Robert J. Maxwell There are myriad movies about a young man who has an amateur's gift for something. Then he enters the big leagues, the enterprise becomes demystified, he faces inner or outer demons, overcomes them, achieves momentous success, and returns to his roots, a man in full.That's pretty much the tale of McConaughey, an amiable naif giving comments and advice on a backwoods radio program who's talent is for figuring out who's going to win football games.He gets a call from Al Pacino, who runs -- well, I don't know what the enterprise can be called. It's a large room full of experts on football who sell betting odds over the phone, rather like stockbrokers, only this is serious money. Pacino is expansive and seductive, almost a reprise of his role in "The Devil's Advocate." He takes over McConaughey's life, buys him expensive suits, advertises him, and puts him on a TV show. Pacino's wife, Rene Russo, takes a shine to McConaughey too, but nothing untoward happens. McConaughey's a likable guy -- until he gets cocky, superior, and begins to take time off to play golf. A series of failures bring down both him and Pacino, until the climactic Big Win.The characters are superbly written by Dan Gilroy, and the dialog sounds like the Fourth of July parade in Disneyland. The violent language sparkles with a hilarious profanity. Pacino's metaphors rise to the heights of poetry. I can't reproduce any here.The score is unobtrusive, the location shooting evocative without showing off, and Conrad Hall's seasoned photography catches it all nicely on celluloid.All the performances, major and minor, are fine but there are times when it's hard to discern a character's motivation. Pacino and McConaughey have a complex relationship, switching back and forth between deep affection and creeping suspicion. The switches sometimes come too quickly and for reasons that remain murky. I don't know why Pacino embraces McConaughey instead of just kicking his ass out, when McConaughey comes up with a string of losers, and I don't know the significance of making big bets on the flip of a coin (twice). Last scene: a refurbished and renewed McConaughey in old clothes, a pack slung over his shoulder, a smile on his face, boarding the airplane that will take him back to San Placebo where life is simpler and he can become a middle-school coach with perspective.The story doesn't link its episodes together very well but the pieces on occasion become works of art. Not majestic works of art, but not Grandma Moses either.

viewsonfilm.com Two for the Money is a 2005 release that dives head first into the volatile world of sports gambling. Our tour guides: Walter Abrams (played by Al Pacino, who chews a lot of scenery here) as an owner of a sports consulting operation and Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey), a former college football star turned sports handicapper, who acts as Walter's innocent protégé. What starts off as a high energy romp turns dark and restless. Granted, this is not your ordinary sports flick. Its non-linear storytelling works because of the performances (Rene Russo is also effective in a supporting role as Pacino's character's wife). If you revel in the idea of Pacino playing himself, this is a must see. D. J. Caruso (The Salton Sea) directs. Dan Gilroy (Freejack) penned the script.

LeonLouisRicci You know what's more Boring than Watching a Boring Football Game on TV? Watching Men Sitting Around Watching a Football Game on TV...in a Movie. You get a lot of that here along with Interspersed Scenes of Matthew McConaughey Flexing His Pecs and Al Pacino Flexing all of His Performances into Another Familiar Slick but Kinda-Sick Character.There are Many Problems with this One Including Intense People "on the phone". Now that makes for a Riveting Movie. Or how about the Speeches about Addictive Personalities that are as Muddled as they are Pop Psychology Pedantic.This is By the Numbers Filmmaking all about Numbers. Another Film Grabber, Numbers are about as Sexy as Telemarketers. You get a lot of Both in this Uninspiring Movie. It isn't as Bad as Watching an Infomercial, but it is a Movie that's Central Setting is an Infomercial. So go for it if You must, just don't Expect Anything Very Suspenseful, like the Middle Part where a Billionaire gets Peeved at Losing some of His Millions. That, like the rest of this, goes Nowhere.

SnoopyStyle Six years after a career-ending injury, former college football player Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) is doing little more than a phone service for gamblers. After some amazing success, he is lured to NY to join Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) in his business of gambling predictions. It's a fast talking adrenaline junkie's business and Walter's wife Toni (Rene Russo) tries to keep ever present dangers in check.The story isn't that exciting. The characters are questionable. The big takeaway is the acting. Matthew McConaughey is a master of this brash young guy. He works well with the master Al Pacino. Al has more intensity than the rest of the cast. And Rene Russo has that superior regal airs about her. The movie starts well, but it does slow down around the middle. It is just too long, and the second half gets quite tiresome. Maybe the Pacino intensity wore me out. At the end, I really didn't care about anybody in the movie.