• Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop Rated MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
      What's on TV & StreamingWhat's on TV & StreamingTop Rated ShowsMost Popular ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
      What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb TVIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
      OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersGolden GlobesEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
      Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
      Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
    For Industry Professionals
      AllTitlesTV EpisodesCelebsCompaniesKeywords
    • Advanced Search
    Watchlist
    Sign In
    Welcome to the new version of this page.
    Learn more
    Report an issue

    The Gambler

    • 20142014
    • RR
    • 1h 51min
    IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    68K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,378
    358
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Mark Wahlberg in The Gambler (2014)
    Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Jim Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an underground world while garnering the attention of Frank, a loan shark with a paternal interest in BennettÂ’s future. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chanceÂ…
    Trailer2:34
    6 Videos
    57 Photos
    CrimeDramaThriller

    Literature professor and gambler Jim Bennett's debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation, is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his lif... Read allLiterature professor and gambler Jim Bennett's debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation, is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his life for a second chance?Literature professor and gambler Jim Bennett's debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation, is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his life for a second chance?Literature professor and gambler Jim Bennett's debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation, is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his life for a second chance?Literature professor and gambler Jim Bennett's debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation, is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his life for a second chance?

    • Director
      • Rupert Wyatt
    • Writers
      • William Monahan(screenplay)
      • James Toback(1974 screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Mark Wahlberg
      • Jessica Lange
      • John Goodman
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Rupert Wyatt
    • Writers
      • William Monahan(screenplay)
      • James Toback(1974 screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Mark Wahlberg
      • Jessica Lange
      • John Goodman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 200User reviews
    • 185Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Videos6

    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:34
    Trailer #1
    The Gambler
    Clip 1:01
    The Gambler
    The Gambler
    Clip 1:01
    The Gambler
    The Gambler
    Clip 0:38
    The Gambler
    The Gambler
    Featurette 1:22
    The Gambler
    Q&A with Mark Wahlberg
    Interview 4:22
    Q&A with Mark Wahlberg

    Photos57

    Mark Wahlberg and Jessica Lange in The Gambler (2014)
    Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Kelley in The Gambler (2014)
    Mark Wahlberg and John Goodman in The Gambler (2014)
    Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, and David Winkler in The Gambler (2014)
    Mark Wahlberg and Rupert Wyatt in The Gambler (2014)
    Mark Wahlberg in The Gambler (2014)
    Anthony Kelley in The Gambler (2014)
    John Goodman in The Gambler (2014)
    Jessica Lange in The Gambler (2014)
    Mark Wahlberg and Richard Schiff in The Gambler (2014)
    Mark Wahlberg and Michael Kenneth Williams in The Gambler (2014)
    Mark Wahlberg and Jessica Lange in The Gambler (2014)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mark Wahlberg
    Mark Wahlberg
    • Jim Bennettas Jim Bennett
    Jessica Lange
    Jessica Lange
    • Robertaas Roberta
    John Goodman
    John Goodman
    • Frankas Frank
    Brie Larson
    Brie Larson
    • Amy Phillipsas Amy Phillips
    George Kennedy
    George Kennedy
    • Edas Ed
    Griffin Cleveland
    Griffin Cleveland
    • Young Jimas Young Jim
    Omar Leyva
    Omar Leyva
    • Valetas Valet
    Steve Park
    Steve Park
    • Number 2as Number 2
    • (as Stephen Park)
    Chil Kong
    Chil Kong
    • Blackjack Dealer #1as Blackjack Dealer #1
    Michael Kenneth Williams
    Michael Kenneth Williams
    • Neville Barakaas Neville Baraka
    Da'Vone McDonald
    Da'Vone McDonald
    • Neville's Muscleas Neville's Muscle
    Amin Joseph
    Amin Joseph
    • Neville's Bookkeeperas Neville's Bookkeeper
    Cjon Saulsberry
    Cjon Saulsberry
    • Neville's Posseas Neville's Posse
    Teebone Mitchell
    • Neville's Posseas Neville's Posse
    Jasmond Carroll
    • Neville's Posseas Neville's Posse
    Ria Wilkinson
    • Neville's Posseas Neville's Posse
    J. Denise
    • Neville's Posseas Neville's Posse
    • (as Janet McPhail)
    Alvin Ing
    Alvin Ing
    • Mister Leeas Mister Lee
    • Director
      • Rupert Wyatt
    • Writers
      • William Monahan(screenplay)
      • James Toback(1974 screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

    More like this

    Pain & Gain
    6.4
    Pain & Gain
    Broken City
    6.2
    Broken City
    Contraband
    6.4
    Contraband
    2 Guns
    6.7
    2 Guns
    Four Brothers
    6.8
    Four Brothers
    Patriots Day
    7.4
    Patriots Day
    The Gambler
    7.2
    The Gambler
    All the Money in the World
    6.8
    All the Money in the World
    Deepwater Horizon
    7.1
    Deepwater Horizon
    Focus
    6.6
    Focus
    The Italian Job
    7.0
    The Italian Job
    Spenser Confidential
    6.2
    Spenser Confidential

    Storyline

    Edit
    Jim Bennett is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank, a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett's future. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance. —Paramount Pictures
    gamblergamblinggambling debtgambling addictionyounger version of character76 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The Only way out is All in.
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for language throughout, and for some sexuality/nudity
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mark Wahlberg dropped sixty-one pounds for his role, going from one hundred ninety-eight pounds to one hundred thirty-seven pounds, by doing a diet consisting of mostly liquid food and vegetables, and a workout of strictly cardio. Wahlberg claimed that he deliberately set one hundred thirty-seven pounds as his goal, because the thinnest he had ever been for a role previously was Boogie Nights (1997), in which he played a teenager, and weighed one hundred thirty-eight pounds.
    • Goofs
      Early in the movie when Jim is at the blackjack table and wins an $80,000 bet with a natural 21, rather than being paid the correct amount which should have been $120,000, he is paid incorrectly as he receives 16 of the blue/white chips adding up to $160,000.
    • Quotes

      Jim Bennett: I've been up two and a half million dollars.

      Frank: What you got on you?

      Jim Bennett: Nothing.

      Frank: What you put away?

      Jim Bennett: Nothing.

      Frank: You get up two and a half million dollars, any asshole in the world knows what to do: you get a house with a 25 year roof, an indestructible Jap-economy shitbox, you put the rest into the system at three to five percent to pay your taxes and that's your base, get me? That's your fortress of fucking solitude. That puts you, for the rest of your life, at a level of fuck you. Somebody wants you to do something, fuck you. Boss pisses you off, fuck you! Own your house. Have a couple bucks in the bank. Don't drink. That's all I have to say to anybody on any social level. Did your grandfather take risks?

      Jim Bennett: Yes.

      Frank: I guarantee he did it from a position of fuck you. A wise man's life is based around fuck you. The United States of America is based on fuck you. You're a king? You have an army? Greatest navy in the history of the world? Fuck you! Blow me. We'll fuck it up ourselves.

    • Crazy credits
      During the opening titles, as the classic Paramount logo appears onscreen, we hear the sound of a roulette as the stars are aligning over the Paramount mountain.
    • Connections
      Featured in Film '72: Episode dated 12 November 2014 (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      That Glow
      Written by Paul Janeway & Jesse Phillips

      Performed by St. Paul & the Broken Bones

      Courtesy of St. Paul and the Broken Bones

    User reviews200

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Good attempt at going for the Oscar, Mark.
    I like Walhberg as an actor, and I think he's a good actor. This role was a different step for him. I would not have imagined Mark as a one hit wonder novelist turned lit professor from a wealthy background who seems on the road to self destruction due to his gambling habit. He's pulling on his ability to drive a movie, and it works.

    It's good that Wahlberg's performance was great (despite being very out of content form what we'd expected from him). The movie in itself was not really that good. I felt it acted too much like a sitcom with all our problems being fixed and wrapped up in a thirty minute format (or in this case two hours). Mark Wahlberg made you believe in how real this guy's problems were only for the story itself to contradict that.

    Mark was not alone in carrying the movie as he also had help from the always great John Goodman, who could have used a lot more time in the film, and Micheal Williams who played a great antagonist to Mark's protagonist

    For the most part, the movie was humorous and charming all thinks to the acting chops of Markie Mark. I don't know if the academy will take notice, but we all should.
    helpful•25
    17
    • bbickley13-921-58664
    • Dec 27, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 2014 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Los Altos
    • Filming locations
      • Playboy Mansion - 10236 Charing Cross Road, Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Winkler Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $33,680,992
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,129,999
      • Dec 28, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $39,280,992
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 51min
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Vegas Vault Robbers Battle Zombies in Wild ‘Army of the Dead’ Trailer
    Vegas Vault Robbers Battle Zombies in Wild ‘Army of the Dead’ Trailer
    Apr 13Rollingstone.com
    The Criterion Channel and Mubi Unveil April 2021 Lineups
    Mar 26The Film Stage

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Edit page
    • Getting started
    • Contributor Zone

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Shows Returning in 2021
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:58
    6 Shows Everyone's Still Talking About
    Watch the video

    Around the web

    Powered by Taboola

    Recently viewed

    You have no recently viewed pages
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • IMDb TV
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2021 by IMDb.com, Inc.