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Movie Review - Two for the Money (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
D.J. Caruso |
| Starring: |
Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo, and Jeremy Piven |
| Rated: |
Rated (R for pervasive language, a scene of sexuality and a violent act) |
| Length: |
122 minutes |
| Genre: |
Sports Dramedy |
| Tagline: |
None. |
| Studio: |
Universal |
| Website: |
Two for the Money |
| Release: |
October 7, 2005 |
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PLOT
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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.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Networks can't talk about it. The government can't tax it. Yet sports betting is a $200 billion a year business.
A business that strives to exploit every vulnerability, manipulate every gullibility, and convince the client that
it can provide them certainty in an uncertain world.
Two for the Money is the story of one man's journey into the sports gambling world. Matthew McConaughey
delivers one of his more impressive performances as he transforms from Brandon Lang, the smooth-talking golden boy,
into John Anthony - "The Million Dollar Man with the Billion Dollar Plan." A transformation that comes complete
with a new suit, a new car, a new attitude, and slicked back hair - a sure-fire movie sign that corruption or a
loss of innocence is imminent.
Portraying a character that must deal with this corruption of innocence, McConaughey demonstrates that he can act
with more than just his dimples and down-home Southern charm. Lang is a machine. He knows the teams, the leagues,
the players, the game. All he does is work out and pick winners, two facts made abundantly clear by McConaughey's
propensity to walk around shirtless just as often as he makes football picks. I may have rolled my eyes once or
twice, but I heard nary a complaint from the ladies in the audience. Except for that one that looked a little
like my Uncle Larry.
Lang's corruption rests solely on the fragile shoulders of Walter Abrams, a sleazy character played so effortlessly
by Al Pacino that you can't help but feel slightly disturbed by the ease with which he seems capable of tainting
ambitious young men. Screaming less than usual, Pacino's portrayal is nothing short of an indictment of those
sports advisors who feed on the weak. Sports gambling may be illegal in 46 states, but Abrams is well aware that
"sports advising" (the politically correct preference, no doubt) is not. Despite the false promise of certainty,
sports advising is presented as more used car salesmanship than mathematical study. Figure out your client's
needs, and get his money. That's the name of the game. As for actually picking a winner? It's 50-50. A flip of
the coin.
Sure, Lang is able to compile a pretty impressive hot streak, but what happens when it comes to a crashing halt?
The peaks are indeed very high when the fun and money are flowing, but is it worth the lesson learned when your
family is threatened and you're hit with the realization of what losing $380,000 can do to a family?
Ultimately, the movie would have proved more effective if there had been a greater emphasis on the devastation
of the lows of losing. Consequences are touched but never fully realized. I would have also liked less
predictability in a movie about a very unpredictable lifestyle, but Two for the Money still succeeds in
giving the audience a glimpse of what gets in the minds of those willing to gamble. Is it about the game? Is it
about the money? Or, as Abrams believes, is it about the risk some people are willing to take to feel what they
perceive as being alive?
The dialogue and character interaction happen at a quick enough pace to grab and seal your attention, and while
the last act is somewhat weighed down by the two-hour runtime and the semi-sappy melodrama of plans gone awry,
Money still manages to convince the audience to care about whether or not Brandon can get back to where he
began - the purity of the game.
You want certainty in an uncertain world? Then put your money on obligatory shirtless Matthew McConaughey scenes
and Pacino's incisors getting a nice scene-chewing workout. It's a safer bet than trusting your money with the
decision-making of those who care more about the profit than they do about you.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Inspired by the true story of Brandon Link. Link was a former walk-on for UNLV basketball. I have no idea if
he looks anything like McConaughey when his shirt is off. I really don't want photographic proof either.
- As far as I know, D.J. Caruso is not related to David Caruso.
- D.J. Caruso admits to loving sports and dabbling in gambling.
- David Caruso likes to put his sunglasses on and stand with his hands on his hips in CSI: Miami.
- Johnny doesn't gamble.
- The working title was For the Money.
- Rumor has it that a sequel is planned called Three to Get Ready.
- The rumor also states that this is a planned trilogy with the third movie being called Four to
Go.
- As odd as it may sound, the rumor also suggests that D.J. Caruso plans to wait 16 years and then start
a prequel trilogy. The first one will be titled One for the Money. I have no further information on
the other two prequels. Details are sketchy.
- Sadly, Johnny's probably laughing harder than anyone else at his jokes above.
- Johnny is always more than happy to see Carly Pope on the big screen; unfortunately, she barely gets any
screen time here.
- Stephanie was quite sad when McConaughey's character got his hair cut and all slicked back. She preferred
seeing the long locks curly and flowing.
- Stephanie is forcing me to point out that she would've given this movie 3.75 marks because of
McConaughey.
- Matthew McConaughey was in U-571 with Matthew Settle who was in Into the West with Josh Brolin
who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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This one would not meet mama's approval. The "f" bomb is dropped a LOT. Not only that, but there are times
when Pacino goes out of his way to make sure you realize the "f" word is being used. Other profanities
abound. As for the sexual content there is one short sex scene between McConaughey and Jamie King where Jamie
is briefly seen topless in the shadows. If you take a young child to this one then you deserve a beat down.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I'm not sure what you expected after watching the trailer for Two for the Money, but I expected a fairly
quick-paced film exploring the highs and lows of the sports gambling business. I also expected scene chewin' from
Pacino and non-shirt wearin' from McConaughey. Guess what? I got what I expected.
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THE GIST
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Two for the Money will prove to be most enjoyable to those with some familiarity or interest with sports
and the gambling side of the business. But McConaughey and Pacino deliver enough laughs and energy to make this
more accessible to those with little knowledge of the subject matter. If you have your doubts about this one then
don't worry about spending the big bucks to see it on the big screen - it'll make for a good rental.
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