Movie: Two for the Money

This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.

Inspired by a true story

Plot Overview

Sidelined football player Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) lives with his mom in Vegas and for a marginal living records spiels in a “Turkish prison” of an office. One day their sports handi­capper calls in sick and Brandon fills in for him. Having been a quarter­back him­self before his injury he under­stands the game and changes the tips more to his liking. He's a huge success. Before long New York head­hunter Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) snatches him up and moves him to the Big Apple where he lives large in a brown­­stone (“This is the first floor & it's all yours”) Old Suitors Apartment and makes serious coin. By and by, his continued success goes to his head and he has to reevaluate his life.

Ideology

At six years old Walter impressed his old man with his sports ability and set out to please him by winning a passel of awards. He was on track with one of the Ten Commandments, (Deut. 5:16) “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee.” Even the New Testament lists parental honor as to our benefit, (Eph. 6:2-3) “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” The promise is, “that thy days may be pro­longed, and that it may go well with thee.” His dad failed on his part by becoming an alcoholic and leaving before Brandon turned ten. (Eph. 6:4) “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Brandon honored his mother, who held two jobs and was saving for his brother Danny's college fund. He grasped the “chance to make some real money.” How­ever, his mom felt, “About the money, all that money, it's too much.” He called his absent dad “a jerk,” where he might have held his peace. (Ecclesiasticus 3:10-11) “Glory not in the dishonour of thy father; for thy father's dishonour is no glory unto thee. For the glory of a man is from the honour of his father.”

The film develops a psychological bent when Walter takes Brandon with him to a meeting of Gamblers Anonymous and he criticizes “all the lemons” for their gambling addiction. He tells them that they gamble to lose, because basic survival after they've lost their shirts makes them feel they really exist. What­ever. Within the framework of honoring one's parents, how­ever, one may feel he exists by being a part of the nexus of generations, and he doesn't have to forgo prosperity to prove it. Walter had made Brandon his “protégé; it's like having a son.” He gave him a new identity with a new moniker. He was heading towards a false prosperity, and he “gotta go back to being Brandon.”

(Sirach 7:27-28) “Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the sorrows of thy mother. Remember that thou wast begotten of them; and how canst thou recompense them the things that they have done for thee?” Extricating himself from truly difficult circumstances by virtue of reclaiming his roots would be akin to a hybrid prevailing in a Philp Dick sci-fi novel: “A six, no matter what the external circum­stances, will always prevail. Because that's the way they genetically defined us” (21).

Production Values

“” (2005) was directed by D.J. Caruso. It was written by Dan Gilroy. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino, and Rene Russo. McConaughey did well as a brash young man. He worked well with Al Pacino. The three leads were right on the money, and their supporting cast also came through, their thin script not­with­standing. Pacino was very intense, Russo quietly queenly.

MPAA rated it R for pervasive language, a scene of sexuality and a violent act. The script was verit­ably padded with F-words. The movie is a bit too long to maintain interest, but they tried. The foot­ball action scenes were short and to the point.

Review Conclusion w/ Christian Recommendation

I liked this movie, but it may have more to do with my liking any half­way decent film than with any charisma of this one. It could appeal to sports fans while leaving their spouses cold. There's plenty of drama following the lead's life. If that sounds good to you, go for it.

Movie Ratings

Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Better than watching TV. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.

Works Cited

Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.

Apocryphal scripture was taken from The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. U.S.A.: Hendrick­son Pub. Originally published by Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., London, 1851. Print, WEB.

Dick, Philip K. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. Copyright © 1974 by Philip K. Dick. New York: Vintage Books, 1993. Print.