Two for the Money (film)

Infobox Film
name =Two for the Money


caption =The poster for Two for the Money.
director =D. J. Caruso
writer =Dan Gilroy
starring =Matthew McConaughey
Al Pacino
Rene Russo
producer =Jay Cohen,
Guy McElwaine
distributor =Universal Pictures
budget =$20,000,000
released =October 7, 2005
runtime =122 minutes
language =English
imdb_id =0417217|

"Two for the Money" is a 2005 film directed by D. J. Caruso and starring Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino, and Rene Russo. The movie is about the world of sports gambling.

McConaughey plays Brandon Lang, a former college American football star who, after sustaining a career-ending injury, finds he has the skill to predict with high accuracy the outcome of football games. Pacino plays a gambling addicted huckster named Walter Abrams, the head of a sports betting consulting company that uses high-pressure sales tactics to encourage its clients to gamble more than they can afford to lose.

Plot

Brandon Lang (McConaughey) takes a job handicapping football games. His success at choosing winners catches the eye of Walter Abrams (Pacino), 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.

Initially, business is very good and Lang's in-depth knowledge of the game, leagues and players continues to bring in big bucks and bigger clients. Abrams's cable show, "The Sports Advisors", skyrockets in popularity when he adds Lang's "John Anthony" persona to the desk. When things go south and Lang loses his touch, the once-solid relationship between Brandon and Walter sours. Their fondness for football turns into a bitter fighting match for love and money.

Lang's new high-rolling lifestyle depended entirely on his ability to predict the outcomes of the games. When he begins to falter, Walter applies the pressure. With millions at stake, Brandon and Walter battle, drawing in everyone in their world, including Walter's wife, Toni (Russo).

Release and Reception

Bodog (an online sports betting firm) sponsored the world premiere of "Two for the Money" in Beverly Hills, California on Monday, September 26, 2005. The film itself was released on October 8, 2005 to generally bad reviews and lackluster box office returns. It scored only 20% overall rating at rottentomatoes (18% for "cream of the crop"). "Two for the Money"'s North American rentals came to only $22.9 million (and $30.5M worldwide) against a production budget of $35 million.

Cast

Main

*Matthew McConaughey - Brandon Lang
*Al Pacino - Walter Abrams
*Rene Russo - Toni Abrams

upporting

*Armand Assante - C.M. Novian
*Jeremy Piven - Jerry Sykes
*Jaime King - Alexandria
*Charles Carroll - Chuck Adler

External links

*imdb title|id=0417217|title=Two for the Money
* [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/two_for_the_money/ Two for the Money] at the rottentomatoes site
* [http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=twoforthemoney.htm Film's Box Office tally and budget] at boxofficemojo.com
* [http://www.twoforthemoney.net/ Official site]