Even Money

Wow. I must disagree with the guy who hated the movie. Don't know what movie he was watching, but I was at the screening Sunday night and the film was well received and rightly so.

It's an intelligent, character driven movie. Great performances. They don't make many films like this anymore. I actually had issues with CRASH (the cartoonish depiction of race issues of LA, the coincidences). EVEN MONEY is a better film.

One issue: I had no idea in which city the movie took place.

Other than that, I highly recommend this film for those of you who miss the great character driven films of the 70's.

Despite its decidedly un-ambitious nature, "Even Money" is a modern film noir melodrama with more story lines and characters than Robert Altman's "Nashville." Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, Ray Liotta, Kelsey Grammar, Forest Whitaker, Grant Sullivan, Jay Mohr, and Carla Gugino all play individuals whose only real connection is that they are in some way or another touched by the evils of gambling.

Robert Tannen's overstuffed screenplay wanders all over the map, forcing the actors to spend most of their time just trying to keep up with all the narrative permutations. The most ludicrous subplot features DeVito as a washed-up magician who contemplates a professional comeback by teaming up with the best-selling author and compulsive gambler played by Basinger. Individually, any of the various plot strands might have made for an interesting movie, but taken together, they just keep getting in each others' way.

Veteran filmmaker Mark Rydell has not only helmed the piece but appears in a crucial cameo role late in the film. Sad to say, he doesn't make much of an impact in either capacity.

The cast is crazy good, but the fall short. I think it's a good movie, bordering on really good if you know what I mean. Danny DeVito doesn't acknowledge this movie in this film archives on this and Wikipedia I'm not sure why it's worth a watch. I know gambling I had to quit and I thought it was pretty authentic except you don't pay a bookie after a bit he always pay on Thursday. I'm not sure why Carolyn had to burn her hand, and it sort of falls apart after that. This movie is worth a watch, but it's a hard watch. Force Whitaker is the key in this movie. Embrace it all together. Academy award winning cast.

This movie was plausible. Gambling addiction is much like any other addiction, very, very ugly. The characters in the movie did a pretty good job in showing how addiction can destroy one's life. Each character fit his part quite well. Doubling your money, betting the odds may provide a rush, but in the end, it's one gigantic let down. A not bad movie.

There's quite a few fine films that explore the darker side to gambling and the soul crushing effects it has on people. The destruction of lives, relationships, families, jobs, etc. The best humanize these characters with their sickness at their best and their worst. Perhaps that's what 'Even Money' was trying for amongst other things on its mind.

Simply put, the movie has too many players involved and too much going on. In a bid to be grandiose and end in epic all-tied-together fashion - it ultimately feels heartless and forced. The principal players are as follows. Kim Basinger is an addicted gambler writer with a family. She links up with Danny DeVito who's an over the hill magician also addicted to gambling looking to get his glory back. Forest Whitaker uses his skilled athlete brother (Nick Cannon) to point shave his basketball games to keep the wolves (he's deeply indebted to) at bay.

If you like a lot of recognizable faces in the cast you certainly get it here. In secondary roles you have the likes of Ray Liotta, Tim Roth, Carla Gugino, Jay Mohr and Kelsey Grammer. It's also with these names unnecessary plot points and side stories occur. In the case of Liotta in particular, he gets to play the husband to Basinger as the truth comes out and their family gets torn apart.

'Even Money' isn't a horrible film. The acting is generally decent and it doesn't go all Hollywood giving upbeat, positive endings to all of the characters. However it also doesn't reach a satisfying place, only sporadically entertains and you'll have a hard time liking many of the faces involved.