Two for the Money - movie review

The only thing worth betting on in Two for the Money is that Matthew McConnaughy is devasting without his shirt on. That one moment all women wait for in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is repeated - more than once - here. And thank goodness for that because without the M.M. hotness, there would be little to sustain this one-note flick.

Money is inspired by the story of Brandon who ruins his knee in the big game in highschool and loses his "window" for glory in pro football. After years of getting by as a 900-number recorder still living with his mom, he is recruited by Pacino's betting-line guru. The pair take the tips-hotline business to new heights thanks to the on-the-money picks of Brandon that keep the gambling fish on the line. And then, of course, it all goes wrong.

The film losing its momentum about half-way through as though its not sure of where it wants to go or what is wants to say. As the relationship between the two leads evolves, Pacino's character is revealed to be an incomprehensible destructive force, and McConnaughy's Brandon falls too easily into the temptations. There are shades of The Devil's Advocate here but, thankfully, Pacino chews a bit less of the scenery. He does, however, set his protege up for failure more than he supports him and the dysfunctionality of the pair is palpable. The two are anchored by the presence of Rene Russo as Pacino's wife who acts as a trident for the former and a conscience for the latter. It is an unsual and flawed role that, like many things in the film, is never fully articulated.

Director D.J. Caruso has a film history of flawed individuals hoping for peace of mind (Taking Lives, The Salton Sea) and once again Money attemps to redeem itself by redeeming its characters. But by the end, the film has long-been scratched as a winning bet. A slow, muddled mid-section is tiresome and the final triumph is overly convenient. The film could have been a solid character study but it gets busy trying to play the game of mainstream cliches and never really scores