You know exactly how it's going to end after the first thirty minutes.......it's like watching those live police shows on TV. No one is likable, you know it's going to end badly, and you only stick around to watch them get their due. And then say "what an idiot" and flip the channel. Sort of Jerry Springer.....the live action movie.

Saw it today. A lot of good things in a pretty good movie overall. I would say even better than Sandler was the pacing of the movie. Like a few have mentioned, we all knew it wasn't going to end well, but just about every scene was engaging and interesting. A two-hour car wreck.

TCTTS said:

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Very well said. I don't get the "no redeeming qualities" gripes either. Or, rather, I understand the observation that there is nothing redeeming about the characters, but what I don't understand is why some people need a redeeming character in the first place. It's an INCREDIBLY griping, well-told story, one told against such a vivid, authentic world, and personally, that's all I ever need or want from a movie. I could not care less if the characters themselves are good/bad/redeemed/whatever. Besides, those looking for some kind of "moral" ending, you got it. Sandler's character essentially gets a bullet to the head for the horrible, addictive person he was. He paid the price.

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DING DING DING!

This is it. I feel like an elitist with this movie, but if you don't like it I don't understand.

Edit: I actually do understand as I said before. I just loved it so much it's hard for me to relate. Which is why I guess a lot of you didn't like it.

HarleySpoon said:

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You know exactly how it's going to end after the first thirty minutes.......it's like watching those live police shows on TV. No one is likable, you know it's going to end badly, and you only stick around to watch them get their due. And then say "what an idiot" and flip the channel. Sort of Jerry Springer.....the live action movie.

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Have you ever had experiences with criminals? Not the crime itself, but have you known someone with a criminal background?

I feel like that's part of it. I've unfortunately experienced some seedy people in my life. Maybe that's why it's so fascinating to me. It's such an accurate portrayal.

Literally......at least 60% of my male cousins on my father's side of the family (about eight cousins) have spent at least ten years in prison. My mother was born in a Salvation Army shelter when my grandfather was on the run from the FBI. My closest brother's best friend is doing life in prison for murder....I saw the guy about every day for most of my childhood. I was robbed at knife point twice before getting out of elementary. Very good friend spent five years on death row. Loaned a customer in excess of $50M and helped put him in prison about three years later. That's just a few.

When you've lived it, there is zero fascinating about the characters in this movie and nothing surprising about their outcomes. If you haven't been much exposed to it, I can understand how the movie can seem fascinating in a surreal way.

Watched it yesterday and it was my favorite movie I saw in 2019. Love fast pace movies that hold the plot well and I love sports betting.

Great way to close out the year!

I've been binging all the interviews about the film. This one is probably the best so far. Spoilers obviously.

Sex Panther said:

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The absolute best scene to me was him breaking down in his office realizing he had hit complete rock bottom. He had no one to blame but himself and his awful decisions, and his girlfriend saw an opportunity to weasel her way back in during his weakened state...

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I mean she did get a tatoo of his name on her butt...

HarleySpoon said:

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Literally......at least 60% of my male cousins on my father's side of the family (about eight cousins) have spent at least ten years in prison. My mother was born in a Salvation Army shelter when my grandfather was on the run from the FBI. My closest brother's best friend is doing life in prison for murder....I saw the guy about every day for most of my childhood. I was robbed at knife point twice before getting out of elementary. Very good friend spent five years on death row. Loaned a customer in excess of $50M and helped put him in prison about three years later. That's just a few.

When you've lived it, there is zero fascinating about the characters in this movie and nothing surprising about their outcomes. If you haven't been much exposed to it, I can understand how the movie can seem fascinating in a surreal way.

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Maybe that's what the movie was so good. As a viewer that had been through similar circumstances or knew similar people, the scenes and actors were authentic enough that it made you feel uncomfortable. Not to put words in your mouth, but it seems like you didnt have an issue with a lack of realness or authenticity but instead maybe it was too real. As I alluded too earlier one of the things I liked the most was the noisiness, confinement, arrogance, grittiness and BS that's apart (for better or worse) of living in NYC. I could point at lots of characters and locations and think, 'Ya I knew a guy like that' or 'Ya I remember schmucks that had "apartments in the city" that looked like that.'

That could certainly be the case. I spent ages 10-25 doing everything I could to distance myself from that side of life. My wife and kids shake their heads when I tell them some of the stories...it's like another world to them, which was always the objective.

If you set a film in a very deliberate time and place, with a high-profile "legal" activity grounded in a real place in history, then be accurate at that meta level as you unfold the story.

Not good and not true to 2012.

Passover was weeks before the Celts-76ers series

Great performance from Sandler, good movie, but not one that blew me away

Redstone said:

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The final bet is ridiculous and would not have been allowed. Literally, not an allowable bet, look it up. Draft Day level of sports incompetence.

Takes the viewer out of the film.

They should have hired me as a consultant.

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The Mohegan Sun doesn't have sports betting, so you're partially correct. What else are you taking issue with? Parlays are real, you can bet with cash and any bets can be approved or turned down by the book manager.

I think he's referring to the correlated parlay. Over on points+rebs for KG and Boston moneyline would be highly correlated.

Wrong on legality and wrong on parlay.

Send Howard to Jersey and then talk to anyone who has ever bet at a sports book about how parlays work. Ugh.

Seriously. This is so annoying.

FILMMAKERS: now that I have my star retuned to me, send me a private message. I will help you. Do not annoy your viewers.

Loved this movie. Intentional or not, it reminded me of Reservoir Dogs. Sandler is one huge dysfunctional mess, & you're kept on edge with his next bone headed move.

Very tough movie for empathic people to watch.

Remember: It's just a movie. Perfect in its form and message. Sandler will get the Oscar.

Southlake said:

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Very tough movie for empathic people to watch.

Remember: It's just a movie. Perfect in its form and message. Sandler will get the Oscar.

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Unfortunately, I don't think he will. The Academy likely hates him for his other movies with Netflix. Those dweebs are so elitist, but they might still nominate him.

Betcha Sandler wins! I haven't seen any performance this good this year.

You guys know how this stuff works better than I do, but he was so perfect for that role. It going to be amazing to see him be funny again. Or not.

I prefer willing suspension of disbelief. But even then, when the context of movie/ film has a fantasy base the level to which the viewer is willing so suspend disbelief grows. When a movie/film is otherwise set in reality it is just an error.

All I have to say is WOW! That was a great movie. What was Scorcese's part in it again? Part director?