Rupert Wyatt’s “The Gambler” is a good movie. I know that’s
kind of a weak statement but I’m not sure how else to sum it up. It’s a remake
of the 1974 James Caan film of the same name but this version isn’t a carbon
copy. While the basic floor plan remains, certain important events are
rearranged, altered—not always for the better, by the way—and some are even
removed all together. Having seen the original fairly recently, there was just
enough change in Wyatt’s version to keep me on my toes. Yet, as entertaining as
the movie can be “The Gambler” still suffers from some glaring issues that keep
it from achieving greatness.
The picture revolves around Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg,
nicely fitting into Caan’s shoes), a literature professor with a costly extracurricular
activity. By day he teaches English 101 to a class full of disinterested
students—we’ve all been there. Even as an English major myself I found English
101 to be boring—and by night he’s gambling. An activity that leaves him with a
massive debt. Bennett is a peculiar English professor in that he doesn’t seem
to care all that much about his profession. He’s intelligent and seems to know
his stuff but his life outside the classroom doesn’t feel like one of an
English teacher. Instead of mingling with other literature professors or
scholarly people talking Chaucer or Joyce he’s most at home in dangerous places
with low life criminals. He loves the thrill of gambling, putting everything on
the line and potentially winning it all. A sensation he probably doesn’t get
from teaching.
On top of that his teaching style is aggressive and blunt to
say the least—during one lecture period he very frankly announces that most of
the students won’t be good writers, even the students that want to be in
English 101. His confidence level is extremely high, an admirable quality no
doubt. He never comes off as a pathetic addict. When his shady debt collectors
come knocking he doesn’t beg them for another week. Instead he wears an
apathetic guise—not caring whether he ends up in a ditch somewhere--to buy more
time. A gamble in and of itself that sometimes pays off. Bennett is the most
compelling part of “The Gambler” because he’s both likable and unlikable at the
same time. An educated man given all the opportunities growing up—his family is
loaded—with a stupid, stupid problem. This tension proves to be the driving
force in the entire movie: on the one hand you hate to see Bennett in these
tight situations but on the other he brings them on himself.
With the rest of the movie Wyatt finds a middle ground
between an ultra depressing addiction movie—in the vein of something like Steve
McQueen’s “Shame”—and a pulpy, semi comedic crime drama. At times it can be
quite somber and uncomfortable like most addiction dramas but the comedic
undertones also make it more enjoyable and easier to consume. This middle
ground isn’t always so smooth, however. Sometimes the comedic scenes can feel
too cartoony, for example when Bennett eggs on one of his debt collector’s
associates and gets punched repeatedly for it. These scenes simply feel too out
of place, especially when juxtaposed with very serious ones. Bennett sitting in
his bathtub thinking about his massive debt, looking sad. In addition, the debt
collectors themselves—played by John Goodman and Michael K Williams—come right
out of a B gangster picture, Goodman’s character in particular. While he’s
definitely fun to watch in the typical loudmouth John Goodman way he doesn’t
get very many scenes and therefore comes off as no more than a caricature.
There are other issues concerning supporting characters,
most notably the romantic subplot between Bennett and a student named Amy (Brie
Larson). Put simply, it just isn’t developed enough. We don’t really understand
what Amy finds so appealing about Bennett and Wyatt only devotes a few scenes
to the relationship, not allowing for any kind of substantial connection to
form. This wouldn’t be that great of an issue—after all the focus is on Bennett
and his problem—except that Wyatt forces this undercooked subplot into the
final frames of the movie. Making for a puzzling and somewhat unsatisfying
conclusion.
From a technical standpoint “The Gambler” is also a mixed
bag. There are odd stylistic flourishes—the use of jump cuts while Amy is walking
to campus, a lengthy sequence towards the end involving Bennett running to meet
someone, a five minute long college basketball scene, various moments of slow
motion—that come off as unnecessary indulgence; not doing anything to advance
the picture. At the same time, the soothing ambient score by Jon Brion and Theo
Green is outstanding, providing perfect background sound for the more uneasy
and melancholy moments.
All in all, “The Gambler” is an entertaining, though
somewhat forgettable affair. A great central performance surrounded by a uneven
movie.
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