Rating: R
Starring:
Kim Basinger as Carol Carver
Danny DeVito as Walter
Kelsey Grammer as Detective Brunner
Nick Cannon as Godfrey Snow
Ray Liotta as Tom Carver
Forest Whitaker as Clyde Snow
Carla Gugino as Veronica
Grant Sullivan as Murph
Jay Mohr as Augie
Cassandra Hepburn as Claudia
Texas Battle as Darius Jackson
Shaunt Benjamin as Detective Jenkins
Amy Boatwright as Debbie/Card Dealer
Rita Branch as Sara Jones
Carson Brown as Nicole Carver
Jonathan T. Floyd as Michael Black
Tim Roth as Victor
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Forest Whitaker, Kim Basinger, Danny Devito, Kelsey Grammer and Ray Liotta star in director Mark Rydell’s ensemble addiction drama detailing the manner in which gambling and drugs affect a variety of people’s lives during the weeks leading up to a championship college basketball game.”
“Even Money” is rated R for language, violence and brief sexuality.
Mini-Review:
Despite a good cast, I was disappointed by “Even Money.” First of all, the performances weren’t all that great. Almost all the scenes between Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito were horrible. Basinger ooh’s and aah’s like a child while DeVito does weak magic tricks. Forest Whitaker overacts as the gambling addict whose brother is a star basketball player. And Kelsey Grammer inexplicably has a fake nose. The only stars who come off looking good are Ray Liotta as Tom Carver, Carla Gugino as Veronica, and Jay Mohr as Augie.
Then there’s the disappointing story. You watch all the character’s lives slowly spiral down the toilet. Seeing characters slowly destroy themselves isn’t exactly my idea of entertainment. And sadly there’s nothing unique about any of it. While it’s an interesting idea to show the horrors of addiction from several different perspectives, it has all been done before and done better. The large ensemble cast has very little to work with here.
“Even Money” comes across in the end looking like a weak TV movie. (And it’s not because of the large number of former TV actors.) I recommend you avoid it and watch other movies on addiction.
The creators also must not have been terribly proud of this film as there are no bonus features included.
