Two for the Money Bets on Characters

Title

Two for the Money (2005)

Directed by

D.J. Caruso

Writing credits

Dan Gilroy

Selected Cast

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

Review

Two for the Money is about a sports-gambling genius who becomes the protégé of a high profile betting advisor.

Two for the Money does not have much of a plot, but the plot is secondary, because this film is highly character-driven. Matthew McConaughey is very likeable and believable. Al Pacino does an incredible job of playing a loveable scumbag. Remarkably well-written dialog aids their performances and makes for some entertaining exchanges that range from humorous to intense.

A weak point of the film is the football footage, which seemed strange and fake. It just kept taking me out of the movie. For example, the big football game in Two for the Money is Super XXXX. I guess the producers were trying to save money by not paying for Super Bowl rights, but why didn’t they at least get the Roman numerals right? Were they going to get sued by the NFL for Super XL? These awkward sports-related details damage the film’s credibility. The director should have found some more effective ways to dance around all of those tightly controlled copyrights.

Overall, Two for the Money is a pretty good film, with some engaging characters. If you’re a Pacino fan, you will definitely enjoy his performance.

Rating (1-10)

7

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