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DVD Owning Mahowny
Philip Seymour Hoffman adds another great performance to his gallery of losers in Owning Mahowny, an engrossing, fact-based comedy-drama about the perils of compulsive gambling. The subject is hardly new to movies, but as Toronto bank-loan manager Dan Mahowny, Hoffman brings fresh depth and tortured humanity to his portrayal of a man who helplessly feeds his pathological need to gamble with millions in embezzled bank money that he can't afford to lose. His supportive wife (Minnie Driver, barely recognizable beneath a plain-looking wig and glasses) is aware of the problem but not its severity, and in fulfilling the promise of his debut feature Love and Death on Long Island, British director Richard Kwietniowski strikes a delicate balance of humor, adrenalin, and escalating tension, guiding Hoffman, Driver, and an excellent supporting cast (including Long Island's John Hurt) in a quietly suspenseful study of Mahowny's ill-fated impulse. Set in the early 1980s but timeless in its study of dysfunctional behavior, Owning Mahowny is a safe bet for film lovers everywhere. --Jeff Shannon
I rent Owning Mahowny about a year ago and still often find myself thinking about it. I do not rent or see lots of movies anymore, largely due to the flashy, tabloid-fodder being churned out by Hollywood studios these days (curiously, who are all strangely confused why box office receipts keep dropping year-after-year).
I very much like Owning Mahowny, and will be buying a copy. I have a bias towards factual, documentary-style accounts which is part of the reason I like it. But it carries a sober (if unintentional) message to it. I agree with the reviewer who said this should be required viewing before any trip to Vegas. Maybe for stock and options traders too.
The setting of the early 80's is quite convincing, and I found it nostalgic to see the hairstyles, the cars, even the CDN $50 and $100 bills being counted in the opening credits. The character Dan Mahowny is indeed an "unexciting guy" who speaks in a monotone...that's part of the character, as Philip Seymour Hoffman faithfully reproduced after speaking for hours with the real Brian Molony, whose name was changed slightly for the movie's title owing to privacy concerns. Therein lies much of the movie's appeal. This is truly an average guy who did something stunning. Combine this with the movie's matter-of-factual attention to small details, and you suddenly feel like you're there, in 1981, watching this man implode before your very eyes.
If you prefer an Angelina Jolie bad girl, or Uma Thurman dressed up in a yellow suit with a sword, or Will Smith punching-out an alien from the cockpit of an F-16, you're in luck. Hollywood has made all of those movies, and many, many more just like them. Some gratuitous Hollywood production values can be fun, but the original, riveting story of Owning Mahowny was an entertaining and welcome change for me.
Just too depressing
"Owning Mahony" is well-thought out, well-written, well-acted and well-directed movie; but it is also way too depressing.
The movie is set around a main character, who has a pretty good job as a loan officer in a large bank. He has a girlfriend, whom appears to be serious about marriage. Our character also is respected enough by his peers to feel confidant and successful. Problem is, he has a serious gambling problem. A gamblng problem that will eventually lead to him stealing from his bank to fund weekend binges in Atlantic City.
The plot of the movie is great and the direction it takes is as well. The movie is extremly realistic and the soundtrack is very well suited for the gloomy, depressing atmosphere it is set in.
I found the movie watchable and humorous at times(I love the casino manager, who fires, and then re-hires Benny, a waitstaff employee whom our main character takes a liking too.) I just do not think that I could sit through this one again.
Worth a look, but not the buy.
Very realistic depiction of gambling addiction.
Watch this movie for the following reasons:
1: If you are addicted to gambling or even just a "social gambler", because it will make you think twice before you place another bet.
2: If you are related to a compulsive gambler, and you need to have a better perspective of this destructive secret life lived by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in this movie.
3: If you are planning a vacation in Atlantic city or Vegas, watch this first.
4: If you are a fan of Hoffman, don't miss this movie that allows him to showcase his very best leading performance alongside with Love Liza.
In this devastating journey of a gambling addiction, Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Mahowny a bank executive over the course a decade, had embessled money in the milliions to feed his gambling binges secretly, not even his girlfriend(played by the underused Mini Driver) has any idea about his secret life. The addiction had taken over him inside out, and eventually got caught for his stealing. John Hurt is brilliant as a casino owner, his character has seen all kinds gamblers, and he was fascinated that Mahowny didn't even want to spend time with hired prostitutes to service him, and just kept on betting for hours on end. It was gripping to see the intensity on Hoffman when he was in action. He just nailed every scene perfectly, and his performance is Oscar-caliber stuff.
The premise of this swinging Vegas picture is enough to carry it over its narrative rough spots. The unluckiest sap on the planet (William H. Macy) is employed as a "cooler" at a casino; his very presence can chill the hot streak of any patron on a roll. He's valued by the old-school manager of the place, a role given a two-fisted, bourbon-swilling incarnation by Alec Baldwin. Macy means to quit, but then he falls for a waitress (the excellent Maria Bello, from Permanent Midnight)--might his luck be changing? The subplots are pretty much a mess, but the frank sex scenes between Macy and Bello give the movie a truly offbeat feel. The tawdry air of a second-rate casino is also nicely done: This is not the new family-friendly Las Vegas, but a tough place of superstitions, sinister... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): William H. Macy - Alec Baldwin - Maria Bello Director(s): Wayne Kramer DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A finely detailed character study, Love Liza offers yet another excellent performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Written by Hoffman's brother Gordy (who won the Best Screenplay award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival) and directed by first-timer Todd Louiso (an actor best known for memorable roles in Jerry Maguire and High Fidelity), this poignant, offbeat drama focuses intently on Wilson Joel (Hoffman), a computer programmer whose wife has recently committed suicide, leaving Wilson a sealed note that he can't bring himself to read, despite the urgings of his grieving mother-in-law (played to perfection by Kathy Bates). As Wilson huffs gasoline fumes to numb his emotional anguish, Love Liza unfolds as a patiently measured study of grief and loss (like the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Philip Seymour Hoffman - Kathy Bates Director(s): Todd Louiso DVD Release Date: Released the 27 May 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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the movie was ok i think it didnt really get into his life story as much as i thought it would if you didnt know the story the movie really didnt bring it out to you More Info about this DVD Director(s): A.W. Vidmer DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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At times brilliant and insightful, at times repellent and false, Happiness is director Todd Solondz's multistory tale of sex, perversion, and loneliness. Plumbing depths of Crumb-like angst and rejection, Solondz won the Cannes International Critics Prize in 1998 and the film was a staple of nearly every critic's Top Ten list. Admirable, shocking, and hilarious for its sarcastic yet strangely empathetic look at consenting adults' confusion between lust and love, the film stares unflinchingly until the audience blinks. But it doesn't stop there. A word of strong caution to parents: One of the main characters, a suburban super dad (played by Dylan Baker), is really a predatory pedophile and there is more than an attempt to paint him as a sympathetic character. Children... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jane Adams (II) - Jon Lovitz - Philip Seymour Hoffman Director(s): Todd Solondz DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 1999 Usually ships in 24 hours
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