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Two for the Money (2005 film)

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Two for the Money
Theatrical release poster
Directed byD. J. Caruso
Written byDan Gilroy
Produced byJames G. Robinson
Starring
CinematographyConrad W. Hall
Edited byGlen Scantlebury
Music byChristophe Beck
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • October 7, 2005 (2005-10-07)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million
Box office$30.5 million[1]

Two for the Money is a 2005 American sports drama film directed by D. J. Caruso and starring Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo, Armand Assante and Carly Pope. The film is about the world of sports gambling. It was released on October 7, 2005. It is the first Morgan Creek movie distributed by Universal Pictures since Coupe de Ville in 1990.

Plot

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Brandon Lang is a former college football star who, after sustaining a career-ending injury, takes a job handicapping football games. His success at choosing winners catches the eye of Walter Abrams, who is the slick head of one of the biggest sports consulting operations in the United States. Walter takes Brandon under his wing, and soon, they are making tremendous amounts of money.

Lang's in-depth knowledge of the game, leagues and players brings in big winnings and bigger clients. Abrams's cable television show, The Sports Advisors, skyrockets in popularity when he adds Lang's slick "John Anthony" persona to the desk, infuriating Jerry Sykes, who, until now, has been Walter's in-house expert. Lang's image is remade with a new car, new wardrobe, and a new look, with the assistance of Walter's wife Toni, a hair stylist.

Things suddenly go bad, however, when Lang begins playing his hunches instead of doing his homework. He loses his touch, eventually being physically assaulted by the thugs of a gambler who lost a large amount of money by following Lang's advice. As a result, Abrams and Lang's once-solid relationship sours.

Lang's new high-rolling lifestyle depends entirely on his ability to successfully predict the outcomes of the games. Millions of dollars are at stake by the time when he places his last bet, and Abrams, a recovering gambling addict and alcoholic, grows increasingly unstable. He secretly begins risking his own money on Lang's picks and becomes suspicious that Lang is having an affair with his wife.

Lang's predictions come true for the last game, both of which he predicts by flipping coins in an airport bathroom as he leaves New York and takes a job as coach of a junior league football team.

Cast

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Reception

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Two for the Money received generally negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 22% of critics give the film positive reviews, based on 109 reviews, with an average score of 4.7/10. Its consensus states: "Despite its sportsmanlike swagger, Two for the Money's aimless plot isn't worth betting on."[2] The film's box-office receipts came to $22,991,379 in the United States and $30,526,509 worldwide, against a production budget of $35 million.[1] The film also got mixed-to-average reviews on review aggregator Metacritic, where it scored 50 out of a 100, based on 29 critical reviews.[3]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3½ stars out of 4,[4] while Nick Schager of Slant Magazine gave it 2 out of 4, saying in his opening comments, "Substitute The Devil's Advocate's satanic legal scheming with unethical sports gambling practices and you've got Two for the Money."[5] Two for the Money also received 48% from Cinafilm, which based it on 507 reviews,[6] as well as a C from Reeling Reviews.[7]

Home media

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Two for the Money was released on DVD and VHS on January 17, 2006. It is the last film released by Morgan Creek Productions to receive a VHS release.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Two for the Money (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "Two for the Money (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Two for the Money". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  4. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 6, 2005). "Place your bets on Pacino". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Schager, Nick (October 3, 2005). "Review: Two for the Money". Slant Magazine.
  6. ^ "Two for the Money (2005)". Cinafilm. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  7. ^ "Two for the Money". Reeling Reviews. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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