Review: Lay the Favourite

Rebecca Hall stars as former stripper Beth Raymer who heads to Vegas with ambitions to become a cocktail waitress, but finds that she has a knack for numbers. Bruce Willis is Dink, a somewhat stressed but amiable gambler who has his own sports bet operation he thinks Raymer would be a perfect fit for. She even becomes his good luck charm, though Dink’s demanding wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) becomes instantly jealous. Vince Vaughn plays a shonky rival gambler who operates out of New York, Joshua Jackson plays a nice guy who falls for Beth, Laura Prepon is the girl who first introduces Beth to Dink, Corbin Bernsen plays Beth’s loser dad, Frank Grillo plays one of Dink’s employees, and John Carroll Lynch plays a loser gambler.

 

Beware any film from a name director that features Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Vince Vaughn...that you’ve never heard of. True to form, this 2012 film from the respected Stephen Frears (“Prick Up Your Ears”, “The Grifters”, “High Fidelity”, “The Queen”), is a bit of a dud, and the usually charismatic and talented Rebecca Hall is completely miscast in a role that 10-15 years ago would’ve been nailed by Jennifer Tilly or Marisa Tomei. Beginning the film with Hall in her underwear dancing to ‘Unskinny Bop’ is certainly a helluva way to open a film, but it goes downhill from there. Hall, adopting a ridiculously unconvincing squeaky voice and American accent just isn’t right for the part (which is your standard Marisa Tomei ‘bimbo who has a hidden talent’ gig), as she proves over the course of 90 or so minutes. She’s not the only problem here, but definitely one of the biggest and most noticeable problems (Also noticeable? Laura Prepon has no problems going topless, but we are robbed of the strikingly beautiful Hall’s puppies. That’s just not fair!). Some actresses just can’t play stupid, and Hall seems to be one of them, though she gets a little better once she dials down on the helium. I’m totally in love with her by the way, just so you know, and I think she really is going to get a great role one of these days. This just isn’t it.

 

Bruce Willis is much better as a charming, if stressed sports gambling business operator. Although his character gets stressed from time to time, this is without question the most laidback and charming Willis has been since the 90s at least. I guess someone finally told him to take the pineapple out of his arse and lighten the hell up for a change. He’s genuinely likeable. But to be honest, Hall’s the only acting misfire here. Vince Vaughn is perfect playing Vince Vaughn as a bookie, finally finding a character that allows him to not stretch himself without being accused of phoning it in, unlike “The Watch”. His second scene in particular is genuinely hilarious. Catherine Zeta-Jones is even more perfectly cast as Willis’ somewhat high maintenance wife, who proves disarmingly sympathetic towards the end, narrowly avoiding a shrill harpy stereotype. Frankly I’m a bit sick of John Carroll Lynch always playing a patsy (albeit one who isn’t quite as dumb as he first appears), and Joshua Jackson simply doesn’t fare as well in big screen roles as he tends to on the small screen, but neither is around long enough to be too much bother. Meanwhile, does Frank Grillo have to turn up in everything? Can’t he give someone else a shot?

 

To be honest, the film is mostly a bore. Part of this is because I have such little knowledge of this sort of sports betting, and thus it was over my head. Filmmakers and screenwriters need to remember that not everyone is inside their head, and not everyone is gonna know what you know, and so you need to make sure that your story and its details can be understood by as many people as possible. But it’s also not consistently funny or interesting as a story, either, whether you understand the gambling stuff or not. The basic plot and lead character, true story or not, have been done to death already.

 

It’s refreshing to see Willis play slightly vulnerable for a change, but he and Hall’s incredibly hot body aren’t enough to win me over here. It’s a pretty flimsy, frivolous film, and Frears doesn’t do Hall any favours by casting her in a role she’s just not right for. It ends up being annoying and ultimately forgettable, despite fun moments provided by Willis, Zeta-Jones, and Vaughn. The screenplay by D.V. DeVincentis (who also produced, along with fifteen others!) is based on a true account by the real-life Beth Raymer (whom I have heard, amazingly, is very much as Hall plays her here. Except with Hall it comes off as affected and unnatural, especially since we know how Hall normally speaks).

 

Rating: C