Even Money (2007)

24% of critics liked it
(34 reviews)
34% of users liked it
(6,342 ratings)

Forest Whitaker, Kim Basinger, Jay Mohr, Danny DeVito, Nick Cannon, and Carla Gugino star in director Mark Rydell's ensemble addiction drama detailing the manner in which gambling and drugs affect a variety of people's lives during the weeks leading up to a championship college basketball game.… More Forest Whitaker, Kim Basinger, Jay Mohr, Danny DeVito, Nick Cannon, and Carla Gugino star in director Mark Rydell's ensemble addiction drama detailing the manner in which gambling and drugs affect a variety of people's lives during the weeks leading up to a championship college basketball game. Carolyn (Basinger) is a struggling novelist whose addiction to the slots drives her to deceive her husband Tom (Liotta). Though Carloyn claims to be working on her latest manuscript at a nearby coffee shop, the reality of her situation is decidedly more desperate. Meanwhile, local maintenance worker Clyde (Whitaker) stands at the sidelines of the basketball court cheering for his little brother Godfrey (Cannon) while keeping his lingering gambling debts a well-guarded secret. In another part of town, the ageing Detective Bruner (Kelsey Grammer) methodically trails malevolent bookie Victor (Tim Roth) as Victor's small-time counterpart Augie (Mohr) patiently waits for his ship to come in. As the big game draws near and casino magician Walter (DeVito) befriends gambling-addicted novelist Carolyn, all of these disparate characters slowly come together on a tragic collision course. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Mark Rydell
Written By: Robert Tannen
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: May 18, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Sep 11, 2007
Studio: Yari Film Group

Critic Reviews

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic
Um, gambling's bad, mkay?
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Just about everyone falls into a black hole of overwritten, overwrought melodrama in this convoluted disaster.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Strong performances save this somewhat melodramatic film from sudsing up, at least until the end.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
If you're looking for entertainment, save your 10 bucks for the lottery.
Ed Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times
The story is scarcely grounded in the mechanics of real-world expression.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
So devoted to sustaining shock and awe that it doesn't bother to offer clues about the causes and treatment of gambling addiction.
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
Ambitious as it is, Even Money truly succeeds as a gripping story about our urge to want more; more love, or more money, or just more life
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
Mediocre gambling drama is a pretty weak bet.
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
Tannen's script dances with ridiculous one too many times.
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
The film is definitely worth a look.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
most watchers will likely be too depressed to muster much sympathy for Even Money's downtrodden losers.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
Producer Bob Yari returns to the Crash well with Even Money and comes up with a turgid PSA about the dangers of gambling.
Pete Hammond, Maxim
The kind of strong, intelligent adult drama that was an endangered species in Hollywood until 'Crash'. Overall, it's a winning bet at the movies.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
To co-opt gambling addiction, which has roots far more complex than 'what we're willing to put on the line,' into the service of such facile moralizing seems tasteless.
Joshua Land, Time Out New York
Even Money never quite achieves [Crash's] epic badness -- but Kim Basinger's mortifying turn as the struggling writer is hysterical in every sense of the word.
Brent Simon, FilmStew.com
Basinger screws up her face in angsty constipation, playing the slots... Like. She. Really. Means. It.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This collection of cautionary anecdotes never adds up to much more than the sum of their obvious morals.
Timothy Knight, Reel.com
Robert Tannen's first-produced screenplay certainly doesn't lack for story -- or clichés, for that matter. Nor does Tannen skimp on trite, predictable plot twists, or well-worn, stock characters in his pedestrian script.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

danny d

really good flick. complete all star cast and everyone really delivered. it was cool to see peoples stories intertwined who really had nothing to do with each other and never met, even though they were connected in many ways. it makes you wonder how many people you are connected to… More
really good flick. complete all star cast and everyone really delivered. it was cool to see peoples stories intertwined who really had nothing to do with each other and never met, even though they were connected in many ways. it makes you wonder how many people you are connected to that you dont even know exist. there werent alot of redeeming characteristics in some of the characters except maybe ray liota and nick cannons character, but i still felt for some of these characters. this film does a great job of showing the downfalls of money and greed.
William G

Like Crash, but without the 'r'.
Chosen 7

Good film, great cast and performances. A standout performance by Tim Roth.
Moe E

I would assume that some big favors were exchanged in order to put together the great cast that this film has for such a horribly weak script. The project must have been portrayed as some type of charity event because it would have cost a fortune if all these folks were paid to be in… More
I would assume that some big favors were exchanged in order to put together the great cast that this film has for such a horribly weak script. The project must have been portrayed as some type of charity event because it would have cost a fortune if all these folks were paid to be in this stinker. Robert Tannen must be related to someone big in Hollywood, as there's no other explanation for his formulaic, clichéd script to have been given the green light. Don't waste you time...