Owning Mahowny

Rating:
Summary: Fickle Lady Luck
Review: Like William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman might not fit the usual preconception of cinematic Leading Man. Yet, in 2003, both have the lead in movies about gambling or the gambling industry. For Macy, it was THE COOLER, for which he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination. For Hoffman, it was OWNING MAHOWNY. In their respective films, the character portrayed by each loses his job because he's either embraced or shunned by Lady Luck.

In OWNING MAHOWNY, based on a true story, Hoffman is cast in the title role as the high ranking executive in charge of loans for a Toronto bank. Mahowny also has a gambling addiction, and is indebted to his bookie (Maury Chakin) for slightly over ten grand. To cover his marker, Mahowny creates a fictional loan account, and draws cash from it. Going a step further, he approves cash loans to an existing but unsuspecting customer with a large credit limit, and takes the money on weekend trips to Atlantic City, where he consistently loses at dice, cards, and roulette. By the time he's found out, Mahowny has embezzled over $10 million.

The creators of this film made no attempt whatsoever to render the Mahowny persona attractive to the audience, and it's a wonder he even has a fiancee, Lisa (Minnie Driver). Indeed, Mahowny is so focused on gambling that when the casino manager, Mr. Foss (John Hurt), sends to his suite a complimentary courtesan, who sheds her fur coat to reveal not inconsiderable charms, Mahowny only tells her "You've made a mistake." And he really means it; he only courts Lady Luck. Our hero is so indifferent to anything other than playing the odds that he isn't even somebody with whom you'd consider having a friendly beer. He's single-minded to the point of boorishness.

One can't help but make the comparison between Foss and Shelly Kaplow, the manager of the Shangri-La Casino in THE COOLER. Alec Baldwin received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the latter role, and should have been, I think, the rightful winner of the award. Both Foss and Kaplow are control freaks. But, while Foss is almost coldly clinical in his manipulation of the high rollers that keep his house profitable, Kaplow is a tempestuous character capable of deep emotions, including a volcanic anger that can erupt into shocking violence. Compared to Kaplow, Foss is almost prissy. Baldwin had the meatier and more complex role, though Hurt's performance is excellent.

Films about the sickness of obsessive gambling are few and far between. I haven't seen one as effective as OWNING MAHOWNY since the 1974 movie THE GAMBLER starring James Caan. Though OWNING MAHOWNY is perhaps an art house film not likely to appeal to a wide audience, it gets its message across superbly. Now, how do I tell the wife that I lost the kitchen remodel fund at the track?

Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Realistic "Con" Films There Is!
Review: Oceans Eleven? The Italian Job? The Usual Suspects? Yes, these were all very good films about one of hollywood's favorite subjects - the confidence scheme. And they all have something else in common - a bit too much glitz with a bit too little realism.

That's where "Owning Mahowny" comes in. Based on the true story of a gambling-addicted Canadian banker who finds a way to play the bank's money against the casino's, "Owning Mahowney" is nothing if not focused on realism. As another reviewer noted, the drama is as much about the con as it is about the man behind it; equally about the game and the player. Whereas most con films concern themselves with wowing audiences with fast action and glitzy characters, "Owning Mahowny" is about an average guy who gets into a situation that quickly snowballs away from him.

I can't say, as others do, that the acting was terribly phenomenal. It was certainly good, but nothing that blew me away. Philip Seymour Hoffman (our main character) has played the downtrodden, depressed, man often, and not shockingly, he does it here again. Minnie Driver, who plays Mahowny's disappointed but faithful, girlfriend, is decent and believable but that's about it. Again, nothing to blow me away, but enough for it to feel 'just right.'

But when all is said and done, this film is less about acting and more about the dialogue and direction, which are both superb. The story line and characters have much realistic depth. The plot is intriguing but never over-the-top (as many con films can be). A beautiful job was done in not over-glorifying or over-demonizing Mahowny, and by effect, the viewer finds themselves in a state of tension over whether to like him or hate him.

At long last, a con film that is fun and suspenseful without sacrificing depht and realism.

Rating:
Summary: Mahowny would be a delightful comedy if it were fictional
Review: Owning Mahowny is in many ways a hilarious film. You will find yourself constantly laughing even though it might make you feel guilty. One can readily imagine the late Dudley Moore or Peter Sellers portraying Dan Mahowny in a light hearted manner. Unfortunately, this story is based on the true story of a Canadian banker of the 1980s who recklessly gambled using his own employer's money. Philip Seymour Hoffman once again proves that he among our greatest film actors. He brilliantly portrays Mahowny as a worldly sophisticated and well educated man who is unable to rationally come to grips with his ultimately doomed lifestyle. The normally very sensible Mahowny refuses to concede that the odds are enormously against him. It's only a question when the train wreck will occur, not if. Those around him wrongly conclude that Mahowny's old beat up car and shabby clothes depict a prudent attitude unwilling to take unnecessary risks. The bank officers cannot imagine him as anything but a straight arrow and dedicated junior executive. Mahowny's wife Belinda (Minnie Driver) also has absolutely no idea that he is a obsessed gambler. In one scene she naively asks if her modest savings of $5,000 might help Mahowny get out of debt. It slowly dawns on Belinda that her husband might be hopelessly in trouble.

Dan Mahowny travels to Atlantic City to so some serious gambling. How serious? He soon becomes a favorite to the manipulative casino general manager, Victor Foss (John Hurt), who does nothing to discourage him from casually placing $70,000 a hand bets! Mahowny knows that he is being played for a sucker. However, he lacks the will power to say no. Lastly, parents of teenagers should make sure that their siblings view Owning Mahowny. They should not get overly concerned by the R rating resulting from the brief nude scenes and vulgar language. I strong believe that it's more important that youngsters learn early on that gambling addicts are to be pitied and not emulated. No sane individual will look upon the loser Dan Mahowny as a role model.

Rating:
Summary: Good Film about Compulsive Gambling
Review: Philip Seymour Hoffman is a deft actor comfortable in this uncomfortable role of a bank manager quickly and stunningly unraveling into financial ruin and legal peril. The film has a lot of silence so the adrenaline junky somewhat impatient movie-goer might find it a little slow, but it allows for the camera to reveal the inner-workings of a simple character with complex problems.

Minnie Driver is barely recognizable as Hoffman's love interest and doesn't really get to show her chops as an actress (see Gross Pointe Blank or Good Will Hunting). Hoffman plays a button-upped bank executive that sinks to lower and lower depths through siphoning off account money and using it to support binged gambling weekends. It truly is a frightening depiction of how such a powerful addiction can waste and individual's life and all those in connection.

Hoffman proves himself Oscar material and the film is skillfully done.
--MMW

Rating:
Summary: Philip Seymour Hoffman is the best character actor around!
Review: Philip Seymour Hoffman is proving himself to be one of the best character actors around. In Owning Mahoney, he sheds new light on the intricacies of a gambling addict. The movie is based on a true story; one that is painful to watch. The film is so intelligently written, and acted, and the particulars of Mahoney's character are truly insightful. They help us to see that gamblers are not just whimsical about money; they are indeed obsessed with it. The film is fascinating, and is one that leaves you thinking of red and black wheels far past the credits.

Rating:
Summary: Phil Hoffman is excellent as always
Review: Philip Seymour Hoffman is truly one of the finest actors of this generation. I've been mesmerized by him ever since I saw him in the otherwise-dismal Twister (yes, Twister), where his was the only standout performance. In the years since, he has turned in many memorable performances including Brant in The Big Lebowski, Allen in Happiness, and Lester Bangs in Almost Famous. In the past year or two his status has risen even more, and he's gotten bigger and juicier parts. He appeared in the big-time Hollywood movie Red Dragon, a brief but memorable part in P.T. Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love, Spike Lee's 25th Hour and his biggest role to date in the underrated Love Liza.

Now, Phil Hoffman gets another juicy role to show off his acting chops in Richard Kwietniowski's Owning Mahowny, a portrait of a compulsive gambler that is based on a true story. Hoffman plays Dan Mahowny, a Canadian bank employee who is so helplessly addicted to gambling that his entire life soon revolves around it. He manages to swindle his bank out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and head to Atlantic City to indulge his passion. In the process he endangers his relationship with his girlfriend Belinda (played by a nearly-unrecognizable Minnie Driver), but begins a new relationship of sorts with casino boss Victor Foss (a suave John Hurt).

Owning Mahowny is similar to other movies of this sort (It sort of reminded me of Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can) and it's simple and straightforward. There are really no surprises to be found, it pretty much stays close to the facts of the true story. It's really not about plot, or even story, however. It's about one man's descent into addiction, gambling in this case, and how he is nearly destroyed by it and how he hurts others by it. The script and direction are unremarkable; it's Hoffman that makes the film worthwhile. His performance is harrowing and mesmerizing. Without speaking a word, he can convey unimaginable sorrow and frustration. In fact, Hoffman is at his best when he's silent. With mere movements he creates memorably pitiable characters. Sort of ironic that one of the most gifted actors of our time establishes himself by playing afflicted losers.

For fans of Philip S. Hoffman, Owning Mahowny is a must-see. His performance carries the film and gives it its weight. For general audiences, the film may be unbearably slow and uninteresting. I can't wait to see what Phil does next.

Rating:
Summary: A little masterpiece about a little man.
Review: Richard Kwietniowski's "Owning Mahowny," based on an actual bank embezzlement case, is a very small but nearly perfect movie about a loser who embraces his loserdom in a spectacular way. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a brilliantly subtle performance as Dan Mahowny, a drab, dull, miserly bank manager who embezzles millions of dollars from his clients and compulsively gambles it away. "Owning Mahowny" is like "Catch Me If You Can" in reverse; whereas Frank Abagnale embezzled money to live out his larger-than-life dreams, Mahowny couldn't care less about the high-roller luxuries that casino manager Victor Foss (John Hurt) spreads before him; all he cares about is the rush he gets from the turn of the card or the roll of the dice. As Mahowny's bookie (Maury Chaykin) says, Mahowny only wants to win "so he has the money to keep losing." Hoffman of course steals the picture; like Kurt Russell's performance in "Dark Blue," Hoffman's in "Owning Mahowny" deserves to be remembered at Oscar time, but won't be. If you can look past Hoffman, however, you will note the exquisite performances of Hurt as the ruthless, cynical but oddly sympathetic Foss; Chaykin, far from his Nero Wolfe mode and superbly loutish as the bookie; and Minnie Driver, memorable in the thankless role of the woman who loves Mahowny no matter what.

Rating:
Summary: "He wants to win so he has money to keep losing"
Review: Set in Toronto, Canada during the early 1980's OWNING MAHOWNY is an engrossing and interesting character study of Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who embezzles money from his job as an assistant bank manager in order to feed his increasing gambling addiction. Although Dan recently received a prestigious promotion and moved in with his girlfriend his full attention is focused on the next bet. He essentially lives a double life as he tries to keep his bookies happy while sneaking trips to the Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos to win big. What makes Hoffman's performance admirable is that while at the casinos he retains a tunnel vision on the task in front of him. He is never distracted by the various luxuries (i.e. suites, hookers) that the casino manager's extend to him as an added benefit for being a "good customer". Throughout the course of this film there is a melancholy and somber atmosphere that further accentuates the desperation and seriousness of Dan's behavior. One can't help to cheer him on even as it becomes apparent that he is digging himself a giant hole for himself. As his gambling deficits continue to spiral out of control he never loses hope that he will come out on top. OWNING MAHOWNY is a good film that digs deep to portray the low-key actions of one individual who feels a compulsion to gamble money that isn't his at the risk of his career and his girlfriend.

Rating:
Summary: Fairly straightforward, predictable; a few good performances
Review: The movie ("based" on a true story - how much of it is real, and how much is invented?) portrays the descent of Dan Mahoney, an obsessive gambler who, like all of us, has "a public life, a private life, and a secret life".

Dan's public life is that of a mid-level account manager at a Toronto bank, which gives him access to money he skims and shuffles around from his clients, in order to feed his gambling habit. In his private life, he is dating a rather simple-minded fellow bank employee. And in his secret life, Dan jets off to Atlantic City and Las Vegas, wagering and eventually always losing millions of dollars. His addiction is such that his secret life eventually subsumes his other lives, although (according to the epilogue) not fatally.

One of the problems with this movie is the persona of Dan Mahoney. Evidently, remaining true to the original, Dan is an introverted, uncommunicative, shy, tradition-oriented Canadian of reserved British nature. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a very good performance as Dan, conveying his emotion in a very subtle, controlled manner. However, it does not create much opportunity for exploring Dan's inner thoughts and motivations - these must be surmised by the viewer. Additionally, the director chose to tell Dan's story in a very straightforward manner, rather than employing some of the more powerful tools of cinema (symbolism, flashbacks, alternative viewpoints, etc.). Yes, there is a scene of Dan witnessing a high-roller that is later repeated, this time with Dan as the high roller, and at another point Dan thinks he sees himself watching him gamble, but for the most part the film proceeds in a documentary-like fashion.

The best performance is delivered by John Hurt, as a Satan-like Atlantic City casino boss. However, Minnie Driver's character of Belinda, Dan's girlfriend, is one-dimensional and is never developed.

The film does trigger thoughts about the nature of addiction (from both sides, the addict and the enabler), as well as what people do when they are in a situation well over their heads. In the case of someone like Dan Mahoney, they just cannot stop. Hopefully, this will inspire the rest of us to exercise more self-control, before the police are forced to act.

Rating:
Summary: Refreshing Filmmaking
Review: This is a perfect movie for people who love a good story with good characters and don't need to rely on CGI effects or gratuitous violence and sex to enjoy themselves.

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives yet another mesmerizing performance as Dan Mahowny, a gambling addict that is focused only on the hand he is playing. He is not concerned with the free food, free room, or other lush amenities the casino provides him with as he gambles away all his money.

John Hurt is also very impressive as the casino manager who tracks Mahowny's every move and tries to find out as much as he can about this man who is gambling such high stakes.

The story moves at a pretty good place, without taking too much time to build up to the plot.

This is highly recommended for anybody that prefers character-driven movies to the typical Hollywood blockbusters with explosions and car chases every five minutes. Fans of "2 Fast 2 Furious" may be bored to tears.