Could have been titled "The Never Ending Story"

Rating: 3/10 (20 January 2014)

I loved the trailer when it came out and immediately put it on my watch list. I really wanted to like this movie but instead wanted to leave half-way through it and struggled to stay awake through it. I heard the couple behind me talking about leaving and sneaking into another movie. And that was less than a 1/2 hour into the movie. I should know better than to believe any Oscar hype.
The movie drags on and on and on.... hence, my suggestion for it's title. The plot isn't that hard to follow, in fact, it's somewhat predictable. You know the players are going to get played. Maybe the movie would have been better without the narration. Just let the story play out on it's own.
The acting, taking individually, is good. But there is zero chemistry among the cast. The "best" on screen chemistry exists between Renner and Bale. I usually like anything Amy Adams is in, but this part did her no favors. In fact, her part doesn't make sense at all. She is shown in one of way too many flashbacks as a stripper. And we learn that she wants to be anybody other than who she is. Yet for the entire movie she's dressed as a stripper/whore. And did we really need to see her on the toilet??? She could have been a smart, sexy, player without the stripper costumes.
And please, every time you need a mobster, quit dragging out DeNiro. (See "Family") It's a discredit to his legacy. Granted, he had a small part, but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh at him or take him seriously.
Oh, and speaking of laughing... I never laughed once, nor did I hear anyone in the theater laugh. I've noticed that when people seem to like a movie, they linger in the theatre to the very end. Through all of the credits. Not this time. Everybody immediately got up and left.