Bookies (2003) Reviews

• Good flick, Worth it for Galecki alone.

  VinceRocca2005-04-21

  Johnny Galecki is great in Bookies. His performance is nothing less then stellar. I've seen him before in other things, but always dismissed him as character actor. He shines in Bookies. If this movie had a higher budget, his performance would have garnered him an award. Galecki plays Jude, which is the most developed character in the movie. Also the character I hated. That's probably why I noticed Galecki's excellent performance. Rachel Lee Cook sadly has the weakest character. Her acting wasn't weak, her character was. Without giving anything away, there is a scene where Stahl tells her he has given up, then she lectures him that he should give up, I'm sorry, didn't he just say he did give up?? The plot gets weak toward the end. You'll need to lend some creative license, but not so much that it enters the "Oh Come ON!" stage. Good movie, worth the rental, or even purchase it in the bargain bin.

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• Witty and Interesting, but Derivative

  dimarinc2012-03-01

  Bookies was a good movie. It had a fast pace that didn't leave you behind and didn't tread. It had some good acting, especially by Johnny Galecki. It had an engaging plot and interesting enough characters. However, the characters were left feeling rigid and inaccessible and at times the movie coasted without enlightening. Bookies was an intriguing movie from the common format of a Blow type movie. Watching a young group of three guys set up a sports betting ring, listening to their clever intricacies, then watching it fall apart. Even cocaine makes an appearance in this movie. What I thought was very interesting was some of the piece shots and how some audio montage clips were assembled very well. As i stated the acting was good, but Johnny Galecki made it that way. He outperformed everyone. Without him the acting was a bit stiff. There were some problems with this movie. I enjoy a movie that spends the time to establish the plot then moves through it briskly. But at times this movie jets from one situation to another without explaining how certain events happened. Given the fast plot, this created some confusion. Also I don't think Bookies did anything to distinguish itself. But, it is a type of movie that there are so few of, that I don't care too much. I would recommend this movie to anyone. It's not going to wow you, but it is worth the watch.

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• Easy to watch

  t-excel2005-04-04

  This is what every school going teenager dreams of. i always thought the Netherlands where missing out on a lot. we don't have school campuses here in the Netherlands, i love the idea of living on one over these. Doesn't matter if you see it in the movies or hear from people who studied in the us, the stories always sound amazing. This is one of the amazing examples what teenagers whit an idea and enough balls can accomplish. to bad they had to give it up. and "Rachael Leigh Cook"...what a FOXX!!!! My Final conclusion; It's a easy to watch, entertaining & exciting story. well played by the actors. Love to see a part 2 on this movie.

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• An enjoyable movie

  pushfrog_20002009-08-14

  A good soundtrack, excellent acting, and a pleasing enough plot to keep you from growing bored are the strong points of this movie. Unfortunately, underplayed characters, clichés, and lack of subject knowledge held it back from its full potential. The trio of idiotic genius' are helmed masterfully by their actors, with Johnny Galecki stealing the show when his character starts slipping into the world of easy money. Unfortunately, none of the characters are new or fresh. Casey, a shy nerd whom we rarely get to see anything of, joins the crew when another character decides to "adopt" him because he was lost his first day on campus - despite unwittingly setting the plans in motion, his character does little besides provide a contrasting personality to the other two leads. Jude is a womanizing party boy who is the main schemer of the group. He is also addicted to everything, making him very, very attached the money and the thrill of gaining it. He tends to be the more spirited of the three, getting himself into the most trouble. He also provides comedy relief. Finally, the main "hero", Tobey, is excited about the plan, but is more focused on the attractive Hunter, played by Rachel Leigh Cook. He is the child prodigy who smooths over some of the bumpier problems, and tries to keep Jude from blowing things over the top. These three put their plans into action, only to have a problem getting word out. After a conman's maneuver, our three characters are rolling in money, and the trouble begins. Really, the movie tries hard to be a jack of all trades, and in trying to do so fails at being fully delightful at anything. The romance is unbelievable between Hunter and Tobey, and highly forgotten until it becomes convenient. The supposed brotherly feelings between Jude and Tobey is also lost to the wind, as the chemistry between actors just isn't there. The plot calls for the suspension of disbelief in every scene involving the mafia, who are tame and uncreative. It also has, in my opinion, a cheesy cop-out ending. By the time the credits roll, you really couldn't care less what happens to the characters. In fact, in the case of Jude, you might even be wishing things had turned disastrous for them. However, it was a fun film, and one I'd recommend to my friends for a lazy afternoon viewing.

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• fun movie

  paul-4152004-10-02

  saw this flick in Blockbuster and was intrigued. I like sports gambling and thought this was a unique and smart movie that addresses the subject in a very clever way. Great actors with some good music and fun plot twists. Not sure why this never went to the movie theaters. It had gone to The Sundance Film Festival and it has NICK STAHL from Terminator III and HBO's CARNIVALE, not to mention Lukas Haas and Rachael Leigh Cook. AND the greatest actor from THE SOPRANOS--David Proval, the guy that played RICHIE APRILE. Saw that writer of this co wrote MANIC, which is an AWESOME movie that I actually saw at THE SUNDANCE FILM FEST a few years ago. That movie had DON CHEADLE in it and he is an acting god. If you like smart movies with some good dialogue that handles the topic of sports gambling on college campuses, go rent BOOKIES! I bet you'll like it (hey, I couldn't resist that last line).

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