I could probably go on and on about Runner Runner. However, I’m attempting to waste less and less time writing about bad movies, so this may be one of my shortest reviews ever.
In this stinker, Justin Timberlake is a smart guy who ends up working for an online gambling mogul (Ben Affleck) who’s avoiding the law by holding up shop in Costa Rica. From a script perspective, there’s a functionally useless beautiful woman (Gemma Arterton) and a barely useless gambling addict father (John Heard). Also essentially useless is the script itself. It’s so full of holes that had the film been called Water Water, there wouldn’t be a drop to drink for anyone.
Problems in the script are especially sad to discover when the screenwriters wrote another film about gambling called Rounders. That’s a good film. Runner Runner is essentially the antithesis of good.
The direction doesn’t help matters. While I liked director Brad Furman’s last film well enough (The Lincoln Lawyer), this felt like some poor homage to Michael Mann. And somehow, he made this 91-minute movie feel a good hour longer. I’ve been to graduations that felt shorter.
Runner Runner is a marginally interesting idea executed into an insanely boring result. Aside from a few good one-liners Affleck gets to throw out, this makes Reindeer Games look like Good Will Hunting. Fans of either actor are better off watching Timberlake host SNL or enjoying any of Affleck’s excellent turns as a director. If there’s anything people should Run Run from, it’s this film film.
GRADE: D
Runner Runner opens in theaters on October 4, 2013 and is rated R for language and some sexual content.
