Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

VividSimon Simply Perfect

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

HotToastyRag What a fun flick! In Lay the Favorite, Rebecca Hall shows off her acting chops by playing a character she never usually plays. From England, Rebecca usually plays a strong, self-sufficient woman, and in this comedy, she plays a gum-chewing, low-class bimbo from Florida who falls for a married gambler. She's never been prettier, and in my opinion, she's never been more likable.With her curls bouncing as much as her personality, Rebecca finds herself lap-dancing in Las Vegas with dreams no higher than becoming a cocktail waitress. She meets for master gambler Bruce Willis and goes to work for him in his bookie joint. While she develops feelings for him, he's merely enamored with her work talents-after all, he is married to the beautiful and jealous Catherine Zeta-Jones!Depending on how well you know your date-and whether or not he's married-this would be an adorable film to rent for a cute date night. It's funny, sassy, interesting, and Rebecca does a great job. I liked her so much in Lay the Favorite that I didn't realize it was the same actress I had seen in other, completely different roles! She and Bruce have a darling rapport together, and you'll find yourself rooting for them despite your better judgment.

Prismark10 Beth Raymer (Rebecca Hall) leaves her exotic dancing job at a Florida strip club to become a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas. Her ditzy personality looks like its not going to giver her too many breaks until she meets Dink (Bruce Willis) an underground sports bookie.He sees through her bubbly exterior and discovers that she has a good mind for numbers and she places illegal bets all over the town. Dink regards her as a good luck charm but his wife (Catherine Zeta Jones) becomes jealous. Dink fires her and she goes to New York to work for a rival underground bookie who is being hunted down by the law.The film is based on a true story but its poorly told. It spirals downwards as you increasingly lose interest in a largely predictable plot. Rebecca Hall looks rather old to be playing the lead and although she is energetic her quirks tend to be off putting. Willis and Zeta Jones do not fare any better. Vince Vaughn has a small and thankless role and only Joshua Jackson comes off best.Its a light tale that is neither funny, satirical or even show the thrill of sports book gambling. It does not amount to much despite the star wattage and a usually reliable director.

Valerie Wilkinson So, why pick up a movie called "The Gambler" in Japanese. "Play the Favorite" actually is a line in the movie, a sort of key to the story. Answer: I like movies about games, I like "game theory" and hope for something like A Beautiful Mind. Hearts in Atlanta, 21, Moneyball. In fact, it was Joshua Jackson that pulled me. I went through "Fringe" with him, wanted to see him in something else. I actually didn't realize how high level the cast was! It kind of starts off like "Showgirls." Naive girl rolls into town, um, doesn't get a gig as cocktail waitress so, we aren't in the same story, and it isn't going to be the same story.Why did I watch it again and again? When her father laughed because Beth wants to leave Tallahasse for Los Vegas, and that scene worked for me. I liked her dog. I was already with Rebecca Hall as Beth much more deeply than I ever could with Vicky in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". But on the other hand, and to be fair, I did not watch that movie three times in a row, hunting for it. What? The thing that makes it ring true, that pulls me in. I've driven up to a place, looked at it, decided it would do, and said, "I'll take it." Hit the pavement looking for a job.Enter Dink and face it, I love Bruce, I've loved him a long time, since "Moonlighting" and you've seen these kid actors, Harrison Ford, Michael Keaton, John Travolta, bursting with sex-appeal and self-confidence, and you've seen them getting older, and so here is Bruce being Dink, and I'm already with Beth, so there is an interview and she tells him everything, he tells her everything, he forgives her for being a kid, and he hires her, she is stoked and the movie kept me until the end. Catherine Zeta-Jones does a great job, Vince Vaughn makes his small but central part work. It's a sort of sad note that Joshua's Jeremy was just a bit too bland, but the core story of the two central people becoming real friends, overcoming the possible delusions of sex and infidelity worked. The chemistry of Bruce with Rebecca was spot on. I believed it and felt like that is a love that can hold the world together and a very good role for Rebecca.After I watched this movie again and again, I also understood more about the world, the games, and the characters. It was taken from Beth's true story. I should add that Catherine Zeta-Jones played her role to perfection, if you understand that the story is a true story of some real people, not a titillating fantasy.

callanvass Beth (Rebecca Hall) is an ex private dancer, looking to make it big in Las Vegas. She meets Dink (Bruce Willis) a sports gambler who shows her the ways of betting. Dink gets very close with Beth, much to the ire of Dink's wife Tulip (Catharine Zeta-Jones)I generally try to respect people's opinions these days. I'm a rather opinionated person myself, so I implore people to speak their minds. But, one thing I can't get my head around is the low rating for this movie, 4.7, huh? Granted, it's not gonna make head spin if you decide to see it, but I thought it had energy and lots of likability to it. Lay The Favorite benefits from a fantastic cast. Gambling is a very touchy subject among people. It's always a risk (No. I didn't use the word gamble, because that would have been a lame pun) when one gambles. Maybe people felt this movie glorified gambling in a way? I don't know. I could see that, but I thought the addition of romance was very much needed here. I would have gotten bored if it was all about gambling. The development of the characters is what made this movie. I thought Bruce Willis brought a fine comedic touch, and genuinely seemed to be interested in the material. His relationship with Rebecca Hall was funny and touching. Willis was quite good here. I cracked up at the mini meltdowns he had. Rebecca Hall is fantastic. Her energetic performance, and her perky style does wonders for this movie, and I had my eyes glued to the screen every moment she was on it. She's sexy, cute, funny, and downright irresistible. She was a main reason as to why I enjoyed this as much as I did. I also enjoyed her love story with Joshua Jackson. Zeta-Jones is OK as Dink's husband. She had a couple of sassy moments here and there. Vince Vaughn is a bit OTT as Rosy, but managed to not get on my nerves, which is a big compliment in his case. The ending seemed totally Hollywood, and contrived. For some reason, I had trouble buying it. It seemed to me like the message was "The risk of gambling is worth it, and if you take risks, you might wind up lucky" That's a minor carp, though.Final Thoughts: I had a decent time with this film. It passes the time effortlessly, and you won't regret watching it. It's not something I'll ever see again, but I didn't mind it at all, and I think people are really unfair with it. 5.7/10