Show Me the “Money”!

Saw a preview tonight of "Even Money," a new film that will open on May 18. The movie has a stellar cast (Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger, Ray Liotta, Forest Whittaker and Kelsey Grammer, among others and focuses on the ills of gambling and what it means to sacrifice all for a quick buck. The destinies of the dramatis personnae converge in a nail-biting final bet that has the potential to save or ruin them all. With the tabloids are abuzz over the belligerent message that Alec Baldwin left on his daughter, Ireland's cell-phone, it was eerie to watch as the shoe was on the other cinematic foot, with Bassinger as the bad parent, an obsessive gambler and neglectful mother of a troubled young teen. While Bassinger's character is lured into a destructive path that seems certain to destroy her marriage, doting husband Ray Liotta struggles to keep their home life intact. Superb performances by a raven-haired Bassinger and by DeVito, who is cast as a down-on-his luck magician. Whittaker, as he did in The Last King of Scotland, steals every scene he is in. Mark Rydell (The Rose, On Golden Pond) directs.