Yesterday, we got an onslaught of Bruce Willis in a role that kicked off his career with the A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD trailer. Today, we have a look at the other side of Willis, which is the light comedic version. It can be hit or miss when Willis plays it funny (okay, mostly miss), but LAY THE FAVORITE does have a few things going for it. The plot is a bit of a snooze, but the cast is damn sharp with Willis, Rebecca Hall, Frank Grillo, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vince Vaughn, and Joshua Jackson. The other assett is director Stephen Frears, who gave us the underrated classics HIGH FIDELITY and THE GRIFTERS. Granted he hasn’t been knocking them out of the park of late, but there’s always the possibility that LAY THE FAVORITE could pull through.
Have a look:
This looks interesting and fun, although the whole gambling angle is just boring as shit to me. Still, Rebecca Hall looks amazingly hot, the rest of the cast is great, and it doesn’t look like a terrible way to spend a 90 minutes. The film premiered at Sundance earlier this year and wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms (Read our review here), but who knows, it could end up being a guilty pleasure.
Here’s the synopsis:
Beth Raymer (Hall) leaves behind her life as a stripper in Florida and heads to Las Vegas to realize her dream: being a cocktail waitress in a glitzy casino. But, when her career goals don’t pan out, she falls in with Dink (Willis), a kind and idiosyncratic sports gambler. Beth wins Dink’s admiration when she shows herself to be something of a gambling prodigy, but she also wins the ire of Dink’s wife, Tulip (Zeta-Jones), when her relationship with her boss seems to extend beyond the professional. Based on a true story, LAY THE FAVORITE is a heartfelt comedy of finding friendship in the least likely places.
LAY THE FAVORITE will be released On Demand November 2, 2012 and in theaters on December 7, 2012.