Two for the Money: A Not So Dangerous Tale of Addiction

I love Al Pacino. From my previous reviews that has been very well-established. That is why I came in with slightly high expectations of this film. Even more so, because it stars heartthrob Matthew McConaughey. I was unfortunately disappointed with a Netflix film that fell rather flat. 

It has a great start. A down on the luck sports player played by the gorgeous Matthew McConaughey starts working to predict game outcomes when he receives an irresistible offer from Al Pacino’s successful businessman character. Al Pacino intends to make him into a star. He has a new wardrobe, makeovers from Al Pacino’s wife, and even ends up getting his own office. He goes on TV and makes successful deals on television. I began to expect a Wolf of Wall Street style rise to fame. But NO. The film then starts to focus way too much on Al Pacino’s gambling addiction and it just goes down from there. 

I personally found the last part of the film incredibly confusing and a little bit boring. The dynamic between Matthew and Toni (Al Pacino’s wife) was at times rather weird even though the film aims to use it to stop Al Pacino’s gambling addiction. It just feels a bit like I got trapped. I was promised something fun and light and instead I’m here watching a man’s gambling addiction that too with sports betting? It is false advertising as far as I’m concerned. It may be based on a real life story and have this good moral message about ambition and addiction but the movie isn’t presented in the correct way for that at all. I went into the film expecting that either this would be either Wolf of Wall Street style or something dark and psychological. It was in between in a strange way. 

I wanted a light Netflix watch, with Al Pacino starring I figured it would be something good but I guess we all take bad jobs sometimes because this film truly is just wasted potential. Had it been framed better and livened up a little it could have worked well but instead it just ended up being a confusing waste of time.