Sorry, this movie sucks

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

First off I want to apologize in advance for my English. Hope you all get what I'm trying to say. As a longtime (amateur) poker player I've been reading and watching every book or film coming out with poker in it. I myself play mostly plo cuz I don't cope so well with the swings in nlhe. What can I say, I'm no Archie Karas.Now about Stuey, Stu Ungar was and will always be an icon in the poker world. Everyone who doesn't gamble think that's what the gambling world is all about, making money then spending it on sex, drugs and rock'n roll. Well Stu was such a larger than life character. His brilliant mind needed more than just the thrills of playing cards to stay satisfied, he started taking cocaine NOT so he could be able to play longer sessions (players took metamfetamine for that) but to numb his brain after days of intense playing. The intensity that Stu Ungar had in everything he did or said, his table presence that was felt everywhere he sat was never brought to the screen.If you make a movie about a poker icon you don't wanna try to make it for everyone to watch, cuz then it's turning out to be more of an educational video than something else. It should be for the fans and this wasn't!! The casting was terrible 2, Stu Ungar snorted away his nose after two decades of drug abuse and they cast Michael Imperioli to play him. Michael probably has the largest nose of any actor in the business!! Michael Jackson probably would have made a more convincing Ungar than this.Conclusion: this movie is NOT for poker players but for people who never heard about Stu Ungar or Texas hold em. It isn't fast paced like Stu Ungar's life was and turned Stu into a dull, boring alter ego of himself, Stu wouldn't have liked it!

Stu Ungar had one of the most exciting and crazy lives a poker player/gambler could have, and this movie does an incredibly poor job of showing it. I am a poker player and a fan of poker in general and was extremely excited to hear that a movie about arguably the greatest player ever had been made. All this movie does is gloss over his life. The poker scenes never last more than 1 or 2 hands, so there is no depiction of the flow or struggle experienced in large tournaments like the WSOP. His well known struggle with drugs is barely even touched. In real life, the guy had to have surgery done on his nose because he snorted so much coke that he ate through the cartilage, and then he started smoking crack to avoid damaging it further. In the movie, there is only one scene of him snorting coke. Not a thing is mentioned about his step son who killed himself which sent Stuey further into self destructive behaviors, why would such a crucial life moment be left out? Also, towards the end, the movie gives the impression that Stu is recovering. There are multiple scenes of him being rehabilitated by his Vegas friend who tries to show him how to live a normal life and it seems to be working. Then it jumps to Stuey dying in his hotel room to end the movie. What the hell? Show the downswing! As far as I am concerned, a legit Stuey Ungar movie has yet to be made. I blame the writing, even with quality actors like Micheal Imperioli, this script fails to tell an accurate story. I realize things need to be changed a bit for a Hollywood movie, but this falls so short that it gives a false interpretation of Stuey's life and I would not recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about Stu Ungar.

What in the world! This piece of gambling cinema would have been suitable for the Lifetime Network. Michael Imperoli is a good actor but I think his portrayal as "Stu" fell short. The montages were unbearable and too many. The supporting cast, where are you? Whoever did the casting should be partially at fault. The cinematography was useless. A gambling story with an after school feel to it. Stories of this sort should be left for the Oliver Stone's of the world. It would still suck ass but at least it would be fun to watch. It was an attempt that lost it's wheels before the race ever begun. Mario Andretti in the 1982 Indy 500 came to mind.

This movie was well acted and kept my interest in the main character for the entire movie. Stu Unger lived an extraordinary life. Imagine if Stu were alive today! This movie paints a picture of what Stu Unger's life might have felt like. It was interesting to see how connected was growing up. I would have liked to seen more detail on Stu's partying, his gamesmanship and his relationship to Bob Stupak. But all in all, this movie was well done, well acted and the story touched on many facets of a life that was full of many events that were larger than life.This movie is worth renting.