Buzzfeed article ranking: 22
Number 23 on the list is Halloweentown II. I haven't seen any of that (apparently grotesquely long-running) series, so let's jump to this bowling-themed classic at number 22.
I'm not familiar with most of the people in the cast, but I'm sure everyone recognized Tim Reid (the dad from Sister, Sister) as the mayor. Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory also appears as a member of the bowling team.
(I'm going to describe the plot, but if you feel like my treatment is too brief, I direct you to the Wikipedia article, which contains a book-length novelization in the plot summary section.)
This story unfolds on the battlefield between two rival towns, East and West Appleton, competing for the possession of an apple-shaped trophy called the Mighty Apple. I assume the pervasive apple imagery is meant to impress upon us just how good-ol' these towns are supposed to be. As the movie begins, we learn that their rivalry has reached fever pitch, and ownership of the Mighty Apple is going to go to whichever town's junior high school can field a superior bowling team.
And here we meet our hero, Alex: a handsome, sociable, intelligent reject. He is accompanied by a quartet of equally charming kids who we're assured are untouchable social pariahs, apparently for no reason other than being on the bowling team. Mayor McLemore of West Appleton is galled to learn that this group of losers is the town's only hope of winning the trophy. Conveniently, it turns out the mayor's boy Todd has been added to the team roster as a prank. (What kind of a prank is that? You get the impression that the pranksters assumed he would never even find out about it, but once this big competition rolls along, he has to take his place on the squad.)
The mayor and most of the kids at school assume that Todd will lead the team to victory, but Alex and his pals don't think he has what it takes to be one of them. Most of the rest of the movie involves these unlikely allies learning to appreciate each other. Alex alienates his friends by skipping bowling to go to a party with Todd, but he learns that Todd's friends are only putting up with him because of his importance to the team. Meanwhile, Todd has also convinced Alex's father (who owns the bowling alley) to save his business by inventing cosmic bowling. The black lights and annoying music attract patrons, but the regulars are put off.
I don't really remember how all these things get resolved, but one way or another everything comes together in time for the big game. In the end, the outcome turns on a seven-ten split, since that's probably the only way you could have a thrilling climax in a bowling movie. Todd has to retire from the game to make way for young Delia, a mediocre bowler who claims she has a special system to make the spare.
(This is the old "smart kid calculates her way to sports success" gimmick. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work in real life.)
By an impossible technique, Delia wins the game. Everyone in town learns a valuable lesson about how winning isn't everything. As usual, this lesson is delivered by the winning team.
I don't think I've really sold this movie too well, but it's all right. It should be higher on the list.
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