The fact that Two For the Money is an Al Pacino movie made in the 2000s means that it should be probably approached with some skepticism. The fact that Matthew McConaughey shares the lead should only increase these feelings.
McConaughey plays a star college quarterback who suffers injuries that end his playing career. When he realizes he has an uncanny knack for correctly betting on pro football games, he starts making large quantities of successful predictions and is eventually recruited by gambling-advise man Walter Abrams. Abrams makes him the star of a TV gambling show, where he changes his name from Brandon Lang to "The Million Dollar Man" John Anthony. His image is adjusted accordingly and he makes solid picks until he gets too cocky. From here the movie tries to blend a rise and fall story with a father/son like relationship between the main characters. Rene Russo costars but seems to be under utilized on screen. Jeremy Piven gives a decent supporting role in an Ari-like character.
Overall the film is pretty unsuccessful. The last 45 minutes are messy, and most importantly, the stakes in all of the character's stories seem way too overblown and it just gets exhausting. One really ends up not caring what happens to any of them. For me, the highlight of the movie is the big monologue Al Pacino gives at a gambler's anonymous meeting. It's his second-best "so bad it's good" moment of his career, falling behind his speech about God in The Devil's Advocate ("HE'S A CHOKE ARTIST!!! HE'S A SADIST!!! HE'S AN ABSENTEE LANDLORD!!! WORSHIP THAT?! NEVER!!"). Over the top Al can really be a lot of fun, especially with Keanu Reeves or Matthew McConaughey trying to breathe in exactly what the hell he is doing.
Football Movie Marathon Rankings
1. Brian's Song
2. Varsity Blues
3. Two For the Money
No comments:
Post a Comment