Let It Ride (1989) Paramount/Comedy RT: 87 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, mild sexual references, alcohol abuse, compulsive gambling) Director: Joe Pytka Screenplay: Jay Cronley and Nancy Dowd Music: Giorgio Moroder Cinematography: Curtis Wehr Release date: August 18, 1989 (US) Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, David Johansen, Teri Garr, Jennifer Tilly, Allen Garfield, Robbie Coltrane, Michelle Phillips, Cynthia Nixon, Ralph Seymour, Richard Edson, Ed Walsh, Richard Dimitri, Tony Longo, Mary Woronov. Box Office: $4.9M (US)
Rating: *
Like alcohol and drug addiction, compulsive gambling is a disease. People regularly lose everything by betting their hard-earned money at casinos or on the horses. I understand the prospect of instant wealth is inordinately tempting and too strong an urge for some to resist. Thankfully, I never had that problem. On the rare occasion I set foot inside an Atlantic City casino, I always limited myself to $5 on the quarter slots which gave me 20 chances to hit the jackpot (which I never did). I can count on one hand all the times in my life I bought a lottery ticket. I’ve NEVER been to the track and have no desire to go. It’s a depressing place with all those poor deluded folks gambling away their social security and welfare checks. This leads me to ask if this is really a good subject for a comedy. It might be, but Let It Ride is NOT that movie.
It stars Richard Dreyfuss (Down and Out in Beverly Hills) as a compulsive gambler having an exceptional day at the track. The premise sounds like it would lend itself well to a broad farce, but Let It Ride is just too dreary and scuzzy to be enjoyable. It’s exactly the kind of unfunny comedy that gets released at the end of August. The only thing that saves it from being a complete dud is Dreyfuss. His character isn’t all that likable, but the fact that he invests it with his trademark manic energy helps ease the pain a little bit. Aside from that, Let It Ride is pretty much a waste of talent, time and film.
The plot is a real no-brainer, but when has that ever stopped me from watching a movie? In this case, I clearly should have allowed it to. It all starts when cab driver Jay Trotter (Dreyfuss) gets a hot tip on a horse from his friend, fellow cabbie Looney (Johansen, Scrooged). He got the tip from a couple of passengers in his cab that he recorded talking about an upcoming fixed horse race. It’s a sure thing, so Jay goes to the track the next morning to place a bet. Never mind that he promised his estranged wife Pam (Garr, Tootsie) that he would quit gambling and would be home by noon to start their troubled marriage over.
Before placing his $50 bet, he steps into a restroom stall and prays to God for just one day of non-stop good luck at the track. Others laugh at him for betting on a long shot, but the horse wins and Jay walks away with $710. He decides to return Looney’s tape to the two passengers. They give him another hot tip out of gratitude. Once again, Jay places the bet and wins big. Now people are starting to notice him. The ticket seller (Coltrane, the Harry Potter movies) whose window he frequents sees him as something of a hero. He gets invited to join the wealthy high-rollers in the track’s executive dining room. In the process, he alienates his real friends who hang out at the bar next door. His newfound success comes between him and Looney who owes $800 to some dangerous types and Pam who becomes furious when she finds out what her husband is doing. What’s a compulsive gambler like Jay supposed to do? Call it a day and go home or just let it ride?
Let It Ride is clumsy, cluttered and dreary. There are too many supporting characters running around serving no real purpose to the story. For example, why was it necessary to include the greasy guy (Seymour, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure) who brings his teenage girlfriend (Nixon, Sex and the City) to the bar? They don’t do anything other than sit at the bar encouraging Jay to continue his lucky streak. Many of the scenes are way too crowded, something that doesn’t always equal funny.
Johansen turns in a grating, annoying performance as Jay’s best friend. This guy is a creep, plain and simple. At one point, he has Jay arrested on bogus charges in order to put a stop to his winning streak. It leads to a colossally unfunny sequence where Jay busts out of the police holding station and makes a mad dash for the betting window with the cops in hot pursuit. Tilly (Bride of Chucky) plays yet another dingbat bimbo character, but she’s a better catch than the bitchy Pam who turns to booze after learning of Jay’s relapse. Garr is absolutely annoying in this movie.
Director Joe Pytka (Space Jam) obviously has no clue what he’s doing. Let It Ride is easily one of the most poorly orchestrated movies I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching. Actually, “watching” doesn’t quite describe the experience. It’s more like witnessing a terrible crime unfold. I personally see nothing funny about compulsive gambling. The makers may as well have followed up Let It Ride with a broad farce about drug addicts at a three-day rock festival. Or what about one about alcoholics at a vineyard? It’s really in poor taste and so sleazy you’ll want a hot shower afterwards. This movie is an all-around bad bet. I may as well have spent the admission price at the slots. At least I would have had a better chance at a bigger pay-out.
