Lay the Favorite (2012)

Good movie but grossly overrated

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I think the first time I saw this film I was so shocked by Catherine Zeta-Jones (I was as smitten by my first glimpse of the most beautiful woman in the world, in Zorro, as Michael Douglas, but he had the edge) that I failed to appreciate its qualities. Last night I watched it again and found it a delightful comedy, with some terrific acting, notably from former Roedean head girl and stage actress Rebecca Hall as a ditsy American blonde looking for a better life and Catherine as a sharp manipulator defending her territory. Beth is never as dumb as she seems (she never told her daddy how she was earning the money to get her through college), as it's mainly charming naivete that takes her bouncing from situation to situation, always reacting and never in control. The audience think they know where this is going when she decides to give up her small town life and head for the glitter of the Vegas strip. But it turns out she is actually rather good with letters and numbers, as well as possessing a rare and very precious quality - she can be trusted. Bruce Willis is volatile, but kindly to those he thinks deserve it (and even some who don't) and he thinks beth deserves it. His jealous wife Catherine is the only one who doesn't trust her and just as everything seems to be going well she delivers her ultimatum to her devoted hubby. But Beth bounces back, meeting a genuinely nice honest guy who falls in love with her and wants to take her back to NY with him. Of course life isn't that neat and tidy, but she ends up there eventually and falls in with Vince Vaughn, a high roller who talks big but doesn't back it up with the required professionalism. But Beth's qualities overcome that defect until a tricksy client threatens to denounce them, including her boyfriend, who only helped out of love for her, to the Feds. At that point, Beth has to call in the goodwill credits she has accumulated, and even Catherine rallies round to help her. With that support, Beth suddenly discovers her own inner strength and force of character and takes control of the situation, and we know she's going to be okay from now on. It's a true story that gives a warm glow, as well as providing a lot of laughs along the way. The only reason I don't rate this film higher is because there is a lot of information on betting that flies completely over my head (since I learned as a teen that it's a mugs game), so although the audience knows enough to know they've got a lot of money riding on multiple events across multiple fields (the Bruce Willis character is smart enough to keep out of the stock market, because he knows it's rigged!), it's hard to get involved in the clips of those events, only their reactions to them. Nevertheless, it's a film I recommend for a good laugh, as long as you leave all preconcieved notions of what you expect from Rebecca, Catherine and Bruce at the door.

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.

Director Stephen Frears and star Bruce Willis seem to demonstrate an uncanny gift for inconsistency. Frears' work ranges from the sublime (Dangerous Liaisons, My Beautiful Launderette, The Grifters) to the ridiculous (Accidental Hero, Mary Reilly). Likewise, Willis frequently lurches from the terrific to the terrible – every Die Hard is cancelled out by a Hudson Hawk; every Pulp Fiction spawns a Color Of Night. Given the involvement of Frears and Willis, one would be right to anticipate only two possible outcomes for Lay The Favorite – it's either going to be very good or very bad. Sadly, in this case the film falls into the very bad category. It can't just be chalked down as another dud in the Bruce Willis canon either – a number of other good actors sink with this ship, including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson and Vince Vaughn.Tallahassee lap-dancer Beth Raymer (Rebecca Hall) wants to change her life so, with the blessing of her father (Corbin Bernsen), she heads off to Las Vegas to seek work as a cocktail waitress. Her American dream doesn't turn out quite the way she planned, and pretty soon Beth finds herself desperate for whatever employment she can find (as long as it doesn't involve getting naked). Enter professional gambler Dink Heimowitz (Bruce Willis). Dink bets on anything and everything, placing tens of thousands of dollars per day on various sporting outcomes. Such is the extent of his gambling that he requires a team of lackeys to man the phones in his office. After displaying an unexpected knack for numbers, Beth is given the chance to work for Dink's organisation. She is quickly seduced by this lifestyle of high risk and instant fortune. The rest of the film traces Beth's adventure in the pro-gambling profession. She falls in and out of love with Dink; has various run-ins with Dink's savage-tongued wife Tulip (Catherine Zeta-Jones); falls for a sensible and well-organised New York journalist named Jeremy (Joshua Jackson); is fired and re-hired several times by Dink; and ultimately ends up working for highly unscrupulous New York bookie Rosie (Vince Vaughn), who puts her in charge of the Curacao limb of his illegal gambling racket.From a quick scan of the plot synopsis, there's no obvious reason for the film to fail. It has a strong cast, an eventful storyline, and is set in the fascinating world of pro-gambling. The components are certainly in place for a good movie, so where does it all go so horribly wrong? The biggest drawback is the character of Beth, presented in the script as a totally brainless bimbo. Every now and then she displays a moment of sudden ingenuity which rings completely untrue. The entire story is about Beth (she IS the story, in effect) yet is by far the most irritating character in it. Having said that, none of the actors really seem to be firing on all cylinders. Willis seems jaded, Vaughn merely rehashes his loud and brash comedy routine for the umpteenth time, and Jackson gets a boring role and looks bored playing it. Zeta-Jones has slightly more to get her teeth into as the sharp-tongued rich bitch Tulip (some viewers might get a kick out of hearing her screech the C- word at her long suffering husband), but later in the film her character mellows out somewhat and quickly loses her appeal as a result. It seems ironic that Zeta-Jones chose this of all films to return to screen acting after a three year hiatus… can this really be the best offer that came along? The incomprehensible gambling jargon makes many scenes all but impossible to follow. Worse still, the plot never builds to a dramatic conflict worth caring about. Things just amble around meaninglessly for an hour and a half or so, then the film ends. Overall, Lay The Favorite is a waste of time and talent. The book upon which it is based (Lay The Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling) by the real Beth Raymer is reportedly a rather fascinating read. If that's the case, put your chips on the book… because the film is an utter donkey.

If you'd like to view a brief and startling master class in brilliant acting, watch Rebecca Hall in this and then go and see her in "The Appearance". It takes a while, at least it took me, a while to realize that this is truly the same remarkable actress lurking somewhere underneath two such very disparate characters. RH is apparently one of this current generation of Brits who find it incredibly easy to portray utterly convincing Americans. Witness the cast of True Blood, Walking Dead, and Vikings, fer yer good examples. I wonder what will become of her career... She is certainly in demand enough, from Woody Allen to Iron Man, but the roles are not true kick ass starmakers. Her danger is that she may remain appreciated but not adored, she is certainly not yet a household name although she is talented enough to be. Like a Meryl Streep waiting for the career making door opener of Sophies Choice she stands the danger of becoming successful without stardom, and parking her car forever in the second rows of small lots where the dreadful appellation of "beloved character actor" denies all any further expansion or exit. We will see what opportunities to supernova come her way. This film is a game, friendly and likable, supposedly true fable of modern Vegas, based on the central character's book, although true is always a flexible description in these matters. I don't recall any smoking or drinking or sex in the movie and although that is a pleasant omission to witness, this is supposed to be real life Nevada after all. Willis and Zeta-Jones make credible appearances as flawed but still admirable human beings, and the guy from Fringe shows up as a smiling and insignificant yet desirable male. Its nice to see big stars in small films, and I would love to know the inside story of how they were all somehow wooed into this one. Probably Willis first, then the rest followed. Its Hall who gives the movie any weight and memorability however, I have watched it twice now just to see her upside down close up face as she stands on her head for the affable psychopath who wants to time her, and the so great way she says "lay" on the phone when BW teaches her how to call in a bet. See? Now you have to see it too, donchya? Donchya now huh?