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Movies / On DVD / Two for the Money
Two for the Money

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Two for the Money (2005)

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Reviews Counted:107

Fresh:22

Rotten:85

Average Rating:4.7/10

Consensus: Despite its sportsmanlike swagger, Two for the Money’s aimless plot isn't worth betting on.

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Two For the Money is a drama of high stakes set in the adrenalized world of wheeler-dealers whose fortunes are won and lost betting on sports. Matthew McConaughey stars as Brandon Lang, a former... Two For the Money is a drama of high stakes set in the adrenalized world of wheeler-dealers whose fortunes are won and lost betting on sports. Matthew McConaughey stars as Brandon Lang, a former college football star whose uncanny ability to predict the outcome of a game introduces him to an unexpected new career when his gridiron glory is sidelined by a crushing injury. Brandon's talent makes him a prime candidate for recruitment by Walter Abrams (Oscar®-winner Al Pacino), the head of one of the biggest sports consulting operations in the country. Walter hires the small town ex-athlete and grooms him into a shrewd front man. Brandon soon begins to enjoy his status as a Manhattan golden boy and finds himself growing comfortable with Walter's high-rolling lifestyle. The surrogate father/surrogate son relationship fattens Walter's business and personal accounts...until Brandon's golden touch begins to falter at the same time that Walter's manipulation of his protégé crosses the line. With millions of dollars on the line, Brandon and Walter engage in a deadly game of con versus con, each one trying to maintain the upper hand while everyone in their world, including Walter's wife, Toni (Rene Russo), are drawn into the escalating duel-where ultimately everything isn't what it appears to be. A taut "who's conning whom?" drama, Two For the Money is a Morgan Creek production, directed by D. J. Caruso (Taking Lives), written by Dan Gilroy and produced by James G. Robinson and Jay Cohen. The film is executive-produced by Guy McElwaine and David Robinson. --© Universal Pictures [More]

Starring: Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Armand Assante, Rene Russo

Starring: Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Armand Assante, Rene Russo, Jaime King, Jeremy Piven, Ralph Garman

Director: D.J. Caruso

Director: D.J. Caruso
Screenwriter: Dan Gilroy
Producer: James G. Robinson, Jay Cohen
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for Two for the Money

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81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Not the best bet on the block.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
10/07/05
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Overheated but undercooked.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
10/07/05
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Completely forgettable except for Pacino, whose performance can be admired for being 'interesting,' if not actually 'good.'

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
10/07/05
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

a wobbly vehicle for Al Pacino that offers him numerous opportunities for showboating and histrionics, and nary a single credible scene.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
10/07/05
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Does earn its place amongst the list of films that understand what gambling is and how the downs of it may just be the up.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
10/06/05
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

It’s a good hour into the movie before you realize you’re not watching anything. But seriously, that hour was something else.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
10/06/05
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

lacks something all good movies need - A FREAKING PLOT!

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
10/06/05
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

Like the insurance policies they are, McConaughey, Pacino, and Russo save Two for the Money from swallowing itself in cliché and misplaced passion.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
10/06/05
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

Pacino ain’t Satan this time around, he’s just Pacino doing his Al Pacino imitation...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
10/06/05
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

The fun of this movie is seeing Pacino dive into the part and hang on for dear life, though the storyline zigzags from inconsistent to makes-no-sense-ville.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
10/06/05
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

A better-than-expected parable -- inspired by actual events -- about the power and reach of corruption.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
10/06/05
Mack Bates
Mack Bates
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two for the Money takes its cues from classic rise/demise stories of fresh-faced young men and their amoral mentors, but it stops short of making a point.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
10/06/05
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hedges on its lurid promise.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/06/05
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

The movie offers no handholds for the audience, leaving us behind in a flurry of important-sounding but meaningless exchanges between two-dimensional characters.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/06/05
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

It's engaging enough while it's going on, but has little visceral impact or resonance.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
10/06/05
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Even in the film's early, relatively enjoyable moments, you'll hear a small voice reminding you that there's a difference between a genuinely good movie and a merely watchable one. That pesky voice grows louder and louder with each scene.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
10/06/05
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News

A sincere and sincerely turgid male weepie about sports betting, Two for the Money lurches from upbeat to downbeat without ever settling into a coherent groove.

comment Comment
10/06/05
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

You know the filmmakers are manipulating the viewer when they intercut game footage with big dramatic scenes, but the acting (especially Pacino as the boss and Russo as his wife) is good enough that you don't mind too much.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
10/06/05
M. K. Terrell
M. K. Terrell
Christian Science Monitor

Two for the Money is "inspired by a true story." Problem is, it's just not that inspired.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
10/06/05
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

You can see Al Pacino doing something he's done a lot lately: Having a terrific time being an actor.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/06/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

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