The Gambler Review
Hello and Welcome Reviewers!
Today I’m reviewing The Gambler.
Short Synopsis:
Lit 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?**
Non-Spoiler Review:
The Gambler gives you a very small glimpse of the life of a person with a gambling addiction. Jim Bennett lives two lives, by day a teacher and by night a notorious gambler. If you love movies about poker then this will appeal to you greatly. John Goodman bring an interesting twist as a villain-like character. This movie is filled with some exciting moments and will leave you feeling ok with spending money to see it.
I give this movie a 5.6 out of 10.
Check out down below for a spoiler review on The Gambler. You’ve been warned.
** Warning, Possible Spoilers!!!! **
The Good:
- John Goodman plays a decent villain-like character. He knows the kind of person he’s dealing with when he’s talking to Mark Wahlberg’s character. He doesn’t play around and he means business. Compared to the other villain-like characters in this movie he is the best.
- Mark Wahlberg’s portrayal of Jim Bennett was semi-passable. He had a lot of funny one liners and brought a decent intelligence to the role.
The Bad:
This movie lacked a “big bad guy” and you can tell it from the beginning. No one really served as a danger for Jim. He did whatever he wanted and had fairly small consequences. This showed up when he lost in gambling, when he got caught by the loan sharks and when he spoke with his supervisor.
One of my pet peeves about a movie is poor transitioning. Jim goes from a big gambler to gambling free in the span of one day. You cannot be cured just like that and it made for a very sloppy fix in the movie.
“Bad guys” aka loan sharks allowing one of their delinquent accounts get more money from them. No one in their right mind would lend someone more money after hearing the person couldn’t pay. You normally have them pay off parts of their account then maybe think about lending them more money. It became laughable to see the different people allowing Jim to fool them.
The Hypothetical:
It would be a different movie if James actually paid off the loan sharks when he received the money from his mother. He could have started over and ran off with his student instead of falling back into the same loop. ***It sounds like I’m back tracking on my previous bad point, I know.***
Questions of the week: What do you think of the story? What would you change about it?
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**Provided by IMDB.com
