Lay the Favorite (2012)

Release date: 2012-06-22
Country: USA|UK|France
Language: English|Spanish
Director: Stephen Frears
Production Co: Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films (EFO Films), Wild Bunch, Random House Films
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: 4.8/10
Length: 1h 34min

Storyline

Beth, who lap dances to make ends meet, leaves Florida for Las Vegas hoping to be a cocktail waitress. She meets two women who introduce her to Dink, a gambler with a system. He hires her - she's good with numbers - and she promptly falls for him, even though he's married to a woman who seems to do nothing but spend his money. Beth tries to entice Dink whose wife, Tulip, tells him to choose; he does and promptly goes on a losing streak. The repercussions of his choice play out with a heavy gambler who has a parole officer, a cheesy bookmaker in Curaçao, Beth's desire to keep a friend out of prison, and help from an unlikely source.

Plot Keywords

title spoken by character, bet, new job, betting, c word, husband wife relationship, fired from the job, implied sex, british actress playing american character, three word title, based on book, betrayal, female nudity, actress breaking typecast, imperative in title, las vegas nevada, nevada, footsie under the table, female to male footsie playing, female bare feet

Short Review

Frears has a lot of fun with the bad tempers and high spirits of this crew of adrenaline junkies, and though the story falls a little flat, the script is sprinkled with dry wit.