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Lay the Favorite (2012) 4.8
Ratings:
4.8/10 from 8,249 users
Metascore: 38/100
Reviews: 34 user | 110 critic | 17 from Metacritic.com Ex-private dancer Beth aspires to be a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, when she falls in with Dink, a sports gambler. Sparks fly as she proves to be something of a gambling prodigy--much to the ire of Dink's wife, Tulip. Director:Stephen Frears |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Rebecca Hall | ... | ||
| Joel Murray | ... |
Darren
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| Hugo Armstrong | ... |
Customer
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| Corbin Bernsen | ... |
Jerry
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Earl Maddox | ... |
Manager
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| Rio Hackford | ... |
Magic
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| Jo Newman | ... |
Darcy
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| Laura Prepon | ... | ||
| Bruce Willis | ... | ||
| Frank Grillo | ... |
Frankie
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| Wayne Pére | ... |
Scott
(as Wayne Péré)
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Adam Kozlowski | ... |
Rio Gambler 1
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| Al Brown | ... |
Old Gambler
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Thom Sesma | ... |
Young Guy
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| Rusty Meyers | ... |
Rio Gambler 2
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Beth, who lap dances to make ends meet, leaves Florida for Las Vegas hoping to be a cocktail waitress. She meets two women who introduce her to Dink, a gambler with a system. He hires her - she's good with numbers - and she promptly falls for him, even though he's married to a woman who seems to do nothing but spend his money. Beth tries to entice Dink whose wife, Tulip, tells him to choose; he does and promptly goes on a losing streak. The repercussions of his choice play out with a heavy gambler who has a parole officer, a cheesy bookmaker in Curaçao, Beth's desire to keep a friend out of prison, and help from an unlikely source. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Taglines:
How far can a losing shot take you?Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content, brief drug use, and nudity | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
22 June 2012 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Doble o nada See more »Box Office
Budget:
$26,350,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$20,998 (USA) (7 December 2012)Gross:
$20,998 (USA) (7 December 2012)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Written by Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer
Performed by Ruth Lewis
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
During the televised basketball game in the closing minutes of the film, the storyline is that the game is down to no time left on the clock, and the NJ player, Reedmore, has the chance to make 2 foul shots to beat LA. When the baseline camera focuses on the player's face, though, the time clock over the hoop at the other end of the court is visible, and the clock plainly reads 6:40 left in the game. See more »Quotes
Dink Heimowitz: Hey, you know when don't need to be taken care of anymore? It's when you decide to start taking care of someone else.See more »
Soundtracks
Take Me Out to the Ball GameWritten by Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer
Performed by Ruth Lewis
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"Lay the Favorite" has many dissenters, most complaining that it's completely unbelievable. It's true, it is. Beth (Rebecca Hall) is a ditzy bimbo who quits her job as a stripper and moves to Las Vegas to become a cocktail waitress. A great idea! Instead, as soon as she arrives, she gets a very lucrative job as a sports bettor for a bookie who isn't a bookie since bookmaking is illegal. She's a genius with numbers and words.
She's also capable of getting guys to do whatever they think she wants. They need to do the thinking since she's too dumb to even know what she wants. The kicker to this story of an over-sexed, ditzy bimbo, numbers genius, sports-betting millionaire, is that it's a true story. I decided to watch the YouTube video of the real Beth Raymer reading from her memoir which this film is based on to see if Hall accurately captured her varying characteristics. And she did. She does the hair twirl and the dumb girl giggle as she describes the kings of sports gambling giving her job after job after job.
I'm one of the few who liked Rebecca Hall in this. So different from her usual indie fare. She has to ooze sex and play beautiful even though she has never really been described that way before. But in order to like this movie at all, you need to care about this floozy. Other than her ridiculous free ride through life, nothing really interesting happens to her.
Her first job in Vegas is with Dink (Bruce Willis) who owns Dink Inc. She loves him, he loves her … mind? Yeah, right. Apparently he does. So when she gets herself in trouble along with a nice, smart successful guy (Joshua Jackson) who doesn't seem to mind throwing his life away for her, he comes to the rescue.
Personally, I found Hall's sexy naiveté and Willis' extreme gambling entertaining enough to keep watching. However, the movie doesn't seem to play the unfortunate reality that this is a true story for laughs. When there's a story too unbelievable to be true then you should be making fun of everybody who allowed it to occur, instead the film just wanted the audience to go along for a fun ride. It is somewhat fun, it's also very unbelievable, and ultimately, pretty stupid.
Who Might Like This: Anybody who likes seeing ditzy bimbos succeed in life; people who like watching unbelievably true stories; fans of Rebecca Hall.