Sending the wrong message
Added 10/25/2009
Someone has to point out that the moral of this story is: "Don't go to work. Go play poker and you'd make millions (easily; almost everybody does)". Or: "Playing professional poker is a productive contribution to society". Or: "If you show them you bring enough money, your parents will forget their plans for your future and support you".
There is a minor lateral message: "Prostitution is ok, as long as you tell your customer that you are a pro, so he does not fall in love with you. The problem lies in lying, not in prostitution itself".
I cannot imagine what kind of influence could this movie have on impressionable kids.
It is entertaining all right (one star goes for that), but it certainly cannot be "very very good". After all, it features Burt Reynolds, an actor with a long career of making bad, irrelevant, white-trash movies.
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Predictable but entertaining if you like poker
Added 10/20/2009
Alex is a college graduate whose parents got him a job at a law firm, but what he really wants to do is play poker. He meets Tommy Vinson, a former poker pro who promised his wife 20 years ago that he'd never play again, and has kept his promise. Tommy becomes Alex's mentor and stakes him in tournaments.
"Deal" has some not-so-subtle product placement (PokerStars and World Poker Tour) and the story is like a poker remake of "The Color of Money", but the actors are good and it's entertaining if you like poker and don't mind that it's a bit predictable. Several poker pros appear as themselves, including Antonio Esfandiari, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem and Phil Laak, whose girlfriend Jennifer Tilly also appears, not as herself but as a poker pro. 3 stars.
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Excellent movie
Added 8/19/2009
I was surprised at how good this movie is. They dared to go against the hollywood formulas, and I saw that the 'Critic' in the yahoo reviews did not even watch it, which is obvious from his commentary. I guess the makers of this movie did not give any kick back to the powers that be. A very very good movie. I have recommended this movie to three pals I have who each said they were not intersted, I did not let up though and they saw it just to get me off their backs. Two of them ended up buying it. This is one of those movies that was shot down by a few couple people with an axe to grind, its really good. Has some real life messages about prostitution, commitment and honor.
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Hold 'em fans will love this film
Added 3/27/2009
Move over Rounders...this film will rock the poker world! Brilliant movie with superb acting from a mixture of both actors and professional poker players, (including the beautiful Jennifer Tilly who is both). Great story..puts the sub-par poker film Lucky You to shame. Although Bret Harrison is no Matt Damon, both he and Burt Reynolds shine and sparkle separately and together. Great poker action and Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten play their usual delightful selves as the World Poker Tour announcers. The lovely Courtney Friel, (who now works for Fox News), also plays herself as she indeed used to gig for the WPT. Poker pros Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari also are natural actors and many other pros make cameo appearances. And the very sexy Shannon Elizabeth, (of American Pie fame), really heats things up as the love interest of Harrison. My only minor quibble with the film is that these two don't reunite at the end. Oh, and Burt's make-up is a bit much. But overall, a must-see for all poker fans!
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