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The Gambler starring Mark Wahlberg

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the-gambler.jpg


Rotten Tomatoes: 47%
Audience Score: 40 %

MOVIE INFO
Jim Bennett (Academy Award (R)-nominee Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Academy Award (R)-winner Jessica Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett's future. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance... (C) Paramount

CAST:
Mark Wahlberg
Brie Larson
Jessica Lange
Michael K. Williams
John Goodman
Leland Orser


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS AHOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw it last night. It wasn't that bad. I'd give it a 6.5/10. I actually hate Mark Wahlberg as an actor and didn't wanna see this movie but my brother really wanted to (and bought the tickets.) I didn't mind him in this movie because he doesn't have to show any range of emotion. He's a suicidal gambler who doesn't give a shit about anything. I like the concept of the movie but I think its execution could have been done better. He transformation from suicidal to actually caring could have been detailed better with more impact. Its like all the sudden he just wakes up and cares about stuff one time. I wasn't a fan of that.
 
Saw this today. Pretty crappy movie. The
class room lecture scene in the beginning was cringeworthy
and when you find out that
the mother took out the money he needed only for him to blow it all
was just crazy stupid.
 

Palpable

Member
I thought the movie was pretty good. I saw it with my dad and my brother for NYE (yep, in the theater when it hit midnight). I enjoyed it.

Anyone know the song that plays during the time-laps scene of Wahlberg in the Vegas casino?
 
I went to the movies to see The Impossible Game but it was sold out so I went in with no expectations for The Gambler AKA 'Mark Wahlberg's Costume Designer really loves this fucking suit' AKA 'No that's not Kevin Bacon, that's Mark Wahlberg.' I kinda liked it. There was some witty writing that sometimes made me laugh when it wasn't trying too hard to be heavy-handed, overindulgent writery bullshit. John Goodman's 'Fuck you' scene was probably the highlight for me.
 
Wasn't a fan. Especially since
the main flaw with Wahlberg was his "all or nothing" mentality. It's why he keeps getting into trouble and throwing away any chance of redemption. And in the end, he gets out of his predicament by doing the same exact shit he's been doing all along. Yet he somehow grew from it. It was also weird that these gangsters were loaning him money and giving him so many chances. That Korean dude especially was giving him loans and allowing him to gamble in his casino. Wouldn't that just double his losses?

As always, John Goodman was the best part.
 

strobogo

Banned
Saw this today. Pretty crappy movie. The
class room lecture scene in the beginning was cringeworthy
and when you find out that
the mother took out the money he needed only for him to blow it all
was just crazy stupid.

Wasn't a fan. Especially since
the main flaw with Wahlberg was his "all or nothing" mentality. It's why he keeps getting into trouble and throwing away any chance of redemption. And in the end, he gets out of his predicament by doing the same exact shit he's been doing all along. Yet he somehow grew from it. It was also weird that these gangsters were loaning him money and giving him so many chances. That Korean dude especially was giving him loans and allowing him to gamble in his casino. Wouldn't that just double his losses?

As always, John Goodman was the best part.

Did you guys not see the original? It's pretty in line with that.
 

strobogo

Banned
Nope. Didn't even know there was an original, thought they just shared the name.

The original has James Caan and is dope. It's pretty similar, although events in this are in different order, but the over all themes and character is the same. There is more thrill in losing for him than winning, and the bigger the stakes the better. He's also a degenerate gambler, so of course he would get a ton of money and then immediately blow it. The original is better, but this one was pretty solid.
 

Soma

Member
was the inflight movie on my flight to S. Korea a few weeks ago

it was okay.

liked hearing M83 as the outro song tho
 
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