Two for the Money
Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 7, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
15
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
In D.J. Caruso's Two for the Money, you can see Al Pacino doing something he's done a lot lately: Having a terrific time being an actor. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Too long by about 20 minutes, and takes itself too seriously near the end. But if you're looking for a movie for a boys' night out, it's a winner. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson
Big, loud, glossy and entertaining. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
For all its swaggering bravado, Pacino's turn in Two For The Money is the reverse image of his "Devil's Advocate" character: Instead of the omniscient, all-powerful operator he presents himself as, he's a gambler grasping at a lifestyle that's always just beyond his means. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
While it's focused on the people -- on men who never had mentors struggling to mentor themselves and each other -- the movie works as a smart B film. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
It's a compelling drama, if only a little hollow. For my money, Pacino's bark is ultimately better than Two For the Money's bite. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
It says in the beginning of the film that Two for the Money is "inspired by a true story." Problem is, it's just not that inspired. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
McConaughey will never be an actor who lets you into his soul, but he's credible as a good ole boy. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle Smith
A sloppy and ridiculous movie that Pacino makes oddly entertaining. Read full review
63
PremierePeter Debruge
Over the years, Pacino's Method has become his madness, and now, whether he's playing Shylock or Satan, he doesn't become the part so much as the part becomes him. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Marginally worth seeing if you're a Pacino fan but, even then, waiting for the DVD is the smart bet. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Silly but enjoyable drama. Read full review
60
Film ThreatRick Kisonak
Has its rollicking moments and snappy lines but even Pacino can't elevate them into more than a fleetingly juicy treat. This is a movie that desperately wishes it had been written by David Mamet. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Sports betting is a great subject for a movie, but Two for the Money is short on the number-crunching nitty-gritty. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It never quite adds up to anything. It's engaging enough while it's going on, but has little visceral impact or resonance. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyJames C. Taylor
Dramatic failings are only exacerbated by D.J. Caruso's direction: He composes every frame as if for television -- despite the fact that the film is shot in widescreen -- and his visual style is about as cinematic as sports talk radio. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A muddled melodrama about the shady and questionable though not quite illegal world of "sports advisers." Read full review
50
VarietyBrian Lowry
Despite nice touches, pic meanders in the middle and ends flatly. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
A confusion of tones, intentions and allusions, Two for the Money lurches from upbeat to downbeat without ever settling into a coherent groove. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Pure, unself-conscious macho camp, but it's not like Pacino and McConaughey don't know it. They're pitching tents and romping around in the grass like Jerry Maguire on steroids. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's as if a version of Oliver Stone's movie has been frozen in some fraternity house beer cooler since 1987 and thawed for the age of plasma screen TVs. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Pacino is a one-man three-ring circus, blustering, capering, cursing, raging and weaseling his way through this predictable morality play like a trickster Satan on speed. Read full review
42
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
If you expect anything more substantive from a movie - characters of more than one dimension, storylines that at the least play new riffs on old themes, plot developments that flow from the narrative - you'd best look elsewhere. Read full review
40
Village VoiceBen Kenigsberg
In keeping with his apparent ambition to play each character more berserk than the last, Pacino can't discuss wine choice without sounding on the brink of aneurysm. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The direction by Caruso adds little to the dynamics, although the script by Dan Gilroy offers the occasional gem. Nevertheless, Two for the Money is hardly a cineplex bargain. Read full review
40
EmpireSimon Braund
A preposterous, steroidal mess. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Falls somewhere on that aesthetic scale between mediocre and flat-out bad. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The fight between good and evil feels fixed in favor of Hollywood redemption. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Two for the Money, which was written by Dan Gilroy (Freejack, Chasers), is so badly constructed and illogical that its inanities manage to drown the actor (Pacino) out. Read full review
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