Two for the Money (2005)

After suffering a career-ending injury, a former college football star aligns himself with one of the most renowned touts in the sports-gambling business.

Director:

D.J. Caruso

Writer:

Dan Gilroy

Stars:

Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Walter
Matthew McConaughey	...	Brandon
Rene Russo	...	Toni
Armand Assante	...	Novian
Jeremy Piven	...	Jerry
Jaime King	...	Alexandria
Kevin Chapman	...	Southie
Ralph Garman	...	Reggie
Gedde Watanabe	...	Milton
Carly Pope	...	Tammy
Charles Carroll	...	Chuck
Gerard Plunkett	...	Herbie (as Gerrard Plunkett)
Craig Veroni	...	Amir
James Kirk	...	Denny
Chrislyn Austin	...	Julia

Storyline

Brandon Lang loves football: an injury keeps him from the pros, but his quarterback's anticipation makes him a brilliant predictor of games' outcomes. Needing money, he leaves Vegas for Manhattan to work for Walter Abrams advising gamblers. Walter has a doting wife, a young daughter, and a thriving business, but he has problems: a bum heart, a belief he's a master manipulator, and addictions barely kept in check. He remakes Brandon, and a father-son relationship grows. Then, things go awry. Walter may be running a con. The odds against Brandon mount.

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Plot Keywords:

football | injury | father son relationship | addiction | gambling | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sport | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, a scene of sexuality and a violent act

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [ru] Universal [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

For the Money

Filming Locations:

55th Street & 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$12,183 (Chile) (16 June 2006)

Gross:

$12,183 (Chile) (16 June 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Morgan Creek Productions, Cosmic Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Much of the game footage shown during the trailer, and the ads for the DVD release of the film is real. They are clips from various USFL games. Several teams, The Tampa Bay Bandits, Boston/new Orleans/Portland Breraks, Houston Gamblers, among others can clearly be seen. The league existed from 1982-1987.

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Goofs

In the scene where Walter, Brandon, and Toni are speaking and Walter is telling Brandon about there being a next season along with basketball and baseball betting, Walters cigarette is on his lip backwards. The lighting end is in his mouth and the filter is about to be lit.

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Quotes

Walter Abrams: After the therapy, and the psychiatry, and the meetings, you know what it all comes down to? You're all fucked up.

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Crazy Credits

Inspired by a true story

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Connections

Referenced in Hierarchy (2009)

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Soundtracks

"I Play You Lose"
Written by Dwayne "Tezz" Morgan & Brian Yaskulka
Performed by The Grusomes featuring Tezz
Courtesy of The Outfit & 7th Level Productions
Under License from June Street Entertainment
By Arrangement with Paragon Special Products

User Reviews

Al Pacino is always worth betting on.

Mathew McConaughey is Brandon Lane, a former football star recruited by Walter Abraham (Al Pacino), the head of a sports consulting firm to help them set the line for their sports betting business. Lane's ability to predict the outcome of games quickly turns him into a golden boy, but it soon becomes apparent that he's bitten off more than he can chew when his abilities start to falter.

Two for the Money is a forgettable, generic thriller that doesn't really offer anything new. The film does have some entertaining moments and the first half of the movie is actually pretty exciting to watch. But, the second half is really slow and very tedious. It just drags on and on and for no reason either. It could have been a nice 90 minute movie but the story is stretched out into a two hour film. Luckily, Al Pacino is in the movie and he keeps the film exciting. He gives a good, over the top performance and he pretty much raises the film up to mediocrity. Personally, sports betting isn't that interesting to me but Al Pacino makes it interesting. He can turn a bad script into an okay movie which is what he does with the film. Let's be honest, the script is not very good and the direction is weak. It's so obvious where things are going which is not surprising because this is the same guy that made Taking Lives.

Al Pacino is playing mentor to Matthew McConaughey and their chemistry together isn't very strong. McConaughey is a pretty weak actor and he can't keep up with Pacino. The lead role should have gone to someone else. Rene Russo is okay as Pacino's wife. She gives a decent performance but she was a little too bland to truly stand out. Another thing about the film that people may not like is that every character is unlikable. It's hard to care for these characters because they are either pretty mean or bland. It didn't really bother me because I watched the film to be entertained and I did get some entertainment value from the movie. In the end, if you like Al Pacino then you should give the film a shot, if you don't then just skip it. Rating 6/10