Did you know that this movie existed? Granted I'm only 23 years old, but a movie starring Matt Damon, Edward Norton (one of my favorites) and John Malkovich shouldn't just slip by me. Needless to say when Rounders popped up on the "recommended for you" section of Netflix, I was excited to give it a shot. The movie gets bogged down a little towards the end, but the performances are great, and it is an overall great ride.
Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a law student by day, and a "rounder" by night. "Rounders" make their way around New York City playing underground poker games, Texas Hold 'Em being the game of choice. Mike is an especially good player, knowing exactly how to play the man across the table and not his cards. In an effort to make it big, Mike bets it all on a game against Teddy KGB (John Malkovich), only to wind up being reduced to nothing. After swearing off cards forever, Mike's best pal from high school Worm (Edward Norton), fresh out of prison, convinces Mike to get back in the game. Mike loves poker, but he has things he can't lose: a steady girlfriend, a job, and law school. But the allure of playing the game he loves coupled with Worm's serious gambling debts bring Mike back into the fray.
When Rounders is great, it's for the same reason that makes Ocean's Eleven great. When executed properly, it's a blast to watch the main characters outsmart everyone in the room. You're never quite sure the intricacies of what is going on, but you are sure that the hero is more cunning, more sly, and knows way more than anyone else in the movie. Damon and Norton hustling card games is a treat to watch. Part of all of us just wishes that we were that skilled at one thing that we could walk into any room and feel unbeatable. In my lifetime, I have only come close to that skilled in one thing, playing R.B.I. Baseball on the original Nintendo, but even then my Dad was always better than me. The "rounders" make it look easy, pulling stunts that have names you've never heard of with such style. The problem is that this gimmick is relied on a little too much. A lot of time in the film is spent playing cards, and it starts to bore.
Matt Damon is the king of boyish charm, at least in the 90's. Just like in his other early films like Good Will Hunting and The Rainmaker, Damon has the wit and charm that make you cheer for him without him really doing anything. Damon plays the hero with such ease, oozing charisma from every pore. Edward Norton is exceptional as well, playing Damon's loser best friend. Worm is smooth and desperate, a combination that Norton pulls off. He and Mike bond over poker; it drives them, they love every part of it. Worm aspires for nothing more than to pay his debts and get a rush, while Mike has goals of true poker immortality: playing in Las Vegas at the World Series of Poker.
Replace Norton and Damon and this movie is extremely run of the mill. The poker scenes get bogged down and the ending can be seen coming from a mile away. As a law student, I smiled more than a few times when there was any mention of law school. Clerkships, moot court, caveat emptor, all things mentioned in the film that I felt like I was "in" on because I am in law school. Malkovich does his usual loud performance as the villain, a Russian with a hilarious accent. I could have used a little more insight into Mike and especially Worm, who seems to be strictly one note.
Rounders is saved from being run of the mill by its extremely talented cast. Fans of Damon or Norton should at least give it a shot.
3/5
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