IMDb >
Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002) (TV)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsBig Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002) (TV) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos (see all 2 NEW) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
31 March 2002 (USA) morePlot:
Moyher's good boy Benny Silman from Brooklyn becomes an economics student at Arizona State University... more | add synopsisUser Comments:
After School Special with Four-Letter words more (7 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| David Krumholtz | ... | Benny Silman | |
| Tory Kittles | ... | Stevin 'Hedake' Smith | |
| Carmine Giovinazzo | ... | T-Bone | |
| Jennifer Morrison | ... | Callie | |
| Nicholas Turturro | ... | Joe Jr. (as Nick Turturro) | |
| Frank John Hughes | ... | Brady | |
| Zachary Levi | ... | Adam | |
| James LeGros | ... | Troy | |
| Theo Rossi | ... | The Mook | |
| deMann | ... | Larry | |
| Alex Rocco | ... | Dominic | |
| Keith Loneker | ... | Big Red | |
| Jeremy Luc | ... | Nick | |
| Andy Buckley | ... | FBI Agent Simms | |
| Colin Patrick Lynch | ... | Agent Vasquez |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for sexual content and drug use.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
Brazil:88 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorFilming Locations:
California State University Northridge - 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: During the basketball game, it is obvious that the "people" in the upper seats are clearly cardboard cutouts due to a lack of extras on the set. moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (7 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002) (TV) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Factotum | ZigZag | The Rules of Attraction | Meet Me in St. Louis | The Cooler |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |



Hmmm, after reading the others' comments on "Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie", I am wondering if they really watched the same movie. Characters are the same, events are the same, even the silly cardboard cut-outs in the "big game" scene are the same.
So why would these people take the time to write glowing reviews of a boringly predictable moral tale?
Answer 1: Novices. Perhaps these people have never witnessed a "moving picture" before and are very impressed simply by the illusion of movement across large white screens (or glowing dots of light if they're watching on a television). Perhaps they have never experienced any of the thousands of children stories that show a protagonist doing something ethically questionable and then regretting it in the end (ie, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", "King Midas", "The Godfather", or any story involving getting wishes).
Answer 2: Friends of the movie. Perhaps these people either worked on the movie or are somehow associated with people with interests in the movie.
To keep with the movie's theme, I'm giving 3:2 odds on the latter.
Okay, the review (skipping a summary as you can read that elsewhere): From the opening scene, the protagonist, Benny (ably played by Numb3rs' star David Krumholtz), tells us this is the story of how he came to regret his current state. This swift reveal also destroys much of the opportunity this movie had to keep us engaged. Instead of letting us discover what happens, we already know how it's going to turn out. There's a fourth act and a bizarre epilogue as well, but I'll get to that later.
Benny's sidekicks are capably but predictably played as your basic NYC stereotypes. Benny's girlfriend is decently portrayed by "House" star Jennifer Morrison. The other bookies, bad-guys, and the basketball star (Tory Kittles) are again simple characters marking simple stereotypes. While better actors could have squeezed something out of the characters, there was clearly nothing in the script for them to work with.
One interesting note is the excessive use of body-mounted cameras. These shots are used to portray various intense moods of Benny, but are so used that they get very annoying. Instead of hitting the same note on the piano, let the DP use other tricks, please. Other than that, the look and style was decent for an ultra-low budget film.
But for a movie that indulges so much in the coarse pleasures of life (drugs, violence, strip-clubs, etc.), I am amazed at the lack of female eye-candy in this film. This is made especially more painful from the tease of the establishing sequence of why Benny chose to come to Arizona in the first place. Even the titty-bar shuns nudity (the girls are all wearing bikinis or silly-looking pasties). Sure, this was a made-for-TV movie, but it's already rated R. Truly sad is the decision to make an exploitation movie and not have any exploitation.
While the occasional breaking of the fourth wall (where the Benny talks directly into the camera during a scene a la "Malcolm in the Middle") is amusing, the near constant use of voice-over narration to explain, re-explain, and re-re-explain the plot is not only overkill, it's downright insulting. I paused the movie eight times to cool down before I finally finished it. Had I been in a theater I would have simply walked out.
And if the painfully clear moral of the film wasn't drop-dead obvious enough, after the out-of-no-where fourth act comes an epilogue. In this final bit, the real Benny Silverman talks directly to the audience (think "Blow"), re-re-re-repeating the moral, insisting for the audience to never do what he did (what? and never get a movie made about your life?).
It's like paying to hear a rich drug addict preach about not doing drugs. For me, the message is clear: I want my money back!