains Lazarte.