Lay the Favorite

Name: Lay the Favorite
Genre: Comedy
Released: December 7, 2012
Duration: 94 min
Rating: 38
Cast: Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta Jones, Rebecca Hall, Vince Vaughn

2012

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

RADiUS-TWC | Release Date: December 7, 2012 | R

Starring: Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta Jones, Rebecca Hall, Vince Vaughn

Summary: A dramedy centered on a thirtysomething woman who becomes involved with a group of geeky fiftyish men who have found a way to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas to their advantage.

Director: Stephen Frears

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 94 min

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Critic Reviews

Mick LaSalle

Dec 6, 2012

A small and not particularly ambitious movie, but it's pleasing and exceptionally well made. It was directed by Stephen Frears, and while it's not up there with his best - "Dangerous Liaisons," "The Queen," "High Fidelity," "Cheri" - Lay the Favorite lavishes the same attention on the personal, on relationships, and, like most Frears films, it puts a woman at the center of the story. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Dec 4, 2012

On autopilot from beginning to end, Lay the Favorite feels like sitcom blown up to big-screen proportions. The laughs aren't raucous or numerous, the character development is sketchy at best, and the insider's perspective on bookies and gambling is superficial. Read full review

Nathan Rabin

Dec 5, 2012

At best, Lay The Favorite registers as cartoon sociology, but the film's featherweight charms dissipate whenever it moves away from the world of gambling and devotes time to go-nowhere subplots involving Hall's bland romance with Jackson, or Willis' troubled but fundamentally healthy marriage to Zeta-Jones. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

Dec 2, 2012

The comedy just isn't that funny and the enterprise never finds an exact tone. Read full review

Empire Angie Errigo

Dec 2, 2012

Particularly disappointing given the names involved, it's only mildly amusing at best, and more often downright tedious. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Dec 6, 2012

The movie is a bust, and, as usual in these situations, it is easier to say how than why, and best to say as little as possible, cut one's losses and move on. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Dec 6, 2012

One of those factors must have settled upon the unlucky shoulders of Stephen Frears, who certainly has the pedigree to go all the way. And yet, he stumbles so badly with Lay the Favorite, his comic adaptation of Beth Raymer's memoir, that one is left wondering what could possibly have gone wrong. Read full review

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User Reviews

Thegodfatherson

Mar 5, 2013

Lay The Favorite is not a great movie but certainly deserves 6 stars because of the sweet hint of spicy romance which you don't see in Bruce Willis Movies.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NavQ

Jan 19, 2013

I only love watching these types of film because after reading the mostly negative reviews I can write my own that say's the opposite. This has, at the time of writing, got 4.6 which would tell me that a film is sub standard. I see a cast like this and wonder why. Well this is another caseI only love watching these types of film because after reading the mostly negative reviews I can write my own that say's the opposite. This has, at the time of writing, got 4.6 which would tell me that a film is sub standard. I see a cast like this and wonder why. Well this is another case of getting it wrong. This is based on Beth Raymer's memoir. An enjoyable story about a young woman who is looking for a better life and starts working for a professional gambler, Dink. He quickly learns she has a head for numbers and the story begins in earnest. Rebecca Hall is a gifted actor and managed the role with ease. The whole cast were great but nobody had to do anything that caught our attention and that is perhaps the reason this film hasn't done well. Bruce Willis is just Bruce Willis with a different name. Vince Vaughn is the same. Everyone is good but people wanted more I suspect.I loved the film and will watch it again soon.

6.5/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Bruce722

Aug 5, 2013

I thought the cast was solid going in but the Lay the Favorite failed miserably largely because the protagonist, Rebecca Hall, cannot even remotely act. I don't know how she gets any roles. Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson, Vince Vaughn, etc. all provide solid support butI thought the cast was solid going in but the Lay the Favorite failed miserably largely because the protagonist, Rebecca Hall, cannot even remotely act. I don't know how she gets any roles. Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson, Vince Vaughn, etc. all provide solid support but Hall was just ridiculous. The plot also got boring and fast. It didn't have a good flow and seemed to have no real direction for much of the film. Overall there really isn't much point in watching beyond a slightly humorous scene here and there.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

eugeneha

Mar 19, 2013

My son introduced me to metacritic today as an alternative to Rotten Tomatos and IMDB. This was the first movie I checked just to see what kind of reviews it got and I was very disappointed indeed. This was undoubtedly the absolute worst movie I have ever had the misfortune to watch. I justMy son introduced me to metacritic today as an alternative to Rotten Tomatos and IMDB. This was the first movie I checked just to see what kind of reviews it got and I was very disappointed indeed. This was undoubtedly the absolute worst movie I have ever had the misfortune to watch. I just totally wasted an hour and a half of both my life and my wife's! Bruce Willis must be getting it tight if he had to resort to "acting" in this utter piece of trash! 6 stars!!! What a joke! Do yourself a favour and avoid this movie like the plague!… Expand

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