Slamdance ’26: “Kings of Venice” Reigns Supreme
There is a terrible epidemic sweeping the United States. It threatens citizens’ livelihood and the very essence of this great nation. I’m talking, of course, about pickleball. While the sport was invented in 1965, it wasn’t until the pandemic that people began taking it up in droves. Those who play other court games, like basketball, tennis, paddle tennis, and padel, have a bone to pick with this fast-growing sport. Cities and recreation departments around the country are retrofitting established courts for pickleball at the expense of these enduring sports. In the Slamdance-screening documentary Kings of Venice, this isn’t just a fight to keep the local courts as they are. It’s a fight for a way of life.
Anyone who has been to Venice Beach will tell you it’s a strange place. Parts of it are trendy and expensive, catering to those with some money to spend. Abbott Kinney comes to mind. Then there’s what feels like the true heart of the city. Los Angeles has always been a magnet for characters, but Venice in particular is a hot spot for loud, eccentric personalities. If Kings of Venice proves anything, it’s that a lot of these boisterous people also love paddle tennis. The documentary introduces the audience to some of the regulars who spend hours on end on the court before introducing the villain that unites them all: pickleball. While the Venice regulars usually can’t agree on anything, they come together to protect their home court from turning into a pickleball haven.
Courtesy of Kings of Venice
“The Venice Beach paddle tennis world is sort of like a back alley fist fight,” says one of the guys who loves the sport. It’s a line of dialogue that immediately breeds some skepticism in the viewer. Racquet sports generally have a reserved nature about them. That doesn’t exist in the world of Venice Beach paddle tennis. Some of the blow-ups by the guys on these courts would give John McEnroe a run for his money. These guys are playing paddle tennis like there are millions of dollars, trophies, and careers on the line. None of that is even remotely offered to the sport. Paddle tennis never took off the way tennis, squash, racquetball, and now pickleball have. There’s a scrappiness to it, a chip on the shoulder of those who dedicate hours on end to playing the sport on these public courts.
Kings of Venice is the perfect storm documentary ingredients. At the heart of the film there’s a collection of class clown-type people who come alive in front of the camera. Scott Freedman is a gambler and self-described GOAT of the sport. Ernesto Russo is the angriest ex-Italian model you’ve ever met. Sonia Ode Lucci is a paddle tennis traitor. Carl Tabor is one of those guys who just seems to be everywhere. It would be easy to watch the documentary and think that any of these people are playing up their personalities for the film, but if that’s your opinion, take a stroll along Venice Beach sometime.
Courtesy of Kings of Venice
Another ingredient that makes Kings of Venice a perfectly balanced documentary is that the film culminates in a David vs. Goliath battle for the legacy of paddle tennis. Scott Freedman has rustled up $50,000 for a Kings of Venice paddle tennis tournament. He’s invited the usual guys who play regularly, but he’s also invited two of the best professional pickleball players to compete. More than money, the heart, soul, and pride of the paddle tennis players are on the line.
The final ingredient of Kings of Venice is its pure adoration for Venice Beach. It’s a snapshot of a time, place, and group of people. Not all of it is pretty. There’s a sequence of the paddle tennis players screaming at pickleballers that results in the cops being called, and some of the subjects have egos that aren’t exactly welcoming. Nonetheless, Kings of Venice is a snapshot of this quest for paddle tennis preservation. The nobility of that is up for debate, but the passion is not.
Catch Kings of Venice at Slamdance! Visit the Slamdance website for tickets and screening information.
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