Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Janae Milner
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
redwhiteandblue1776
I like reading the reviews of other people and being able to compare my impression of a movie with theirs. However, I don't understand why so many people submit a movie review and feel they have to give a full summary of the plot. After reading the main review which covers the story line,I wish reviewers would just give their opinion of the film. No need to repeat the story over and over. We get it. Not too sure how realistic this story was. Seemed a little over the top but certainly drove home the point about the gambling issue. Fun entertaining "sports" movie but looking at it from a totally different angle. Football was just the vehicle for showcasing some people with some real personal issues.
KineticSeoul
This movie is basically a gambling movie on football taken seriously. This is a okay film but also forgetful, even if it had some amusing moments which started from the beginning. But it starts to get a bit tedious and really starts to drag. I thought Al Pacino was the highlight of this movie, not that Matthew McConaughey but he just made the film more exciting than it really is. The characters in this film just doesn't stand out that much and you just don't really care for them, the outcome at the end was sort of intense but besides that it was a average film about gambling on football where people invest in there wisdom. There was just too many scenes in this film with Matthew McConaughey having his shirt off and working out which I thought was pointless, although some girls might enjoy those scenes even if it slowed down the movie even more. They tried to give to much sympathy to the characters as well, but it just doesn't really work cause it just show there greed throughout most of the movie. Al Pacino basically carried this film without him it would be below average on the emotions of gambling with some drama thrown in.7.1/10
leplatypus
Al is a great actor so it's very annoying to see movies where he's a bad guy. It's like a dear friend turning into an enemy! You know all his capacities but sadly he uses them in a bad way! There, he plays a cynic and Machiavellian boss of a sports counseling firm. His motto is to turn his collaborators into money vacuum by all means. In a great scene of collective therapy, you understand that he is really ill.Beyond Al, the cast isn't really interesting (McConaughey is a masculine Playmate, never missing an occasion to show his body, Russo not much convincing) and the story a bit obscure: if sports bets are illegal, how can they advise freely? Why do they say it is tax-free?
Lucien Lessard
Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) is an ex-football player, who's now working for a phone service. Which Brandon could foreseeing the results on a game with lack of any professional insight. When Brandon receives an mysterious phone call from Walter Abrams (Oscar-Winner:Al Pacino). Which Walter offers him an job in New York City to join his gambling advising business. When Walter advices Brandon to change his look and name. Brandon's predictions towards Sports Games becomes an major success. Brandon makes plenty of promising clients and he becomes close with Walter and his wife Toni (Rene Russo). But when Brandon's predictions starts to change and his relationship with Walter turns bad. Which Walter isn't always the man, what he seems to be.Directed by D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, The Salton Sea, Taking Lives) made an interesting, modestly entertaining drama. Which is based on a true story on Brandon's fascinating life. The first half of the film works best, when it's funny and kept things moving. But then the second half takes a dark turn and slow going at times. This film is also about redemption towards these characters. McConaughey plays his role, quite well in this movie. Al Pacino's character, love him or hate him. His performance is always quite interesting, despite the many bad turns his character does in the film. Rene Russo gives her best performance here as Brandon's only sympathetic friend.DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an good-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an good commentary track by the director and screenwriter:Dan Gilory (Chasers, The Fall, Freejack). DVD also has Deleted Scenes with optional commentaries by the director and screenwriter, making of featurette, interview with the real Brandon (Which his real name is Brandon Link) and Trailer & T.V. Spots. Since his film was an box office disappointment. This is the kind of movie that plays better on DVD. Despite the solid premise of the film. This is worth watching, thanks to the performances of McConaughey, Pacino and Russo. Russo is one of the executive producers of the picture. Don't miss this true-life story. Super 35. (*** ½/*****).
