Lay The Favorite

Based on Beth Raymer's book of the same name, Lay the Favorite gives us a glimpse into the world of sports gambling through the eyes of a former stripper turned book maker.

Rebecca Hall stars as Beth, a Florida girl working as an at-home-stripper who decides she needs more out of life and sets off with her father's blessing to become a coctail waitress is Las Vegas. Unable to land a gig in that line of work, a new friend hooks her up with Dink (Bruce Willis), a professional odds-maker. She becomes his lucky charm and with her knack for numbers she makes an impact in his life. But it isn't all fun and money when Dink's wife Tulip (Catherine Zeta-Jones) returns to town and is unhappy with Dink's close relationship with the young attractive Beth.

Lay the Favorite is funny, but probably not as funny as it could have been since it also tried to be a little too heart warming and dramatic. A real treat here is seeing Bruce Willis in a number of crazy "normal guy" outfits you don't normally picture him in, like shorts and tall socks and ill fitting t-shirts. Normally he's the action star and here he's almost a downtrodden schmoe. Most of the performances here are a bit over the top, but it feels right in this movie that isn't your everyday normal situation. I don't know how much of this is really true, but it's interesting and it makes me want to pick up the book.

The Blu-ray is a little light on extras, including only about a dozen deleted scenes and nothing more. Still, Lay the Favorite was a fun film and worth watching.