Stu Ungar movie

[William Wilson]

I looked for a thread on this but my searches didn't reveal one.

I watched the DVD today, and have mixed feelings about it. I was wondering what everyone else thought.

My gripes are the inaccuracies throughout, which were especially annoying after reading the book. Maybe my mistake was reading it just before I watched the movie. I especially disliked how they made a big deal about his glasses. It’s my understanding he used them only in the 1996 WSOP to cover up his nose, which was deformed due to constant cocaine use. They didn’t have to show him wearing them while eating dinner.

I can understand why they’d have to change things in order to pace the movie, but in this case the changes didn’t do much to the plot. I also felt they portrayed him as a magical character who couldn’t lose, but then showed him losing constantly without any explanation. There was little mention of his sports and race betting habits, his inability to manage his bankroll, etc.

They really overdid his enemies in Vegas, I think, while downplaying the fact that everyone he was close to loved him despite his flaws. His character didn’t have any redeeming qualities, yet we were supposed to feel sorry for him.

If they were going to take liberties with the movie, they should have been good liberties. These were just liberties for the sake of liberties, kind of like how Stanley Kubrick changed the room number in The Shining.

Also, the whole “interview” setup fell flat, IMO.

I enjoyed the movie to some degree, because I like Michael Imperioli and because I’m a sucker for poker movies. But I don’t think I’ll be recommending this to anyone curious about Stu Unger. The book is better on every level.

Anyone disagree?