Two for the Money (2005)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

D.J. Caruso

Writer (WGA):

Dan Gilroy (written by)

Release Date:

7 October 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport | Thriller

Plot:

After suffering a career-ending injury, a former college football star aligns himself with one of the most renowned touts in the sports-gambling business.

Plot Keywords:

Football | Injury | Quarterback | College Football | Gambling

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Walter Abrams
Matthew McConaughey	...	Brandon Lang
Rene Russo	...	Toni Morrow
Armand Assante	...	Novian
Jeremy Piven	...	Jerry
Jaime King	...	Alexandria
Kevin Chapman	...	Southie
Ralph Garman	...	Reggie
Gedde Watanabe	...	Milton
Carly Pope	...	Tammy
Charles Carroll	...	Chuck
Gerard Plunkett	...	Herbie
Craig Veroni	...	Amir
James Kirk	...	Denny
Chrislyn Austin	...	Julia

Also Known As:

For the Money (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, a scene of sexuality and a violent act.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | Norway:11 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Hungary:16 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | South Korea:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

55th Street & 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Three members of the main cast (Marshall Efron, James Cranna, and Julie Payne) had small roles in another Lucasfilm production: THX 1138 (1971)

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the scene where Walter, Brandon, and Toni are speaking and Walter is telling Brandon about there being a next season along with basketball and baseball betting, Walters cigarette is on his lip backwards. The lighting end is in his mouth and the filter is about to be lit.

Quotes:

Walter Abrams: Stats are not enough, you need a voice! These are gamblers ready to risk what they can't afford for what they can't have, you're selling the world's rarest commodity: certainty, in an uncertain world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hierarchy (2009)

Soundtrack:

I'm Sitting on Top of the World

The odds

There is a scene at the beginning of the film that seems to set the tone of "Two for the Money". We watch as Walter Abrams is talking on the phone with someone who will not be able to provide an elephant for his daughter's birthday party. Walter barks to his assistant, "Get me Ringling". When the call finally comes through, he demands to know whether he is talking to Barnum or Bailey, which is a funny line. Wasn't P.T. Barnum himself the man famous for that quotation about a sucker being born every minute?

Walter Abrams is a man who is in the sports betting business. He and his associates stand to make millions out of the jerks they pursue to do their betting with his firm. Having found a new rising star, Brandon Lang, a man that knows a lot about the intricacies of point spreads and picking winners. Walter wants to transforms him into a man who can bring more money into his outfit.

In order to do that, Walter must groom him to "look" the part. As such, Brandon becomes John Anthony, the man who can produce fabulous results every week end during the football series. Brandon gets to meet the insiders, but little does he know who he is dealing with, or much less, what is expected of him. After all, he is just as good as the winners he can produce.

The film, directed by D. J. Caruso, a man who has worked extensively in television, has a glossy look. The screen play by Dan Gilroy could have used some tighter editing, because at two hours it feels a bit long.

Al Pacino, as Walter, has some good moments; we have seen him in better roles, and this one is a composite of other things he has done before. Mr. Pacino compensates when the screen play is not going anywhere by applying an intensity that doesn't go well with the others playing opposite him. Matthew McConaughey is a light weight actor who, aside from his good looks, doesn't bring anything to this story. Rene Russo is obviously a tall woman who towers over Mr. Pacino in most of their scenes together. Their relationship doesn't come across as being a real thing. Jeremy Piven and Armand Assante make good contributions in supporting the principals.

While "Two for the Money" is by no means a horrible film, it just doesn't have anything new to say.