Rounders

Why do I keep writing about movies that I love so much? Hmmm… I guess it is better than the contrary – writing about films that are terrible? I should do a Michael Bay series. He has this strange fetish with animals humping in films. Look for it! (BAD BOYS2-rats, TRANSFORMERS2-dog, and there’s others but they slip my mind right now – how could that happen!!!) So I definitely will NOT be doing any series around that pompous LA director. There was a great bit in last weeks 30 Rock where Alec Baldwin walked over and turned off the TV when they started to brag about LA and how great it was, and they even mentioned MB’s name. So great. Ok I guess I could talk about this film some.

Watch ROUNDERS Trailer Here

I love cards. Euchre, Pinochle, Casino, Hearts, Rook, Canasta, Gin, Go Fish, War… But the mother of them all has to be poker. And within poker: Stud, 7-Card Stud, Texas Hold-Em, Omaha, Shantghai, Razz, I love them all. But the one we always play is Texas Hold-Em. As Mike McDermant says, “it’s the Cadillac of poker.” And it truly is the most entertaining to play. No-Limit Texas Hold-Em is where it’s at. I don’t play as much as I used to, but every Friday night there’s a home game that I’m in. The stakes are low, but there’s always good action.

The film followers Matt Damon’s character Mike McDermant, who loses everything when he’s beat by the better full house at Teddy KGB’s (John Malcovich) Russian mob den one night. He then has to get a real job delivering off a truck all night long. Matt’s bff, worm (Edward Norton), gets out of jail and Mike picks him up and they go out on a night of card hustling. His girlfriend finally catches on and leaves him, he loses his shot at a law school internship, and Mike and worm go on a gambling streak to help worm remove the debts he owes. In the end Mike gets what he wants: some much warranted revenge on Teddy KGB and a trip to the big times – Vegas – during the WSOP (World Series of Poker).

This film really strikes at the hearts of all true card players. The nights that blend into the next day’s morning, the incredible swings of good/bad fortune, and the women that inherently hate poker. I want to discuss this for a second. Why do all women hate poker so much? I know my wife has played in our home games before, but she despises it when I go out to play for a night. I understand that it’s time where I am away from you and with the boys, but there always seems to be extreme tension and anger associated with my weekly or bi-weekly all-night poker game. Well at least Mikey D feels my pain as well. At least I didn’t lose 30k when my 9s full of Aces were beat to his Aces full of 9s. Bad beat for sure. And Teddy KGB slow rolled Mike there too! Just like Mike slow rolled him at the end of the film.

I struck me so hard when Mike was unloading the truck the first night – it sounds like the score straight from TAXI DRIVER when Travis is driving the streets of NYC for the first time and describing all the filth and disease he sees around him. Is there a parallel between Travis and Mike – both working mundane jobs at night in order to try and escape from the world that they obviously don’t belong in?

If you play poker or just love either one of these actors – see this film. It truly captures the life and times of a rounder, if you will. And Matt and Edward are in their best acting form I believe. It’s truly a film with high repeatability and pay close attention around the 54-minute mark. This is the best moment of the film. When the hero gives in to his destiny. Every time I get goosebumps when Mike jumps in feet first and says “let’s play some _____¬_ cards.”

Rating: 9.5/10