Please let there not be a sequel.
Trotter (Richard Dreyfuss) is a flawed gambler. Like every hopeless gambler he only wants things to go his way. One golden day.
Then he can quit… Again.
The problem is that he has only recently sworn off the costly vice to appease his long suffering girl. But then a hot – probably (definitely) illegal – tip, has him heading back to the track.
One small bet on a rank outsider leads to a handsome payday. Momentary guilt leads to another (shonky) tip. The streak continues… But wait! Is it really a streak? I would argue it is more a case of acting twice on illegal information. But then again I’m not the film. Facts don’t matter to this film. Neither does logic.
Trotter inexplicably decides to let his (fake) hot streak ride. He bets it all on a horse selected in decidedly non-scientific circumstances. Then another.
Illicit gains lead to adulation from the other perpetual ticket shredding losers. Suddenly his opinion matters. His charm increases tenfold. His attractiveness increases exponentially.
Again I must call the film here. Let it Ride, welcome to reality; your ‘hero’ is a gambling, cheating, philandering, arrest resisting, wife disappointing, dick.
Sure a charismatic one, and definitely a momentarily lucky one, but a dick nonetheless.
Despite the implausibility and moral questionability, Let it Ride still paints a depressing tale, a black take on the power of addiction and compulsion. You just have to see past the smiling criminal to see it…
Trotter’s tale is only remarkable because it isn’t real. He is like every other hopeless gambler. When things go well and he is fortunate enough to have a moment in the sun – he’s a genius. When he loses, and not many casinos or betting agencies go broke do they, it’s obviously someone else’s fault. This film asks us to root for the lovable loser, to want the man with a crippling addiction to succeed. Even if just once. It asks us to ignore the reality of the situation. And if you can do all that, well then this is a pretty middling, largely laugh free, example of ‘light entertainment’.
So… yay?
Final Rating – 5 / 10. Richard Dreyfuss seems like a nice guy. His character sure isn’t, regardless of what the film wants us to believe. Never has a man with such a serious problem been so inexplicably lauded.
