A Movie Review About “Bookies” For Everyone

In by MontiLee StormerLeave a Comment

Certain summer days may be really boring and if it's too hot to go out, you have just very few options to spend your time without wasting it. We suggest you pick a great movie to watch, either alone or with friends/siblings.

"Bookies" is a stunning movie, one of those stories that you'll hardly forget in your life. "Bookies" depicts an impressive set of circumstances that are absolutely plausible and, why not? they might easily happen in someone's life. The story of "Bookies" is set at a college campus that three friends attend for study. These three protagonists are starred by Nick Stahl, Lukas Haas, and Johnny Galecki. "Bookies" is a 90-minute long dramatic comedy of 2003 and one of the very few films that can keep you entertained from the first seconds to the last ones.

"Bookies" - a movie sceneDiscover The Story Of "Bookies"

What do these friends have in common? You may think it's about the classes they've decided to follow at the college. But the exact answer is that they all are fervent bettors. Sports is actually one of the most targeted pools of activities to bet on. You can easily find online bettors at the present day, as well, who choose to use this online bookmaker instead of going to physical sports betting shops.

Let's get back to our movie, "Bookies": the three friends start betting on several sports through local bookmakers. But betting on sports, car racing, or horse racing means having enough money to place the bets. So, the three youngsters start raking in cash from their friends at the college. And this is when the group of friends has to deal with the local Italian mafia that has plenty of interests in keeping control and dominance over the local sports betting activities.

How The Film Story Becomes Complicated

"Bookies" makes a perfect description of the hidden reality existing in many college students' life. Watch this quick trailer video to have a taste of the film's atmosphere and characters. As you can see, the three protagonists collect the punters' money in unused library books (that's where the film title comes from) to avoid anyone noticing their bookmaking activity. They can collect a big amount of money this way. But things come to get complicated when Jude, starred by Rachel Leigh Cook, begins to develop a drug addiction. Over time, her condition gets worse and this becomes an obstacle to the bookmaking activity of her two friends.

For certain aspects, Jude's drug problems don't seem to affect the story that much. In fact, what marks a milestone in the film is when the group decides to quit the business, although their pretty high level of success as bookmakers among college students. The ultimate bet of the group brings them face to face with the local Italian mafia, which controls sports events like boxing matches. That's exactly on a particular boxing match that the group has to deal with the mafia and its power to affect and control all the sports bets.

How Will It Go? Could You Guess That?

At this point in the movie, you may think that you can predict how it will go. But this is where this film is different from any other movie of the same genre. The sensation while watching "Bookies" is to never be sure about what is coming next and what the three friends will decide to do. This sense of unpredictability pairs perfectly with the main theme of the film itself, which is predicting a sports bet without full certainty about the match result. Also, the unpredictability of "Bookies" makes you want to continue watching it to the last minute.

Another stunning feature of "Bookies" is its realistic description and plausible narrative structure: you won't be able to say what is fiction and what is true in the film because it's really faithful to the procedures in the real sports betting environment. This movie has the power to literally drag you into a completely realistic environment that is often unknown to most people. Being in an unknown environment, you'll have the impression of feeling "lost" in the wild jungle of the local mafia affairs and illegal betting. At the same time, "Bookies" offers you an overview of the light-mood vision of many college students' life of our days.

Our Conclusion

"Bookies" is without any doubt a must-watch film, no matter if you are a passionate sports bettor or not. It's not only about sports and the world of betting, "Bookies" is actually an enjoyable yet intriguing description of the actual world, with its hidden sides that only a group of young students could dare to deal with.

 

Movie Reelist Contributor: MontiLee Stormer
MontiLee Stormer is a writer of horror, dark and urban fantasy. She’s also is a troublemaker, concocting acts of mayhem and despair for her own selfish pleasure. An avid movie watcher, she prefers horror but will see just about anything if you're buying. Poltergeist (1982) is her favorite movie and she actively hates The Shining (1980) due to its racism, misogyny, the butchering of the source material. She could host a TEDtalk on this single subject. Writing about herself in the third person is just a bonus.

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