Two for the Money (2005 film)

Two for the Money
Two for the Money
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	D. J. Caruso
Written by	Dan Gilroy
Produced by	James G. Robinson
Starring	Al Pacino; Matthew McConaughey; Rene Russo; Armand Assante; Jeremy Piven;
Cinematography	Conrad W. Hall
Edited by	Glen Scantlebury
Music by	Christophe Beck
Production; company	Morgan Creek Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	October 7, 2005;
Running time	122 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$35 million
Box office	$30.5 million

Two for the Money is a 2005 American sports drama film directed by D. J. Caruso and starring Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo, Armand Assante and Carly Pope. The film is about the world of sports gambling. It was released on October 7, 2005. It is the first Morgan Creek movie distributed by Universal Pictures since Coupe de Ville in 1990.

Plot

Brandon Lang is a former college football star who, after sustaining a career-ending injury, takes a job handicapping football games. His success at choosing winners catches the eye of Walter Abrams, who is the slick head of one of the biggest sports consulting operations in the United States. Walter takes Brandon under his wing, and soon, they are making tremendous amounts of money.

Lang's in-depth knowledge of the game, leagues and players brings in big winnings and bigger clients. Abrams's cable television show, The Sports Advisors, skyrockets in popularity when he adds Lang's slick "John Anthony" persona to the desk, infuriating Jerry Sykes, who, until now, has been Walter's in-house expert. Lang's image is remade with a new car, new wardrobe, and a new look, with the assistance of Walter's wife Toni, a hair stylist.

Things suddenly go bad, however, when Lang begins playing his hunches instead of doing his homework. He loses his touch, eventually being physically assaulted by the thugs of a gambler who lost a large amount of money by following Lang's advice. As a result, Abrams and Lang's once-solid relationship sours.

Lang's new high-rolling lifestyle depends entirely on his ability to successfully predict the outcomes of the games. Millions of dollars are at stake by the time when he places his last bet, and Abrams, a recovering gambling addict and alcoholic, grows increasingly unstable. He secretly begins risking his own money on Lang's picks and becomes suspicious that Lang is having an affair with his wife.

Lang's predictions come true for the last game, which he made at the last minute by nervously flipping a coin in the bathroom of the studio where he and Abrams tape their weekly TV show. While Abrams and the rest of the staff nervously watch the game, Lang leaves New York City, watching the game's outcome on an airport television. Soon, he begins coaching a junior league football team.

Cast

Al Pacino as Walter Abrams
Matthew McConaughey as Brandon Lang
Rene Russo as Toni Abrams
Armand Assante as C.M. Novian
Carly Pope as Tammy
Jeremy Piven as Jerry Sykes
Jaime King as Alexandria
Ralph Garman as Reggie
Charles Carroll as Chuck Adler
Ildiko Ferenczi as Friend
Veena Sood as G.A. Hostess

Reception

Two for the Money received generally negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 22% of critics give the film positive reviews, based on 109 reviews, with an average score of 4.7/10. Its consensus states: "Despite its sportsmanlike swagger, Two for the Money's aimless plot isn't worth betting on."^[2] The film's box-office receipts came to $22,991,379 in the United States and $30,526,509 worldwide, against a production budget of $35 million.^[1] The film also got mixed-to-average reviews on review aggregator Metacritic, where it scored 50 out of a 100, based on 29 critical reviews.^[3]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3½ stars out of 4,^[4] while Nick Schager of Slant Magazine gave it 2 out of 4, saying in his opening comments, "Substitute The Devil's Advocate's satanic legal scheming with unethical sports gambling practices and you've got Two for the Money."^[5] Two for the Money also received 48% from Cinafilm, which based it on 507 reviews,^[6] as well as a C from Reeling Reviews.^[7]

Home media

Two for the Money was released on DVD and VHS on January 17, 2006. It is the last film released by Morgan Creek Productions to receive a VHS release.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b "Two for the Money (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
^ "Two for the Money (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
^ "Two for the Money". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
^ Ebert, Roger (October 6, 2005). "Place your bets on Pacino". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
^ Schager, Nick (October 3, 2005). "Review: Two for the Money". Slant Magazine.
^ "Two for the Money (2005)". Cinafilm. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
^ "Two for the Money". Reeling Reviews. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

External links

[boxofficemojo-1] "Two for the Money (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

[2] "Two for the Money (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 10, 2024.

[3] "Two for the Money". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

[4] Ebert, Roger (October 6, 2005). "Place your bets on Pacino". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

[5] Schager, Nick (October 3, 2005). "Review: Two for the Money". Slant Magazine.

[6] "Two for the Money (2005)". Cinafilm. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

[7] "Two for the Money". Reeling Reviews. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

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v t e Films by Dan Gilroy
Written and directed	Nightcrawler (2014) Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Written only	Freejack (1992) Chasers (1994) Two for the Money (2005) The Fall (2006) Real Steel (2011) The Bourne Legacy (2012) Kong: Skull Island (2017)