Like the movies, playing bingo is an enjoyable pastime for many and a trip to the bingo hall is a great way to have fun and catch up with friends. Playing bingo online is also a popular choice for at-home entertainment on sites like wink bingo.
The game is a part of British culture and has been around for decades. Bingo isn’t just a scene in bingo halls but also a popular aspect in movies, with many films featuring bingo scenes to add excitement and suspense to the plot.
Here are just some of the most memorable bingo scenes that have features in well-known movies:
The Simpsons (1992)
The animated American sitcom, The Simpsons, is one of the most successful and longest running animated programs in television history. It made way for other animated sitcoms in the American market like Family Guy.
Bingo features in one episode of the programme when Simpson’s daughter Lisa takes a trip to the Springfield Retirement Castle where she meets one of the residents, Jasper. Jasper and Lisa spark up a friendship and Lisa is invited to join the residents for a game of bingo.
Lisa, who is a competitive player, is overjoyed at the possibility of winning the jackpot and the scene contains many funny moments. Lisa has four numbers in a row and needs just one more to win the game.
It is an unlikely friendship between Lisa and the elderley residents but one thing they all have in common is the thrill they experience when playing a game of bingo.
Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
In the second instalment of the highly rated film Big Momma, FBI Agent Malcolm puts back on his corpulent old lady disguise and takes on the job as a nanny so that he can go undercover in the house of a suspected criminal and gather the evidence he desperately needs.
Big Momma decides that they must go undercover at a retirement home in order to investigate what has happened to one of the residents in connection with the case. While undercover, Momma participates in the home’s daily bingo sessions and ends up winning every single game they play.
Momma decides to help one of the resident’s cheats at the game in a scene that is likely to be one of the funniest and most awkward in the entire film. Like The Simpsons, this film plays into the stereotype about the elderly population enjoying bingo.
Cocoon (1985)
Science fiction comedy Cocoon is an American 1980s classic film that follows a group of elderly people that have been rejuvenated by aliens. We celebrated the film here, as part of our 1985 retrospective. Ben, Arthur, and Joe are lovable residents at a retirement home and after venturing to a swimming pool they meet aliens that share their rejuvenation powers with them.
The film received a very positive reception and made over $76 million in North America at the box office. The film features the three main characters successfully enjoying a game of bingo.
Mama’s Family (1983)
Two years before Cocoon’s release, the television series Mama’s Family was aired for the first time. This series main character is Thelma who lives with her sister Fran, in the second episode of the first season Mama wins a cool $3 million on an online bingo game.
However, in order to collect her winnings, she must be able to speak English. During the episode she goes on to adopt a young orphan boy who, it turns out, is only able to speak Spanish.
While this episode was highly rated, the show as a whole didn’t attract the audience size that it needed in the later seasons and was cancelled after the sixth season.
Bad Grandpa (2013)
Fans of Jackass were delighted by the release of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa in 2013. Johnny Knockville played elderley man Irving Zisman who recently lost his wife and at the age of 86 years old is tasked with looking after his drug addicted daughter who is on parole.
In the infamous bingo scene, Irving is seen playing a game of bingo while making conversation with the other players. He makes a nuisance of himself and tests the patience of everyone around him.
At one point, Irving even drinks the bingo marker fluid. This scene is hilarious and has the entire audience in bits.
Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Inglorious Basterds is an iconic wartime comedy drama that was written and released by Quentin Tarantino in 2009. The lineup of stars featured in this film ensured that it attracted attention, including Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender.
The film tells that story of some Jewish American soldiers that were tasked with assassinating some Nazi soliders and Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) is in charge of making sure that everything goes to plan.
This film doesn’t actually show games of bingo being played but is memorable for its many bingo themed catchphrases, including “That’s a Bingo!”.
