| Overall Grade: |
C+ |
|
| Story: |
D+ |
|
|
| Acting: |
B+ |
|
|
| Direction: |
B |
|
|
| Visuals: |
B |
|
|
I want to love this film...
by Sal (movies profile)
Apr 28, 2008
3
of
3 people found this review helpful
Deal has all the charm, drama, and cool comedic delivery you would expect from it's leading and supporting actors.
Burt Reynolds is always a Kool Kat, but his dyed mustache and eyebrows took me out of every scene, not to mention his parched puss (somebody find some skin cream before he tears his face off).
Bret Harrison portrays Alex Stillman, the flawed Poker Phenom, with reserve and charm, holding back some of the comedic frenzied crackle and spark of his TV personas. A calculated risk, but in the end his mature performance is slightly boring.
Charles Durning is always excellent, and when he's with Burt, the energy of the acting notches up the scale. I wish there were more scenes with Chuckie D. throughout, then Burt's Tommy Vinson wouldn't have been so mono-dimensional.
Ultimately, the Story is weakest link. Not enough complexities to keep me interested or in my seat with a runtime of 86 minutes, just not a whole lot going on. Think "The Color of Money" meets "World Poker Tour" with not much else going on.
I hate Spoilers, so I'll leave out any comments about Shannon Elizabeth's Michelle.
With all the bad cards, forget the Ante and FOLD before you CALL for your tickets. |
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