Vig

I can't believe that this was a movie made for video. The acting and direction are so tight that I would have been glad to go the theater to see it.

Peter Falk is very believable as the stained-by-life bookie with a generous heart. Freddie Prinze, Jr is chilling as the cocky and arrogant nephew of the underboss. He is down right COLD! He deserves his fame.

The rest of the cast is simply terrific. My only beef: Everyone should have had Bostonian accents since they were in Boston.

7 out of 10 stars. A joy to watch.

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....

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.

I loved every moment of the movie. The plot and the characters were believable. Peter Falk, Tyne Daly, and Lauren Holly were great as usual. Lauren Holly's character's sacrifice for her worthless husband was heartbreaking. I encourage people to watch it.

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...