User Reviews

**May contain some spoilers**

I wanted to enjoy this movie, I really did.

Too many flashbacks during the first half the movie - it was ridiculous.

The acting especially during the more emotional scenes was pretty bad. I thought Dominique Swain's performance was uneven at best. At times, she was okay but in some scenes I thought she was pretty bad.

I like Michael Madsen but he didn't have a lot work with here and his character disappears for most of the movie. It's always nice to see Louis Gossett Jr, and I wish he was in more of the film in a mentoring role (for Swain).

The supporting cast was charming enough but not really adequate.

I think this film tried to accomplish too much. A gambling father, a relationship between father and daughter (and wife), a medical school career challenge, a conspiracy at medical school, a relationship with a boyfriend, a poker championship and a reuniting of father and daughter.

I think it would have worked much better if the film stuck to Swain trying to win at Poker and being mentored by Louis Gossett Jr and Michael Madsen. Forget about showing Medical School and the conspiracy.

I don't know how I managed to watch the whole movie but the best scenes were during the Poker matches and when Madsen, and Gossett Jr. were on screen.

Oh for God's sake. How could anyone seriously give this piece of trash anything higher than a 1? Someone is seriously messing with us on these rave reviews. The story is unbelievable, cartoonish, silly and not the least bit interesting.

The acting? It's embarrassing. Louis Gosset Jr totally pimped himself out to this crapstravaganza, and Madsen was more convincing in the lame love.com. Of course, these two out acted the entire rest of the cast; most of whom had better save up their money while they still have looks.

Dominique Swain? Nothing. No talent whatsoever. Shameful that this person has ever been cast in a movie.

This may be the very worst movie I have ever seen in my life. I can't think of enough ways to say how badly I hated it. There was nothing good in it at all; not one single minute of it. What complete absolute garbage! I can't believe this even got made! Do NOT waste your time on this ridiculous crap. It's not even "so bad it's good." It's just so bad it's bad.

I mean, were we watching the same movie? I saw this stinker last night on, I think the movie channel, and it was awful. The beginning of it, the production looked so bad, i thought I had tuned to an "adulit" movie by mistake. The acting was on a par with one, except for Micheal Madsen and that little girl. They didn't even show the poker action well; they flashed the person's hole cards, then showed the flop and board cards at a bad angle; it was hard to figure out what they were trying to portray. Did she have a set? A flush? Huh? wait, there were 4 clubs, no, or was it more spades? Oh, it was a straight. Just awful.

The story such as it is, follows a young lady who is the daughter of a well, depending on how you look at it, professional or addicted, gambler. (I think the difference is, you're a professional if you gamble all the time, and make money at it). The dad tries his best to give his little girl a good life, but there's all these problems, his wife changed, he owes money to the local capo, etc etc, I won't give away too much but there's some standard plot devices at work here. The story is actually OK, it's the mostly bad acting and "indy" production quality that makes it a bad movie.

If there's nothing else on cable, and you don't mind throwing away about an hour and a half of your life (it seems much longer), you might take a look at it. If you're expecting a good poker movie, like the Rounders, or something, don't bother, though.

I never write reviews but this was that bad. It looked like a soft core Skinemax flick without the skin. This was one of the worst films I'd ever seen. It really doesn't even make any sense. The ending, especially. I mean, there aren't any card cameras at a 5-million dollar final table? What??? Poor Johnny Juanda and Eric Seidel make cameos, I hope they got paid reeeeeally well. This script must've been written on a napkin. Maybe this was a long commercial for Party Poker.com. And she has time to be in a large poker tournament AND in med school at the same time? There are so many stupid plot points in this film it might only be fun to watch if you make some kind of drinking game out of it.

So this is supposed to be a movie about a girl whose father is a great poker player who ends up owing tons of cash to the mob because he sucks at cards. He dies to collect insurance money and to stiff the mob. OK wateva! The girl grows up and goes to Medical School and her friends decide she should enter a $5million poker tournament to pay off their student debts. Of course they do not take time to learn medicine, they instead party and hang out in casinos. OK wateva! This girl when she is not gambling discovers that her resident doctors/surgeons don't make very much money so they have to resort to extorting money from poor, illegal immigrants. OK wateva! So now this girl is playing a poker tournament for $5 million when she freaks out because Colonel Sanders sits down at her table. Oh wait, its her dad who faked his death and now returns to a televised poker tournament his daughter has entered. Let me guess that the insurance company personnel that were involved in her fathers death aren't watching this tournament even though they would probably be interested because they would be curious how that little girl's life turned out after losing her daddy. Lets also assume the mob boss isn't watching and salivating over any money the girl might win to pay off her fathers debt. Lets assume that neither recognize her dad because he now looks like Colonel Sanders. OK wateva! Now the evil Doctor who is recognized as a poker great sits down at her table to play poker. Why? because he is so broke he needs to play poker to make ends meet. Why? because doctors in the US don't make as much money as the illegal immigrants he has to extort money from. OK wateva! Now....I could go on but I don't have the energy. OK? wateva

It's true, this film was godawful.... and the posters who gave it a one are ALL right --there are too many reasons to count as for why this film deserves such a bad rating.

But I do want to say I had several good laughs reading the comments about it here! Now that experience was far, far more entertaining then the film itself.

I would like to point out one more huge plot hole, however, something so absolutely absurd that any script writer above the age of 8 would surely have spotted it -- supposedly, this big deal doctor who must make millions a year as a doctor, is shaking down poor Medicaid patients for sums like $10,000 or he threatens to not complete the surgery. WTF?! How can poor patients come up with kind of money? That's got to be the dumbest, most unproductive scam ever.

I honestly think the script was written as they went along. At one point, you think the slightly older-than-intern doctor (the one with huge collagen lips who seems to wear an evening dress everywhere she goes and no doubt wears one under her surgical scrubs, along with ten pounds of unhygenic make-up) appears in a casino scene and is obviously being set up as a gambling addict. But, then, poof! That plot goes no where and the evil head doc comes in.

Honestly, I'll stop now. I wasted enough time on this stinker!