Casino games and casinos have features in many, many films over the years, sometimes just fleetingly, sometimes as a main storyline or setting. Bingo and bingo halls, well, not so much really. They just don’t have that mystique, or glamour. I mean, no matter how much you love the game, you have to admit it’s hard to imagine a tuxedoed James Bond staring down Le Chiffre over a bingo card.

But unlike card or casino action, bingo feels familiar and reminds us all of our favourite bingo games and having a lovely time playing with friends and family, which is part of why, when it does show up, it can fit naturally in films across very different stories and styles, like the following:

Bad Grandpa (2013)

Bad Grandpa is a part of the Jackass hidden cam franchise, written and directed by Jeff Tremaine. In the movie, a 70-year-old character, Irving Zisman, played by Johnny Knoxville, along with a child character played by Jackson Nicoll, travel throughout the United States, performing pranks on innocent citizens.

When they first hit the bingo hall, it all seems rather routine: players clutch markers, numbers are called out, and things proceed without any problems. That all changes when Irving Zisman springs into action.

What follows is the familiar Jackass style of a complete disregard for the rules and how things are supposed to be, with nobody quite knowing how to respond.

The Babadook (2014)

The Babadook is an Australian psychological horror directed by Jennifer Kent that revolves around a single mother, her young son and a mysterious human-like figure who haunts them.

The bingo scene unfolds in a community space, where the routine of the game carries on without fuss. Numbers get called, players focus, and for a brief moment everything feels grounded. That sense of normal life contrasts so strongly with the rest of the action that the film is all the more powerful because of it.

Reindeer Games (2000)

In this film, Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron find themselves in a rather intense predicament, making the peacefulness of the game, when it appears, even more unusual. Again, this contrast only helps in making the film more effective.

Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)

Big Momma’s House 2 is a comedy set in a retirement home where bingo is all the rage, with Martin Lawrence back in his role as Big Momma.

One scene that stands out involves Big Momma helping one of the residents win in the game, making an ordinary session of bingo very messy.

There is a broader context here as well. Not only does the film highlight the ways bingo unites people in the community, but even the younger individuals drawn into the community by the game itself.

A Simple Game, Plenty of Mileage

Across all these examples, bingo proves it can do more than just sit quietly in the background. On paper, it’s a simple setup; numbers, cards, and a winner at the end. On screen, it turns into whatever the moment needs, awkward comedy, quiet reflection, or something in between.