I feel a slight sense of protectiveness over this movie because the reviews are awful (a lousy 8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), the box office was even worse, and even the audience grade (which usually ranges from B+ to A) was a dismal C. So I have to ask myself “Is this movie about online poker really that bad?” And it’s not. I wouldn’t call it a good movie or one that I’ll remember fondly at the end of the year, but it’s not without its merits.
What Works: The idea of setting a movie in the world of online poker (which has been forced to move offshore since the U.S. won’t allow it) is a good one. And, for a while, the movie manages to build up some momentum as Justin Timberlake’s cocky gaming whiz moves to Costa Rica and gets schooled in “the business” by Ben Affleck’s virtual poker tycoon. The best thing in the movie is Affleck, playing the kind of guy who wears his street-smart cynicism out in the open so that you feel like he’s entrusting you with a secret before you can really stop and wonder if you should trust him. It’s like his sharp Boiler Room supporting character pushed to the front of a movie, and enjoying the limelight. There’s a very real paranoia and weariness behind the hustler that doesn’t make him any less cunning.
What Doesn’t Work: Justin Timberlake is miscast, and that becomes increasingly apparent as the story tries to go darker and deeper in the last third. Timberlake is just the kind of guy that will always seem too light for more serious work, and watching him, I kept thinking of how all the fanboys hating on Affleck’s casting as Batman would be begging for Affleck if Timberlake were cast. Also, the movie begins to drag a little after the mid-way mark, Anthony Anderson’s thug FBI agent is annoying as hell, events begin to feel a little sloppy towards the end, and the ending is too pat.
What I Would Have Done Differently: With Shia Lebouf in the lead role, a deeper look at the world of offshore gaming (as is, the biggest revelation we get is that the business runs on bribing), a more sane FBI agent, and a less hokey ending would have made the movie top-notch…It also would have made it an entirely different movie.