Movies

Two For The Money Review

Release Date: October 7th, 2005

Runtime: 122 min

Rating: R - pervasive language, a scene of sexuality and a violent act.

Cast: Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo, Jeremy Piven, Armand Assante, Kevin Chapman, Jaime King, Gedde Watanabe, Ralph Garman, Charles Carroll, Carly Pope, Craig Veroni, Gerard Plunkett, Chrislyn Austin
Director: D.J. Caruso

Synopsis: Sports were a religion to his dad, but to Brandon Lang (McConaughey) they were a purity. Brandon grew up believing that if he filled the house with trophies then his dad would stay and give him the approval he always desired. His dad left before his 10th birthday.

That didn't stop Brandon from continuing to play and add trophies to the case. With his eyes on a future as an NFL quarterback, Brandon breaks his leg in his very last college football game. Always prepared for a possible comeback, Brandon passes his time with a $10 an hour job working a 900-service line. One day he's asked to fill in for a guy who makes football picks. When Brandon decides to make his own picks it's not long before he is on his way to becoming the biggest 900 line in Vegas. He receives a call from Walter Abrams (Pacino), one of the most renowned bookies in the sports-gambling business, and before Pacino can chew a single piece of scenery Brandon moves to New York to become Abrams' protégé.

Is this world as glamorous as it initially appears to be? Or will Brandon realize that the lows outweigh the highs? What happens when your love for the purity of the game fades? A sampling of the ugliness of the sports gambling life ensues.

 

My REVIEW:

 

I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and I'm glad I ended up seeing it. If you like sports, gambling and movies, then this is the flick for you.

"Two for the Money" tells the story of ex-College QB Brandon Lang's (Matthew McConaughey) introduction to the multi-billion dollar world of sports betting. Brandon starts out working for 1-900 number company in Las Vegas and soon discovers his ability to predict the results of College and Pro football games at 80% accuracy. This draws the attention of Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) the owner of a large sports advisory service in NY, who hires Brandon and introduces him to the world of big-time sports betting. And that's when the action starts.

Although the story takes place in a sports betting company, and has some great scenes about sports betting, the movie is really about the three main characters -- Walter, his wife Toni (Rene Russo), and Brandon -- and the relationships between them. Each character has their own history and motives, and watching the events unfold is the core of this movie. The performances are great, you get what you have come to expect from Pacino and Russo, and McConaughey also does nice work with his character. Jeremy Piven gets props for his role as Jerry, Brandon's rival at the betting agency.