Review of Even Money (2007) by James R — 13 Nov 2010

Here's another of my favorite type of film: the kind where unrelated and disparate characters are linked together by circumstance to create interesting connections. Even Money also has something in common with Crash, in that each film looks at how a destructive force can lead to these kinds of unexpected connections. In Crash, that force is racism; in Even Money, it's gambling addiction.

That is not to say that Even Money is in the same league as Crash; frankly, it isn't. But it does aspire to similar heights as far as impact, and especially as far as casting. Most of these types of films have impressive casts, but Even Money might have one of the most impressive. The redoubtable Forest Whitaker returns (this is his fourth or fifth film of this type) and proves his usual excellent self. Kim Basinger, Danny De Vito and Tim Roth bring very strong performances as well. Kelsey Grammer, Jay Mohr, Ray Liotta and Nick Cannon round out the cast; all of them are more than adequate.

It's hard to say where Even Money falls short of its counterparts. I think films like Crash and Love, Actually surpass it because their respective themes (racism and love) are more universal than the theme of gambling, plus they both contain more moments of cheerfulness and/or hope than Even Money does. Similarly, Vantage Point and Rendition have a much higher thrill and excitement factor than Even Money does. Despite its fairly high-powered cast, Even Money belongs largely in the same category as The Air I Breathe, Fragments and Powder Blue, where the characters and their motivations are the films' driving forces.

As you may know if you've read my reviews of those last three films, making that category of film work well is by no means a guarantee. Some of them manage it masterfully and others fall flat. Even Money falls somewhere in between. It has several very moving moments, and a couple of nail-biters as well. It also has at least two characters that audiences can to relate to very easily, which made it more watchable than it would have been otherwise. But Even Money is a depressing movie. Yes, it is about character connection, but it is also about lives being ruined, and that's never fun to focus on for too long. To be honest, if the film had been any longer, slower, or less hopeful, it would probably have been as bad as Fragments turned out to be. Fortunately, it was none of those things, and it did end much more hopefully than I expected it to. So while I would recommend several of the interesting-connection films over this one, if you like that type of movie as much as I do, Even Money is worth a viewing.