Entertaining with some problems...

Rating: 6/10 (28 October 2007)

I found this movie to be very entertaining and the idea does come at a good time as sports gambling is bigger than ever. It portrays the pros and cons and dangers of betting on sports and with several big names, the movie is worth while for someone who hasn't seen it yet. I think some of the acting was overdone and I thought the movie was just too "fake" at times. I know they cannot show real NFL games but some of the sports highlights and broadcasts were just blatantly not real and sometimes over the top. I think the acting was over the top as well, especially when everyone is sitting around watching the big games towards the end.
One specific scene where it is too "fake" for me is when they go 14-0 in the big weekend. In the final game they are watching Pacino says "if they score we win." There was several seconds left on the clock and the team that scored had the lead. In any football game, the team with the ball would have downed the ball and ran the clock out. 100% this would happen every single time, especially in the NFL (and with a 1 possession lead). I just personally think the games and plays were thrown together so carelessly that it's almost offensive to any sports knowledged person viewing the movie.
Personally, I do not find McConaughey's character believable. His characters turns a complete 180 and he is way too over the top at moments. He becomes too arrogant and non-likable. While I know that people change, I just think the acting wasn't as well portrayed as it could be.
One problem I do have with the bad reviews and some of my comments is that this movie is actually based off of a true story, so while people complain about certain scenes and certain plots, the movie is supposedly following the life of the real Brandon Lang, as he told it and explained the events that had occurred.
One personal comment about one thing the movie portrays. In the scene where Amir lost everything and calls McConaughey's character and is yelling at him, following with Lang's character reflecting on how he just ruined someone's life, I personally hate this stereotype. I do not like this scene at all as it is a terrible portrayal of how people's lives are ruined with sports gambling. Amir's character obviously won several hundred thousand dollars, minimum. Then he lost everything in a couple weekends. It shows how some betters will bet everything they have and lose. The movie portrays Lang's character as being at fault here, and trying to have the audience understand that while sympathizing with Amir. I find this to be ridiculous as there is no one at fault but Amir, and the movie does not show enough that it's the better's fault. Amir had a family and took several hundred thousand dollars and lost it all. Yet the movie tries to show that it is completely Lang's fault, and because of this, he has to get out of the business because he can't handle ruining people's lives. This scene just really bothered me as I think Amir's complete collapse just shows his addiction for gambling and his desire not to stop.