Owning Mahowny (2003)

78% of critics liked it
(93 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(5,990 ratings)

A seemingly ordinary bank employee develops an obsession that could destroy his life and that of those around him in this drama. Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a quiet, unassuming employee of a bank in Toronto; he lives modestly, drives a used car, and is dating one of the bank's tellers, a… More A seemingly ordinary bank employee develops an obsession that could destroy his life and that of those around him in this drama. Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a quiet, unassuming employee of a bank in Toronto; he lives modestly, drives a used car, and is dating one of the bank's tellers, a sweet but mousy girl named Belinda (Minnie Driver). What no one knows is that Dan has a secret life -- Dan is a compulsive gambler, and after running up massive debts with his bookie Frank Perlin (Maury Chaykin), he begins making regular visits to Atlantic City in the United States, where he often bets (and loses) far beyond his means. Dan's expertise at the bank is rewarded with a promotion to assistant manager; his new responsibilities include approving loans, which gives him the authority to transfer funds in and out of the bank. Needing to cover his debts, Dan starts approving loans to non-existent clients and adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to other accounts, and Victor Fox) (John Hurt), manager of Dan's favorite Atlantic City casino, is more than happy to "help" Dan, comping him to luxury suites and all the attendant amenities and working with him to transfer bank funds into his casino account. As Dan's debts begin to grow into the seven figure range, his dealings become harder to hide, both from the authorities and from Belinda, who has become aware of Dan's addiction to gambling but doesn't know just how far it's grown. Based on a true story, Owning Mahowny was directed by Richard Kwietniowski, who previously worked with John Hurt in the acclaimed Love and Death on Long Island. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Richard Kwietniowski
Written By: Gary Stephen Ross, Maurice Chauvet
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: May 2, 2003 Limited
On DVD: Oct 14, 2003
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Whether or not you think of gambling as a vice, you can bet on Owning Mahowny.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Hoffman makes it impossible for us not to watch and not to enjoy it all on some subliminal level.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Owning Mahowny is an unflashy but fascinating meditation on addiction and greed.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
A motion picture that never ceases to be worthwhile.
, Houston Chronicle
This is a small story, as quiet and unassuming as its main character. And, like Mahowny, it makes few wrong moves and quite a few right ones.
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic
Despite its intelligence, it's dreary and uninvolving, more an exercise in style than an act of love.
Dragan Antulov, Draxblog Movie Reviews
what was fascinating character study becomes banal and unconvincing cautionary tale
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...a movie that rejects the pyrotechnics, glamour and spectacle-mongering of mainstream Hollywood yet manages to engage, connect and transfix.
Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife
Watching Hoffman completely give himself over to his addiction is pretty draining. Although the film has a subtext ... it's basically a ride down to the bottom with an addict.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
The flick's absolutely worth seeing for Hoffman's performance alone, but there's also enough Casino / Heist goodness to keep you entertained.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Atmospheric and never flashy, and yet capable of moments of unbearable tension and an almost overpowering sense of paranoia.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Hoffman, sempre um ator interessante, oferece uma atuao digna dos grandes nomes da 7 Arte, como Brando, De Niro e Sean Penn.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
This is the fascinating thing about the movie, how Mahowny marches off to his doom, totally distracted from his fate by the thrill of gambling.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
This Sony Classics release deserves better treatment from the studio. The DVD cover even has the name of Hoffman's character wrong.
Emily Blunt, Blunt Review
Philip Seymour Hoffman is like a stack of pure Inca gold in the world of thespian addicts - a world I dwell happily in...
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Surprisingly upbeat story based, in part, on the real-life adventures of gambling addict Brian Moloney. While it's interesting, it's seldom affecting.
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
You can bet on Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lafe F

Philip Seymour Hoffman is great as the gambling-obsessed Bank Manager. It's really suspenseful and fascinating watching his gambling getting waaay out of control.
Aaron N

Hoffman is perfect.
Mike N

I'm laughing so hard after reading the following "What do you think?" from The Onion. [font=Courier New][color=red]WARNING! CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK! HUMOR IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE, AND WON'T BE FUNNY FOR SOME![/color][/font]… More
I'm laughing so hard after reading the following "What do you think?" from The Onion. [font=Courier New][color=red]WARNING! CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK! HUMOR IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE, AND WON'T BE FUNNY FOR SOME![/color][/font] [url="http://www.theonion.com/wdyt.php?i=1"]Colorado Football Under Fire[/url] [url="http://www.theonion.com/"]www.theonion.com[/url] Hilarious, yet oh so wrong. And it's even about my alma mater's school scandal. So I'm gonna watch 'The Passion Of The Christ' tomorrow night. I really can't wait, even after reading all these negative reviews. If anything, they're only further increasing my confidence in this film's power. In other news, I'm really craving donuts right now. Damn.
Mr. C

for low budget Canadian films, this is one of the better ones I have seen.
Wu C

Great performances from the cast. Based on a true story.