Susan Granger’s review of “Even Money” (Yari Film Group)
This low-budget, independent cautionary tale about gambling attempts to capture the insidious Lady Luck addiction fever – and despair.
Instead of writing her new novel, Carolyn Carver (Kim Basinger) secretly spends her days in front of the slot machines at the local casino, much to the chagrin of her neglected husband (Ray Liotta) and teenage daughter. Deeply in debt, her desperation grows – until she befriends Walter (Danny De Vito), a washed-up magician who convinces her that he knows of a fixed sport event, “a sure thing,” she can bet on. That involves a college basketball star (Nick Cannon) who has been shaving points to help his brother (Forrest Whitaker) settle a gambling debt and a bookmaker (Grant Sullivan) who is losing his girlfriend (a now-grown-up Carla Gugino) because of the unsavory nature of his business. Traipsing through the crumbling trail of tales, there’s a detective (Kelsey Grammer, wearing a distracting prosthetic nose) and a sleazy, sadistic mobster (Tim Roth).
Problem is: since you have no idea why Carolyn’s wasting her life, Kim Basinger’s portrayal is shallow, at best. First-time screenwriter Robert Tannen fails to give her motivation, an omission which irreparably dilutes Mark Rydell’s (“The Rose,” “On Golden Pond”) direction. In addition, neither production designer Robert Pearson nor cinematographer Robbie Greenberg captures the sensory allure of today’s casinos. And the rising threat of Internet wagering is never even mentioned.
According to statistics, pathological gambling affects 1% of all adults. Another 2-3% have less significant but still serious problems and are known as ‘problem gamblers.’ But, unfortunately, this low-budget, independent series of interconnected vignettes adds little that hasn’t been covered – better – before. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Even Money” is a floundering, clichŽ-filled 4. Don’t bet on it.
