BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
In this 2013 crime thriller, we rehash not-so-old ideas and put it into a not-so-original story. Justin Timberlake plays a dude who is trying to make ends meet at Princeton. He’s not a rich kid like the others so he hustles students through getting them to gamble online. He’s such a rascal and the pilot episode of “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” comes to mind. You know, the one where Zack and the gang put up a fake raffle to pull in cash. It’s just like that. Anyway, he ends up getting in over his head and puts it all on the table in order to stay in school. He is cheated and loses all of his money. He looks into it and finds a “glitch” in the online gambling system. Enter Ben Affleck. He’s the super-rich entrepreneur who owns and runs the gambling system. Timberlake confronts him and gets in his hair a bit. Affleck not only reimburses Timberlake his cash but offers him a job within his operation. This leads to a love triangle, finding out Affleck is (obviously) a dirty businessman, and typical FBI hijinks. It’s like Casino meets The Social Network without any of the substance and impact of either. Brad Furman did a nice job directing the movie though. Outside of the exhausting plot and characters, he delivered style and depth within the world provided. The movie just didn’t work. It’s a fun ride for the hour and a half or so it’s on, but none of it sticks with you. It’s like an over the top rap video without a catchy chorus; all flash and hype. There wasn’t much promotion for this movie and it’s easy to understand why. It’s too smart for the demographic that should like it and too lackluster and dull for folks who like deep crime thrillers. It’s not the worst movie in the world or anything. If you want to check it out and have nothing to do, I’d say go for it. It’s better than “The Great Gatsby” and other over-stylized “swanky crime” movies to come out in recent years. The performances were good, the direction was solid, and it moves at a good pace. It’s just a disposable pop-culture movie that just doesn’t engage beyond a single bucket of popcorn. If you have the time and the popcorn go for it! C+
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