Casting Richard Dreyfuss as the compulsive gambler hero of this fast-moving comedy should, on the face of it, have made the film a sure bet. But thanks to a sluggish script, it's slow out of the starting gate and never really gets into its stride. Dreyfuss makes a huge effort, his manic comic style trying hard to fire the story with a bit of verve, but the humour falls flat. This is largely the fault of debut director Joe Pytka, whose previous experience in commercials obviously hasn't armed him to deal with full-length features. For Dreyfuss fans there are some good moments and Jennifer Tilly as a not-overbright blonde bombshell is a delight, but Teri Garr is largely wasted as Dreyfuss's wife. Good fun in parts, but it could have been great fun all through with a bit more thought.


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