Vig

well i happened upon this movie on VHS at the thrift store. i feel like i just wasted 5 hours of my life, although the movie run time was probably under 2. it opened up with frank vincent and tony cirico a la sopranos, 2 excellent mafia actors... in an "introduction/set-up scene". "wow, this should be interesting..." i thought to myself. it held my attention through ACT I, but "petered" out quickly. freddie prinze seemed miscast for this. but that is a moot point... i'm only writing this review to forwarn potential viewers... do not waste your time. do not be swindled in by the cast names. it is a waste of a cast. lauren holly is excellent in her role in and of itself - i'll say at least that. But Bottom Line: there's no point dissecting the misgivings in plot, premise, plausibility and aesthetics... it's just a bad movie.

Got this movie because my sister really likes Freddie Prinze Jr. and he seems pretty cool to me. He plays a pretty unlikable small-time collector for a bookie played by Peter Falk. The plot is pretty straightforward and slow-developing but the characters and dialogue make it easy to watch. I could watch this one again especially for Lauren Holly's performance as a gambler's long-suffering wife.

This movie was a bit hard to find...Mainly because the title was changed without my knowledge...When I first saw it on cable TV...It was simply called "Vig"...But it wasn't until I found it on Netflix under the title "Money Kings" did I realize it was the same film...

Either way...The performances for the most part were absolutely wonderful...Peter Falk was great as a bookie working for the Mob and looking forward to retirement...Timothy Hutton was very convincing as an alcoholic unemployed father who tries too hard to win a quick buck at gambling to support his wife and children...

Tyne Daly turns in a very solid performance as an understanding wife to Peter Falk's character...And there were even a couple of actors who made good credible sideline characters...Frank Vincent as a debt collector...And Colm Meany as a police detective...I also liked the brief cameo by Tony Sirico as the head of the mafia organization...

The real stand out acting was done beautifully by Lauren Holly who delivered what was by far...The best performance in the movie...She played the wife to Timothy Hutton's character...A struggling Mother working two jobs to makes ends meet...Not only is she a hard working Mom trying to take care of her children...But also an amazing wife willing to do whatever it takes to keep her marriage from falling apart...She easily stole the show every time she was on screen...

The only major problem with this film was the casting of Freddie Prince Jr. as the new young mafia persona looking to take over Peter Falk's booking operation...I can see now why he does so many romantic comedies...Because those are the only kinds of films he can do where he can at least come off as a somewhat credible actor...

Beyond that...This was a pretty solid film with great acting and a great story...And in my honest opinion...It should have received a lot more attention than it did...Thanks to Netflix...I can say that I have a great deal of respect for this film now than when I had seen it before...

And That's All There Is Too It...

Peter Falk stars as nice-guy bookie and pub owner, Vin, who is slowly being squeezed out by Tony Cicero, an arrogant, ambitious coke-head, who's family connections force Vin to take him on as an assistant, although he is unaware of Tony's plans to "own the neighborhood." Mafia-movie regular, Frank Vincet, plays Tony's scheming uncle who is secretly working behind the scenes to make sure that Vin doesn't get in the way of his nephew's plans to satisfy the boss. Vin soon catches on however, and knows that as Tony keeps pushing his way up, he is destined for trouble and, like a lion in the jungle, will either has to exert his prowess. It's a dangerous game that Vin is willing to play.

I caught this one on TV and it did turn out to be a pretty good drama if you're not already exhausted with the millions of movies about the mob. Although, Freddie Prinz, Jr. was a miscast is barely convincing in the macho role of Tony Cicero, nor could he pull off the accent. His consistent pretty boy appearance and lightweight performance just wasn't enough to make a believable adversary of any of the so-called "good guys" in this movie (namely, Peter Falk as Vin, the owner of the pub). He always looked ready to laugh. Peter Falk, too, came off a bit wooden. (And, the fist fighting and face-slapping scenes were horribly choreographed). But the story may be just enough to interest anyway. Good supporting cast.

This film is only for those who still have a brain...and know it. It is sensitive and purposeful...if you reminisce about people with character..this is it...IT has a BEGINNING...a MIDDLE...and an END....and it sparkles with fine acting and the gritty photography it should have...FIND IT...SEE IT....