Rounders (1998)
Matt Damon, Edward Norton
Ah, Rounders. The movie that helped touch off the current poker craze.
We have David Levin and Brian Koppelman to thank for the 683 poker shows on TV everyday. Thanks guys!
Thanks to Rounders, I now have to endure daily hand-by-hand recaps of the previous evening’s poker game from one of my coworkers. Do I really care how you did in some local tournament with a $20 cash prize?? NO!!!
After I got past the fact that thanks in part to Rounders I endure 30 minutes of torture each day, I realized that it’s not a bad movie.
Damon is great. He reminds me of me when I tried to quit smoking for the first time. I gave it up and three days later I was smoking again. (I was able to quit for good 174 tries later) Damon is that same with poker. He can’t give it up.
Edward Norton is the guy in my office. Well, maybe my guy isn’t quite the degenerate that Norton is, but Norton always has to be in a game. And he’s a degenerate to the point that not only does he ruin his life but he manages to screw Damon over as well. What a friend!!
You also have the added bonuses of Famke Janssen (eye candy), John Malkovich’s atrocious Russian accent, and killer nicknames like “Teddy KGB” and “Worm”. All this makes a movie that finds itself on my Amazon Wish List for this Christmas.
If you hate the fact that you can’t flip the channels today without finding a televised poker game, then Rounders may not be for you.
