Cast: Matthew McConaughey (Brandon Lang), Al Pacino (Walter Abrams), Rene Russo (Toni Morrow)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Two for the Money page.
A movie that combines sports (a former football player with a career-ending injury and sports betting), drama, and comedy that stars Matthew McConaughey! What's not to like?
I do wonder if it's in Matthew McConaughey's contract that every time he's in a movie he has to be shown at least twice without his shirt on. Not that this is a complaint, just wondering. He's shown working out and is really ripped for this part of the football-obsessed Brandon Lang.
The logic of what Brandon does is pretty solid, too. If your life is football and as a quaterback you could predict other teams perfectly, why not get into sports betting instead of coaching? He has a gift for predicting the outcomes of games that is very valuable to those who bet on sports.
I think the movie was well done and enjoyable. A few points were a bit drawn out and one of the things both David and I thought would happen at some point in the movie didn't happen (leading David to ask, "That's it?" at the end), but I thought the ending was very well done and sometimes it's best to tease your audience about having something happen rather than allowing all their suspicions to be right.
Two for the Money is defined as a thriller by some and I don't get that part at all. No one was murdering people. I never feared for any character's life seriously, etc. I'd say it's mostly a sports drama with some comedy thrown in to lighten the mood.
Grade: B
Labels: 2005, Al Pacino, drama, Matthew McConaughey, movie, sports, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Matthew McConaughey (Trip), Sarah Jessica Parker (Paula), Bradley Cooper (Demo), Justin Bartha (Ace), Zooey Deschanel (Kit), Kathy Bates (Sue), Terry Bradshaw (Al)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Failure to Launch page.
Since I don't read reviews before seeing movies, all I had seen other than a couple short previews was the title of the CNN review yesterday basically saying that it lived up to the "Failure" in the name... I totally disagree.
Failure to Launch was a fun (and funny) movie about a guy (Trip) who is an adult who's making plenty of money, but still living at home. Though there are clearly a couple big stars in this movie, it really is a great ensemble piece. The cast is really great and they're all so funny. Of course, this movie was a bit predictable and not even close to Oscar-worthy. That doesn't mean Failure to Launch isn't a lot of fun.
I definitely recommend seeing Failure to Launch in the theaters or as a rental. The characters are great and the performances are wonderful. Go enjoy this cute romantic comedy!
Grade: B+
Labels: 2006, comedy, Kathy Bates, Matthew McConaughey, movie, romance, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:10 PM show | 1 screams
Cast: Kate Hudson (Andie Anderson), Matthew McConaughey (Benjamin 'Ben' Barry), Kathryn Hahn (Michelle Rubin), Annie Prisse (Jeannie Ashcroft)
For complete cast, see IMDb's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days page.
This adorable movie about a ladies' man who bets that he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days to win a big ad campaign is great fun! Of course, the woman his friends pick is writing an article on how to lose a guy in 10 days. This sets up a predictable chain of funny events. Sure, it's predictable, but what's wrong with a movie that's just for fun sometimes? If you like fun movies with no difficult plots from time to time, check this out. It's very entertaining!
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, comedy, Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jennifer Lopez (Mary Fiore), Matthew McConaughey (Steve Edison), Bridgette Wilson (Francine Donolly), Justin Chambers (Massimo)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Wedding Planner page.
This is such a cute movie! Though the ads looked great, I was suspicious, since I tend not to enjoy Jennifer Lopez that much. If you're able to overlook that (I know it can be difficult), this is a very enjoyable movie. Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey actually make a pretty decent team in this movie and Matthew McConaughey is wonderful, as usual.
Part of me, I know, enjoyed this movie, since it brought up some of the things that I came across in my first marriage (which ended a little over a year before this movie came out). The thing about the teal dresses just about had me rolling on the floor. Who knew? I think those who haven't experienced these problems will stil enjoy the movie, though. It's a great date movie, even though it might not seem like it at first.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2001, comedy, Matthew McConaughey, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Matthew McConaughey (Lt. Andrew Tyler, Executive Officer), Bill Paxton (Lt. Cmdr. Mike Dahlgren), Harvey Keitel (CPO Henry Klough), Jon Bon Jovi (Lt. Pete Emmett, Chief Engineer)
For complete info, see IMDb's U-571 page.
American soldiers trying to recover their cipher machine board a German submarine in disguise in this entertaining movie. U-571 might not be the most accurate movie ever produced in Hollywood history, but it's still entertaining, so just sit back and enjoy the special effects and drama. If we wanted reality, we'd be watching the History channel, right? I do some of that, too, but when I go to a movie theatre, I got to be entertained and U-571 did that.
Grade: B
Labels: 2000, action, drama, Matthew McConaughey, movie, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Theodore Joadson), Nigel Hawthorne (Martin Van Buren), Anthony Hopkins (John Quincy Adams), Djimon Hounsou (Cinque), Matthew McConaughey (Baldwin)
For complete info, see IMDb's Amistad page.
Amistad is an amazing historical drama about a mutiny aboard a slave ship traveling to America. A lot of Amistad takes place in the court room, following the trial of Cinque, the free-man who led the revolt (brilliantly portrayed by Djimon Hounsou. The cast, scenic design, lighting, and costumes are brilliant in Amistad. Steven Spielberg goes back to a more serious movie with this adventure and it's wonderfully done. I highly recommend Amistad! If you haven't seen it yet, you must rent it.
Grade: A-
Labels: 1997, Anthony Rapp, drama, history, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman, movie, mystery
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Matthew McConaughey (Jake Tyler Brigance), Sandra Bullock (Ellen Roark), Samuel L. Jackson (Carl Lee Hailey), Kevin Spacey (D.A. Rufus Buckley), Oliver Platt (Harry Rex Vonner)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's A Time to Kill page.
A Time to Kill is one of the very rare instances where I read the book first and like the movie better. It's probably because (for whatever reason) this John Grisham novel never really grabbed me like most of his novels do. The movie did grab me. I think the movie was very well done and put the viewer into a time in the south where racism was not only accepted, it was still encouraged by many. I can't even imagine what it would have been like to live around the KKK - especially in a situation like this. I think they did a great job of making the reality of this time very clear.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, crime, drama, John Grisham, Kevin Spacey, Matthew McConaughey, movie, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:20 PM show | 0 screams