Two for the Money

Doesn't it seem like movies made before, say, 2007, were made an eon ago? Very few of them hold up to scrutiny.

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This one, starring two of Americas great actors, just barely merits watching. Al Pacino plays a slimeball who pressures people who can’t afford it to spend big money on football games. Matthew McConaughey plays a college football star who really knows and loves the game but who gets injured and can no longer play. Pacino’s character hires him to work for him as a consultant.

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We follow Matthew’s character as he goes from humble country boy to city slicker, from super confident hustler to detached, unprepared gambler. And, of course, the writers shoe-horned into the script a way for us to see McConaughey without his shirt on. He’s hot, of course, but with today’s eyes, that scene felt creepy and totally unnecessary.

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The peak of the movie happens when Pacino’s character thinks he’s setting up his wife and McConaughey’s character. He goes to great lengths to catch them having an affair, but in the end, he’s the one who gets played.

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The ending is corny too. The wholesome country boy returns to his roots while the unstable, recovering gambling addict goes back to his job pressuring people to gamble.