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Hustl movie1/30/2024 ![]() ![]() ![]() Made in the heat of the now-mercifully-cooled World Series of Poker craze, the late Curtis Hanson put an immediate halt to his terrific L.A. It’s maybe the most honest possible card game. The idea that such a game would exist basically sums up Las Vegas, and gambling in general. Clark is so bad at gambling that, at one point at a “discount” casino, he forks over $20 to play a game called “Pick a Number Between 1 and 10?” He guesses “4.” The dealer says “nope, 7,” and … just takes his money. Basically, Clark Griswold develops an addiction to gambling and is tormented by a card-dealer named Marty played - awesomely - by Wallace Shawn. But you’ll have to just indulge us on this one, because it has perhaps the single funniest, dumbest casino joke of all time. Luckily, a whole lot of them happen to be great movies all on their own.Īll right, so we know this isn’t a very good movie: It’s probably the worst Vacation movie, with the possible exception of that terrible reboot with Ed Helms. We veered more toward movies about the gambling. Few would argue that Rounders is better than Casino, but Casino is less about the gambling and more about the world in which that gambling takes place Rounders is definitely about the gambling. A note on methodology: We tried to make sure we emphasized the gambling over the movie. So, with the release of Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, we decided to take a look back at some of the best movies about gambling. They usually don’t end up with a calm home life upstate, counting their winnings. It’s not fun to watch someone be prudent and cautious, but to see someone constantly putting his well-being on the line in desperate, irrational hope for that One Big Score … well, gamblers in gambling movies are in many ways just like that veteran cop who takes One Last Case before retirement. Movies about gambling have an inherent drama because, by definition, they’re about risk. Just so you know.This article originally ran in 2020 and is being republished ahead of the release of Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter. However, a guy named Jordan Hulls currently plays pro basketball in Germany. For a minute I actually wondered if Jordan Hull, who plays Stanley and Teresa’s crafty daughter, was a WNBA player herself. The movie’s got a nearly two-hour running time, and let me tell you, the roster of NBA players and luminaries who appear as themselves or in character roles that end the movie is pretty long. If you’re not a fan, you might feel a little lost. And its sense of atmosphere, and depiction of Stanley’s milieu, is sensitive and knowing, But be warned: this movie is VERY basketball-oriented. If “Hustle” passes around a lot of sports movie cliches, it does so with a light touch. The solution to one of Bo’s problems is very 21st century, combined with the clout to book all-star cameos-Stanley’s daughter Alex, who’s looking to go to film school, contrives to make some viral video of Bo in action, introduced by Julius “Dr. You could call this a process film with twists-and of course with a feel-good conclusion. Once Bo reaches a certain goal Stanley even exclaims “Yeah, Rocky!”īo and Stanley find themselves at the receiving end of a spiteful betrayal just as Bo is slated to show the basketball world what he’s got. Putting his family’s life on the line-fortunately his wife and teen daughter believe in him-he works at sanding down Bo’s rough edges, doing stair runs in the wilds of South Philly, and teaching Bo how to handle trash talk, which proves a rather persistent issue. Vince is resistant, Stanley brings the player to the States anyway, and is soon freelance.Īt this point, the movie, directed by Jeremiah Zagar, turns into a variation of “Rocky” had it been told from the point of view of coach Mickey Goldmill ( Burgess Meredith). Bo Cruz ( Juancho Hernangomez, a real-life player currently with the Utah Jazz), a tall drink of water with a lot of raw talent, a bit of a temper, and as we learn later, a rap sheet. In Spain he sees a local player who’s got the stuff. Hanging on to a dream? “Guys in their fifties don’t have dreams,” he says. In Mallorca, Spain, Stanley is entertained by an old friend who wants him to become an agent. Rex passes away, Vince takes over, and the twerp demotes Stanley, instructing him he can get the coaching gig back if he goes back on the road and finds a missing piece. Rex notices this before awarding Stanley a coveted assistant coach job. Rex’s son Vince ( Ben Foster, bearded and head shaven, signaling a real lack of vanity, as he looks appropriately ridiculous) wants the guy, and Stanley backs down. At a meeting with the team owner Rex Merrick ( Robert Duvall), Stanley strongly urges not signing a German player. Stanley feeling bad about himself is more subtext than text in Sandler’s disciplined, low-key portrayal.
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