CHALK United States

[Chalk] is principally set in Pop Watson’s
large, funky East Bay pool hall, the
Crabtree. Any glory days are long past;
ailing Pop has a cantankerous relationship
with his resentful biological son, and a
slightly warmer one with T.C., who’s been
hustling suckers at pool since he walked in
the door as a 12-year-old orphan 20-some
years before. Talented, unambitious T.C. is
nagged both by Pop and barmaid girlfriend
Lois to quit this penny-ante gamesmanship
and venture into the big time.
Jones snags a ranked tournament player,
the scarily volatile Dorian James, but T.C.
backs down from his serious challenge at
first. Only the discovery that Pop is dying
of throat cancer prods him at last into
putting high stakes and his own fallible
confidence on the line. -Dennis Harvey,
Variety