Born to Win (Addict) (1971)

34% of users liked it
(833 ratings)

Born to Win is the grimly ironic title of this jet-black comedy about heroin addicts. George Segal plays Jay Jay, an ex-hairdresser who struggles to support his expensive drug habit. To avoid arrest, Jay Jay turns "narc," informing on his fellow junkies. Eventually Jay Jay's sense of self-hatred… More Born to Win is the grimly ironic title of this jet-black comedy about heroin addicts. George Segal plays Jay Jay, an ex-hairdresser who struggles to support his expensive drug habit. To avoid arrest, Jay Jay turns "narc," informing on his fellow junkies. Eventually Jay Jay's sense of self-hatred threatens to overwhelm him. Also released as Born to Lose and Addict, Born to Win was the first American film for Czech director Ivan Passer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Ivan Passer
Written By: David Scott Milton, Ivan Passer
Genres: Drama, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 1, 1971 Limited
On DVD: May 11, 1999
Studio: MoMedia

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
The main event is George Segal's whirligig of hipsterisms in the face of accelerating disaster

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Adam M

DeNiro's hardly in it; the gifts of George Segal are almost the whole movie; a queasy feeling when we never know whether someone is making a bad move or a fatal one
Lady D

Robert De Niro fans be prepared for disappointment, De Niro's performance throughout the film, probably adds up to around 5 minutes. The star of course was George Segal whol played a pretty interesting character, however the film did have it's fair share of boring parts,… More
Robert De Niro fans be prepared for disappointment, De Niro's performance throughout the film, probably adds up to around 5 minutes. The star of course was George Segal whol played a pretty interesting character, however the film did have it's fair share of boring parts, although something made me still want to keep watching VERDICT: Certainly not one to watch over and over, but probably worth a watch
Sarah P

Why is Robert DeNiro on the cover?? He was in 5 minutes of the whole movie! Overall, I thought this film sucked, but George Segal was good in the role that was given to him and made it semi-worthwhile watching one time.