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Rounders

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Rounders (1998)

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Reviews Counted:18

Fresh:7

Rotten:11

Average Rating:4.9/10

Consensus: Richly atmospheric and colorful performances contributed to the movie's entertainment value.

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of New York's high-stakes underground poker world, Roundersis the tale of Mike McDermott, a master card player who trades the poker-playing rounds for law school and a shot... Set against the backdrop of New York's high-stakes underground poker world, Roundersis the tale of Mike McDermott, a master card player who trades the poker-playing rounds for law school and a shot at a new life with his girlfriend Jo. For Mike, the new life he's staking out seems like a legitimate road to success, but it's short on the thrills and excitement of back room poker games. But when Mike's longtime friend Worm is released from prison, Mike is faced with the high-stakes dilemma of his life: to keep on the straight and narrow, or deal himself back into the world of the Rounders. Rounders also stars John Malkovich as the seedy Russian card shark Teddy KGB, who runs the biggest and most dangerous game in town; John Turturroas Joey Knish, Mike's old-time poker mentor, and Martin Landau as Professor Petrovsky, Mike's law school dean. As the stakes rise, each one of these men also deals a hand in Mike's ultimate fate. [More]

Starring: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Famke Janssen

Starring: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, Martin Landau, Chris Young

Director: John Dahl

Director: John Dahl
Screenwriter: David Levien, Brian Koppelman
Producer: Ted Demme, Joel Stillerman
Composer: Christopher Young

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 9, 1999

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Reviews for Rounders

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1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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The wholesome pup's poker face alone, however, hardly accounts for the film's failure to thrill. Damon's character doesn't really have that much stake in the story's outcome.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 1 Comment
03/25/08
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Intermittently engaging but dramatically slack.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/25/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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Gretchen Mol, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Martin Landau, and Famke Janssen costar; they're all pretty good, but not good enough to make this 1998 feature worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/25/08
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
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Though it's a good-looking flick with some smart acting and a few flashy runs, it barely breaks even dramatically, and feels, overall, like a good chance wasted.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
07/12/02
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In fighting to show the psychological complexities in Mike that the script ignores, Damon plays it like a rounder instead of a grinder. This kid still has surprises up his sleeve.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/11/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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Though Damon is an actor who's flatly impossible not to root for, the longer this film lasts the less patience we have to stay with him.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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No review available.

comment Comment
01/01/00
USA Today
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A disappointing mediocrity.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
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Rounders is not breakthrough material, but it makes for an entertaining evening out.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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Mischievously entertaining!

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
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Norton's acting and Dahl's gift for sustaining a tone save Rounders from completely floundering.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Julie Hinds
Julie Hinds
San Jose Mercury News
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No energy!

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
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Rounders' script is pretty shabby going. Well, not shabby, really, just simplistic.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
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Rounders cheerfully buys into compulsive gambling!

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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According to director John Dahl's Rounders, professional poker players are very, very interesting people -- for about five minutes.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
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It's a movie of character and milieu, both of which it evokes brilliantly.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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A promising cast can't rescue a script without surprises!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
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A sure bet!

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
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1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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