The Gambler is, in one word, absurd; but not in a bad way. The film begins with a palpable and unidealized scene between Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and his dying father followed by a slow, uncomfortable funeral scene; after this, the film immediately transitions to an unexplained but funky, upbeat vibe. In a way, this mirrors the idea of his character; constantly developing in an unconventional, alluring, at times frustrating manner but not always without method or purpose.
Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett is $240,000 in debt and has seven days to pay it down. Can he? Yes. But in his mind, hitting rock bottom is the only way to start over. So he sprints to the depths, hurdling opportunity after opportunity to get himself out of the situation, while rock bottom remains just out of reach. He is addicted to putting himself into sticky situations – mostly at a disadvantage.
Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett is $240,000 in debt and has seven days to pay it down. Can he? Yes. But in his mind, hitting rock bottom is the only way to start over. So he sprints to the depths, hurdling opportunity after opportunity to get himself out of the situation, while rock bottom remains just out of reach. He is addicted to putting himself into sticky situations – mostly at a disadvantage.
Mark Wahlberg does a fantastic job of conveying Bennett’s frustrated nihilism. Bennett’s most intriguing feature is that he is mostly talk, and the script expertly allows Wahlerg to talk around a subject. Bennett appears to care about nothing other than ensuring other people know their place. He tells hundreds of students they are not talented enough to write a book, and later chastises them in a long monologue about their lack of genuine interest, saying things like, “I pretend to teach and you pretend to learn.” But of course, when a student is on the phone as he’s talking about how he doesn’t actually teach and they don’t actually learn, he freaks out and doesn’t see the irony.
While Walhberg’s performance is entirely enjoyable, John Goodman as Frank, a loan shark, steals the show. As a practical businessman with a seemingly paternal interest in Bennett’s future, Goodman’s all-knowing demeanor is familiar for those avid fans of The Big Lebowski (despite the lack of Vietnam references and gun-wielding anger), and his scenes provide nearly as many laughs. Brie Larson as Amy Phillips, a student Bennett begins a relationship with is frustratingly underdeveloped despite attempting to be unrealistically motivating.
I have a hard time watching someone, even a film character, dodge positive options in favor of knowingly disastrous paths. The nihilistic approach, and the ending, just didn’t suit my taste. Still, this movie provided plenty of entertainment value to make up for the pain of character decline. You might walk out, as I did, thinking, “I’m not sure what I just watched.” But sometimes, that’s the best part.
Grade: B
While Walhberg’s performance is entirely enjoyable, John Goodman as Frank, a loan shark, steals the show. As a practical businessman with a seemingly paternal interest in Bennett’s future, Goodman’s all-knowing demeanor is familiar for those avid fans of The Big Lebowski (despite the lack of Vietnam references and gun-wielding anger), and his scenes provide nearly as many laughs. Brie Larson as Amy Phillips, a student Bennett begins a relationship with is frustratingly underdeveloped despite attempting to be unrealistically motivating.
I have a hard time watching someone, even a film character, dodge positive options in favor of knowingly disastrous paths. The nihilistic approach, and the ending, just didn’t suit my taste. Still, this movie provided plenty of entertainment value to make up for the pain of character decline. You might walk out, as I did, thinking, “I’m not sure what I just watched.” But sometimes, that’s the best part.
Grade: B
RSS Feed
