Rounders 2!

I have a friend John who works at Miramax and gets a chance to read some upcoming scripts. He got a chance to read Rounders 2, which is slated to begin shooting late this year. The film sounds very disappointing on many angles, and, according to John, who plays a little poker, the writers knew little about poker except the jargon.

The story starts in Las Vegas, of course, with Mike McDermott again going through many of the same plot developments. He again shows very poor game selection as he did in the first. Mike's first night in town, he plays a no-limit game for all his roll against Johnnie Chan, Doyle Brunson, Phil Helmuth, and some other guy who's a professional. He loses his whole stack to Chan that first night, and again gives a soliloquy about how he shouldn't have done that.

Anyway, he becomes a railbird for a few months, and some other stuff happens. He meets some rich homosexual guy who stakes him for a big game against the big boys again. But the rich guy wants something in return. He has some love affair with a blackjack dealer woman. One of the suspenseful parts is not being sure whether his girlfriend is really a girl.

I won't give away much more, cause my friend John could get in trouble for letting out this info. But here are some of the best lines, according to John:


Mike, as Johnnie Chan continually rolls over him: "I'm getting tired of looking at your nuts."


Chan, recalling Mike's punk-ass move in the first movie: "You pulled a hit and run like Halle Berry, you little bitch."


Mike, in a seductive way, as he is teaching his new girlfriend how to play hold'em: "69, that's my favorite way to start."


Mike, as he loses his roll again in the toughest game he can find: "You know, I should really pick my games better. This is getting ridiculous."


Some other disappointing notes about the film: Matt Damon refused to play the part, citing some reservations about the script. Instead, Freddy Prinze, Jr. is taking the lead. I don't know about this choice. I really can't imagine that little guy playing poker above nickel, dime, quarter. But that's Hollywood for you.

I heard it was a prequel and that it was going to be rated NC-17 (due out in Spring 2003) and you were going to find out just how he got the nickname "Worm"...you are right though, Freddie Prinze Jr. is going to play the lead role, although I think he gets abused at the table, JOEYBITCH style.

Matt Damon wasn't that good anyway.

Thought John Turturro was excellent, wish they'd have something for him.

It's actually just going to be a repeat of the first one, except starring Dynasty instead of Richard Dreyfus, and Jen as his wife.


Oh, and a slight change, he'll lose that last bet.


eLROY


P.S. Jen, will you go on a date with me?

Heard that JOEYBITCH will be in the movie as a transvetite dealer.

I really wouldn't be good in this role. I know next to nothing about horse racing. In fact, I'd say I know as little about horse racing as eLROY knows about poker.


During my Commerce road trip with Clarkmeister and D.Andrew, those two dragged me to some racetrack (Santa Anita?) on the final day of the trip. I was so ignorant of what was happening that I wasn't even willing to place the minimum bet on horses called Dynamous and Dynamistic.


Clarkmeister would be good for this role. He seems reasonably well versed in the horsies. And, he absolutely loves Let it Ride. I found the movie to be a bit boring.