Owning Mahowny (2003)

Philip Seymour Hoffman adds another great performance to his gallery of losers in Owning Mahowny, an engrossing, fact-based comedy-drama about the perils of compulsive gambling. The subject is hardly new to movies, but as Toronto bank-loan manager Dan Mahowny, Hoffman brings fresh depth and tortured humanity to his portrayal of a man who helplessly feeds his pathological need to gamble with millions in embezzled bank money that he can't afford to lose. His supportive wife (Minnie Driver, barely recognizable beneath a plain-looking wig and glasses) is aware of the problem but not its severity, and in fulfilling the promise of his debut feature Love and Death on Long Island, British director Richard Kwietniowski strikes a delicate balance of humor, adrenalin, and escalating tension, guiding Hoffman, Driver, and an excellent supporting cast (including Long Island's John Hurt) in a quietly suspenseful study of Mahowny's ill-fated impulse. Set in the early 1980s but timeless in its study of dysfunctional behavior, Owning Mahowny is a safe bet for film lovers everywhere. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Great movie on gambling the wrong way.

I really enjoyed this weird movie. It really taught me about the dark side of gambling. The main character gambled, but had no idea why, or what he was trying to get out of his gambling.

Don't gamble without a money target and when you hit your target, cash out. Also have a stop loss on you gambling losses.

Great movie. relates very well to trading and day-trading. March 31, 2008

Amazing Performance in a great movie

This movie really makes you think about the dangers of gambling. After watching it, I don't even want to play penny poker! Hoffman's performance is tremendous, you can see his anguish after every defeat. His compulsion is frightening and makes me want to sue casinos out of business. He pushes away family, friends, and his career, all in the hopes of what?

I like the fact that the town bookie tries to cut him off. You see humanity in the characters. I didn't even recognize Minnie Driver as his girlfriend. This really is one amazing effort from a lead actor. If you didn't know any better, you'd think this would be a slow moving film, but it isn't. Recommend this one to friends and family. March 28, 2008

Odd, But Good

In a lot of ways, Philip Seymour Hoffman is the movie. He's in every scene. The story is based on a true story about a gambling addicted loan officer who "loans" himself some of the bank's money to support his habit. In life, he's a nobody. He wouldn't be noticed by anyone. But with the bank's money and his penchant for losing big, he becomes somewhat of a VIP in the casino he frequents. It's amusing to watch him walk into the casino and have everyone make a big deal over him. He gets nice suites and meals compliments of the casino, but does not seem interested in either. He's there for the thrill of gambling. As you watch the movie, you see that his situation becomes out of hand. How could it not? Mahowny loses. He never comes home a winner. At one point Mahowny seems to be in the verge of turning things around for himself. He even somehow is able to find a woman (Minnie Driver) who wants to be with him. But gambling always wins out.

Hoffman's portrayal is even keeled and never seems over the top. As a matter of fact, there isn't much to his character. It's difficult to determine whether or not you like him. For me, that's the weak part of the movie. The movie's main character is bland and ordinary. What he does is anything but ordinary, but that isn't enough to carry the movie. In real life, things may be just like we see them here. A one hour documentary on the true story would have been just as satisfying. I would have liked to have seen a little more put into Hoffman's character. Ordinary is fine in real life, but I want to see interesting people when I watch a movie. This movie is worth watching. A more recent Hoffman film had Hoffman playing a similar character in a more intriguing role. Check out "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead". March 17, 2008

The Biggest Loser

Many movies are "based on a true story," but fail to convey the drama of their sources. Owning Mahowny is the opposite. By faithfully recreating the bizarre true story of Dan Mahowny with glamourless authenticity it mercilessly reveals the reality of addiction. Hoffman's restrained performance as Mahowny is the key to its success.

The plot is as simple, and focused, as Mahowny's life. A bank Vice President in Toronto embezzles 10 million dollars and - because he is a compulsive gambler (and how!) - manages to squander it on bets with his local bookie and tables in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. He is inevitably caught and serves a pretty light 6-year sentence for his caper.

What's so profoundly disturbing is that for Mahowny, it really is this simple, for him it's all about the game. (It had to be explained to me that gamblers do not gamble in hopes of winning, indeed, at one point Mahowny is up millions of dollars. They gamble for the rush, the adrenaline hit of being at the point where in an instant it is possible to lose everything.) Mahoney is so compulsive that he bets randomly - all the home teams - all the underdogs - etc. Even his bookie is appalled. This is not an activity with an endgame - the juice is all in the next bet, like any true addiction the only point of doing it is doing it some more.

Everything about this movie's construction reinforces the purity of addiction - it's always first. Mahowny's car is so beat the parking lot attendant makes fun of it. Mahowny himself looks like an unmade bed, ill-fitting clothes, physically unattractive, his body language screams, "Property Condemned - Keep Out." Mahowny never makes eye contact; obviously content to live in the isolation that comes with every kind of addiction. His girlfriend Belinda, Minnie Driver, is the very embodiment of codependence. A nice girl who could do better elsewhere she has yet to learn that loving an addict - or at least being loved by one - is an impossibility.

The movie is not without irony. Mahowny lives a bipolar life - bank - gambling. He steals from one and donates to the other. In the banking world, one assumes, money is handled responsibly. But in one memorable scene we watch bank officials discuss how to manipulate star clients into extending their debt into unsafe territory. How different is it, we wonder, from the blatant bloodsucking of casino manager Victor Foss? John Hurt's portrayal of Foss actually outshines Hoffman; it is perfection. Foss knows every trick there is to part a fool from his money, but he quickly realizes that Mahowny is no ordinary fool. He is a perfect fool, so single-mindedly focused on his addiction that the temptations sure to manipulate mere mortals cannot distract him. Powerful voodoo. December 19, 2007

See this overlooked gem...

Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a compelling cipher of a gambling addict in this overlooked and tightly-written movie. It is gripping and stress-inducing from the first scene, and doesn't relent. This is a high-stakes train wreck that is Impossible to look away from. See it. March 8, 2007

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