Gambler, The (4/28/2015)

Rated R for language throughout, and for some sexuality/nudity.

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, Brie Larson, John Goodman and Michael Kenneth Williams

Directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

You got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em and know when to “Skip it.”

Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Jessica Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett’s future. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance.

If you’re confused about Mark Wahlberg’s character in The Gambler – join the club. He plays, Jim Bennett, is a failed novelist, a self-loathing college lecturer and gambling addict with an overgrown trust-fund. I believe there are actors who would have been able to pull it off (i.e. Robert Downey, Jr.). But Wahlberg is in over his head.

Instead of using solid character development tools, we get too many overwritten monologues and cheap gambling scenes that are intended to create drama and tension…notice how I said they were intended to create drama and tension. Whenever Bennett sits down at the blackjack table, you know he’ll eventually go bust.

Throughout the film, you hope that he will learn his lesson, come to his senses and turn his life around…nope. He is flawed through and through and seemingly gets away with all his past transgressions.

The cast is pretty decent, but the storyline didn’t give them much to work with. I didn’t really expect much from this film…I took a gamble and lost. I say “Skip It.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is a brief scene in a strip club where we see some topless women in the background. There are also 45-50 F words.

There is also a brief scene where Jim is tied up in a chair and punched in the face.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

1. How did you feel watching Jim going back to the casinos time after time?


2. Why were you frustrated?


3. Why do you think he kept gambling?

Read Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.


4. What do you think is the difference between wanting/using money and being in love with money?


5. How can you protect yourself from the love of money?