Vig

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...

OMG, I love this movie. In the first place, Peter Falk is in it and that makes any movie at least good. Second, there is Tyne Daly... same thing. Two absolutely natural actors who bring up the real estate wherever they are But what really impressed me was Freddie Prinze Jr. He played a character so despicable, I wanted to spit at the screen Anne hope he'd feel it. (I didn't) The only real Boston accent was from Steve Sweeney who after all is a Boston based comic as well as an actor. I lived around those accents so I'm sort of an expert.

The simple story is that Falk is an Irish guy who really is decent but has to make his way in a less than honorable profession. Now he is saddled with a tough punk (Prinze) There's slightly less cursing than a Scorcese flick but not more than a Tarrantino, but this doesn't hurt the story. It makes it just real enough.

Add a couple of Sopranos cast members and it's even more real. Lauren Holly and Timothy Hutton (doing a great Boston accent) as a couple with their own problems. A husband who's a drunk who would steal his wife's check to gamble and a woman who has to deal with him because she loves him, and he's l she's got.

Once again, Frank Vince.t plays his.usual tough guy character who saddled Falk with the punk in the first place.

Not a perfect movie, but a true slice of the underbelly of Boston life and with a "wow" finish.

I can't believe it had problems finding a distributor. There's magic here.

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.

A wistful tale of a bookie past his prime and too nice to play the debt collector. Peter Falk gives an amazing performance as a small time Boston bookie who's far too reluctant to enforce the tough tactics of his mob boss. The movie starts slow but rewards with a touching tale aided by an inspiring cast. Lauren Holly is convincing as a self-sacrificing waitress wife of her gambler cum alcoholic husband and shows she's no barbie doll. Excellent acting also by Tim Hutton as Holly's irresponsible husband and Tyne Daly as Falk's wife. The dull spot is Freddie Prinze Jr's (who should remain in comedy) one-dimensional role. He was unable to portray well his role as an arrogant self-serving and cowardly young punk.

Vig (or Money Kings) is a story about how the simple way of life can never be the status quo. This is a story about commitment, responsibility, sacrifice and doing what is right. Great movie and a touching tale.

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.