Written by: Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

When I'm watching a movie as deadly dull, banal and boring as this, I often wonder how it got made? Who "green-lit" the project? And why? So I did a little research. The incoherent script was written by Dan Gilroy, husband of Rene Russo, who's executive producer. It was produced by Morgan Creek's James G. Robinson, who may have called in favors from Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey. But how did he get Ebert and Roeper to give this loser a "thumbs up"?

Set in the frenzied world of sports betting, it's the story of a cocky college football star, Brandon Lang (McConaughey), whose dreams of gridiron glory disappear when his knee is injured. But he has another talent: with his knowledge of football, he's able to pick winners. That piques the interest of Walter Abraham (Pacino) and his hair-stylist wife (Rene Russo), who run a Manhattan sports consulting (i.e.: gambling) operation. Soon Brandon not only becomes Walter's protégé but also his surrogate son - until some malevolent manipulation ruptures the relationship.

Since illegal sports betting is a multi-million dollar industry, this should be a lot more sinister high-stakes drama. Remember "Jerry Maguire"? But is it really young director D.J. Caruso's fault that there's no discernible style or tone? Matthew McConaughey's laid-back acting stretches amiable about as far as it can go and Al Pacino, once you get him agitated, chews the scenery. Which is, I suppose, excusable since the dopey dialogue gives him so little to gnaw on. As for Rene Russo, she's simply past her prime for parts like this.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Two for the Money" is a stilted, pretentious 3. It's not a question of who's conning whom on-screen. It's the paying audience that gets conned. This movie is a bad bet, even for the boys.