Mark Wahlberg plays a college lit professor (yes, you read that right) and he simply isn’t up to the dramatic demands. The script is pretentious and full of philosophical contemplation, which makes an already tedious film even more painful coming out of Wahlberg’s mouth (John Goodman and Jessica Lange show him how it’s done). He plays a compulsive gambler who gets deeper and deeper into debt, but seems more concerned about the meaning of his existence than his massive liability. It’s all people posturing and contemplating, there’s virtually no action and the pacing is glacial. Wahlberg should stick to comedy and action.
(1.5 / 5)