Lay the Favorite (2012)

50% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
93% want to see it
(46 ratings)

Beth Raymer leaves her dancing job at a Florida strip club to become a Las Vegas cocktail waitress. Not exactly an ideal career choice, but her borderline-ditzy personality doesn't give her many options. In walks Dink, a professional sports bettor who sees through her bubbly exterior and offers her… More Beth Raymer leaves her dancing job at a Florida strip club to become a Las Vegas cocktail waitress. Not exactly an ideal career choice, but her borderline-ditzy personality doesn't give her many options. In walks Dink, a professional sports bettor who sees through her bubbly exterior and offers her a job placing wagers all over town to gain an advantage over the casinos. Her surprisingly impeccable mind for numbers soon cements her status as Dink's good-luck charm, until his gorgeous-but-frigid wife, Tulip, starts to get jealous. Faced with no other choice but to fire Beth, Dink's luck runs out when she heads to New York to work for a smarmy bookie, a turn of events that lands her squarely on the wrong side of the law.

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Stephen Frears
Written By: Beth Raymer
Genres: Drama, Comedy

Critic Reviews

William Goss, Film.com
Not just an utterly tepid comedy, but possibly the most lifeless film in Frears' generally acclaimed oeuvre.
Justin Chang, Variety
Frivolous fun at best, archly affected tedium at worst.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
Those of us who still venerate Frears as a pioneer of British indie cinema in the '80s pine for him to have higher goals than a ditzy true-crime romp, but maybe that's our problem rather than his.
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter
Like a loud guest at a party who's amusing for a while, until you just have to escape to the next room.
Michael Nordine, Film Threat
Hardly the film anyone familiar with Frears's better work would want or expect, but that isn't to say it's entirely without merit.
Kimberly Gadette, Doddle
Like Rebecca Hall's inane giggle, Lay the Favorite comes across as high-pitched and annoyingly animated without any reason. Not my favorite ... by a long shot.
Nathan Rabin, AV Club
It's a decidedly soft-boiled tale populated by some of the nicest degenerate gamblers you'd ever want to meet.
Jeremy Kay, Guardian [UK]
While this is a lesser work in the Frears canon, it's still a likable caper.