The Seduction of Gina

This film provides an excellent example of how the addiction of compulsive/pathological gambling begins. The film provided true to life situations that are common and could lead a person to become addicted to gambling. The story line provided true to life consequences of compulsive gambling. This film went beyond entertainment. A good choice for those who want to learn about the disease of compulsive gambling. What the film did not address was how to treat the problem of compulsive gambling.

When Eddie Van Halen came to visit his then young bride on set (1985) I knew I was lucky to get cast in this movie. One of my scenes was shot at the old Sagebrush Cantina in Culver City. A crowded gambling bar where Valerie's character spirals deeper into her gambling addiction. In the later years this TV movie was used to educate real gamblers on the perils of addiction. How time flies.

Valerie Bertinelli is young, married and bored. Her husband is working monster hours doing his medical internship, and has little time for her. On a whim, she goes up to Lake Tahoe with a couple of college friends. Finding excitement at the tables, she soon gets in over her head in gambling debts and spins lie after lie to her husband and family as she depletes her savings and trust........and in a fit of despair and hopelessness, beds a casino exec. who she befriended. This is a made for tv movie, so don't expect major character development, and yes it's a bit convenient. Overall,though it's an easy watch if you like Valerie Bertinelli. If you don't, then you probably wouldn't be watching it to begin with.

I came across this on Amazon for free and really enjoyed it. Watching Gina's "seduction" by gambling was hard to watch at times, especially how she kept dipping into her trust fund to chase after her next win. As stupid as she was, I still sympathized with the character and felt badly for her. It was clear to me that she was using gambling as fulfillment for the empty marriage she had to her med school husband who never had any time for her. She complains to her friend how she feels trapped in the marriage to a husband she never sees and how she "can't date". She obviously jumped into that marriage way too soon at 20 (or earlier as it's not determined the age she was when marrying, but she turns 21 in the film). It was a good film, but lacked a proper ending imo. I won't spoil anything, but I felt there should've been more to show before ending the way it did. Still, a solid 8 stars and Bertinelli is always nice to watch and the San Francisco early 80's street scenes were nice to see.

There aren't many TV movies about addiction issues besides drugs these days. Guess the casinos won't like this type of movie warning people about gambing addiction. Valerie Bertinelli does a great job as a bored San Francisco wife of a young doctor who starts taking trips to Tahoe to gamble and things get out of control. It's eye opening and fascinating. Not dated at all.