Lay the Favorite (2012)

I was dumbfounded when I read that Rebecca Hall was the daughter of Sir Peter Hall, and his former American wife. She carries this movie brilliantly, wearing tight, tiny shorts throughout. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her affection for Dink (Bruce Willis) utterly credible. The whole gambling scenario is educative and astonishing, and Rebecca's career in it completely credible. I'd do gambling if I had half a million to start with: reckon I could double it before long. Particularly I'd hire women like Rebecca Hall to participate in my operation. I'd make sure they all wore short-shorts the way she does. And they'd all have to have long slim legs like hers. All hail to Rebecca Hall for pulling off this great picture with such brio and style. See this movie next!

Beth passes from erotic dancer to become the help of an important bet dealer in Las Vegas, but the small advances that she makes to her boss will risk their collaboration because of Dink's jealous wife.What's with the small rating? OK, the truth is that I liked the first 40 minutes or so, but after that the movie becomes boring and uneventful. Plus we are not accustomed to see Bruce Willis in that kind of "soft" character, I mean without a gun in his hand it seems like he is not the person we are all used too. The story is not bad but maybe unrealistically and not too detailed. The actors give their best performances but could not save the poor script. Also the ending wasn't that good. With more effort the whole film could have been more watchable.

Why You Might Like It: There are plenty of notable faces (Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vince Vaughn, Joshua Jackson) in the movie that might attract some viewers to give it a shot. The truth is Rebecca Hall does a real nice job in the lead role playing a naive and ditzy stripper turned bookie, while the supporting cast are just okay for the most part. It is based on a true story, so the plot is decent enough to keep most viewers entertained. An okay watch for a slow afternoon or evening.Why You Might Not Like It: Again, the acting for the most part is average and not anything special although the cast would suggest otherwise. The movie is noticeably low budget in a number of spots, which might be a bit of turn off for some. Unfortunately, this movie is likely confusing for those who don't gamble and a joke for those who are more familiar with gambling. With some better research into the gambling side of things and a bigger budget, this could have been a little bit better film.Acting/Casting: 6* Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 5*Plot/Characters: 5* Entertainment Value: 6* Total - 6+5+5+6 = 22/4 = 5.5*

If you can get through the excruciating first half of this movie, it's fairly entertaining. The first 45 minutes are confusing and dull as hell, and I almost turned it off (watching on DVD) because I just didn't care about the people or the events unfolding. How can you set a movie in Vegas, and have this amazing cast, and end up with such a mediocre result? It's based on a memoir that, by all accounts, is funny and extremely entertaining, but something clearly has been lost during the translation to the screen. The second half is better - it comes together, the characters become a bit more multi-dimensional, and there finally seems to be some point. But overall, this movie is a wasted opportunity and it's greatest value may be for insomniacs.