Even Money (2006)

Gambling addiction bring the stories of three otherwise unconnected people together as it destroys each of their lives.

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writer:

Robert Tannen

Stars:

Kim Basinger, Forest Whitaker, Nick Cannon

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Basinger	...	Carolyn
Kelsey Grammer	...	Detective Brunner
Michael Eaves	...	Announcer
Forest Whitaker	...	Clyde Snow
Texas Battle	...	Darius Jackson
Nick Cannon	...	Godfrey Snow
Charles Robinson	...	Coach Washington (as Charlie Robinson)
Ray Liotta	...	Tom
Carson Brown	...	Nicole
Jay Mohr	...	Augie
Grant Sullivan	...	Murph
Jamie Marsh	...	Writer in Coffee Shop (as James Marsh)
Shanelle Gray	...	Jill (as Shanelle Workman)
Tim Roth	...	Victor
Suzanne Covington	...	Lady Winner

Storyline

Gambling: Carolyn, a novelist, is losing her family's savings at the slots; she's befriended by a close-up magician who dreams of making it big. A murdered bookie has the cops focused on Victor, who fronts for the mysterious, never-seen Ivan. Augie and Murph, two other bookies ply their partnership, which is endangered by an offer from Victor to Augie and by Murph's girlfriend's rejection of his violent vocation. A mechanic, in debt to his bookies, asks his basketball-playing brother to shave some points. A paraplegic cop sees all. Will anyone reach their dream? The odds are against it.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | magician | debt | bookie | addiction | 

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Taglines:

Life is a gamble. How much are you willing to risk?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and brief sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nearly all the basketball scenes begin with a three or four note fanfare that seems intended to be jarring. These notes are actually the beginning of a fight song shared by both the University of California and UCLA.

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Goofs

When Walter is throwing cards in Three Card Monte, he has three cards from a blue deck of Bicycle cards. However, the queen of hearts he shows the spectators does not have the same face or design one would find in a Bicycle deck.

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Quotes

Detective Brunner: Like I said we're all chasin somethin. More money. More love. What we're really looking for is more life. But sometimes you go looking for more, and you wind up with less. It's a beautiful world. We ought to be satisfied. But the truth is... we all want more. Some take a chance for the rush of winning. Some for love. But you can't have your dream without laying something on the line. The key is not to risk what you can't afford to lose. You might think you're different. But someday... you're ...

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Shrek the Third/Once/Even Money/The Wendell Baker Story/Provkoed (2007)

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Soundtracks

Don Juan
Composed by Hugh Burns and Danny Schogger
Published by Extreme Production Music USA (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Extreme Production Music USA

User Reviews

Better than what I thought it would be...

Following the lives of three individuals centered around an addiction from which they find no escape. The only thing it gets them is DEEPER! Basinger plays a housewife who hides her gambling addiction from her family, even if it means they think she's having an affair. Whitaker plays the older brother of a college basketball student on the verge of making it big time, only to run the risk of being brought down for shaving points. DeVito is a small time magician with a bit of a gambling problem, himself, while Grammar plays a cop trying to find the killer of a bookie and finds himself on the trail of another bookie who's trying to take over the dead man's action.

This film is good! Really! I don't know what else to say about it. The characterizations were right on and the message is there: what a world you live in that will feed you what your disease tells you that you need! It affects all areas of your life: your sanity, your financial situations, your loved ones, your job, and, eventually, if you let it, your life. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bottom-feeders out there who's main reason for living is to give you that "sugar," only to take it away when the time is right (so to speak).

I'm not sure if the director and/or the writer were speaking from personal experience, but, speaking as one with his own addiction demons, he/they weren't very far off the mark! 7 out of 10 stars!

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 2008 (Egypt)

Also Known As:

Jump Shot

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,465, 20 May 2007

Gross USA:

$64,458

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$111,974

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yari Film Group (YFG), Bob Yari Productions, ApolloMedia Distribution

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1