Two for the Money
Starring: Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo, Jeremy Piven, Jamie King
Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Sports, Thriller
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Ex-football player Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughy) has an uncanny ability to pick the winner of football games. He goes to work for a huge sports betting firm and the mogul (Al Pacino) running it. While the pressures to pick winners continues to mount, Brandon's life changes for the better and then, possibly, for the worse.

Review:

Tim: I have to say, I felt absolutely no excitement about this movie. It didn't appeal to me in the least. I don't know why exactly, but this just seemed like a needless, pointless movie. While watching it, I have to admit that it is decent, it still just holds no appeal to me. This isn't a bad movie, just a somewhat lackluster film. I enjoyed watching it, but I have no desire to ever see it again.

The cast is pretty good, at least on paper. Al Pacino always puts on a good show, although he occasionally goes over the top here. Matthew McConaughey is good, and problem was correctly cast, but he never really makes the impact needed. He does a good job, but I'm not sure if he just pales in comparison to Pacino, or if he just didn't put his all into the film, but he could have been better. Rene Russo is decent, and it's nice seeing her on screen again, but she doesn't add much to the film.

I think part of my distaste for this film comes from the fact that it comes across as too glitzy. It's set in the world of sports betting, has a flashy cast, sharp dialogue, money, women, and temptation. But when you actually get into it, there is surprisingly little substance. None of this feels particularly important, and we're left feeling a strange sense of ambivalence toward all these characters and the situations they find themselves in. It is hard to watch a movie where we really don't care what happens to anyone involved.

Two for the Money is decent, but in the end, is far too weak to be very good at all.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Sahara, The Devil's Advocate, The Thomas Crown Affair