I just finished watching the movie Even Money, which is essentially a story about gambling addiction and the lengths people will go in order to get what they want.  There are some big names in this movie about small people:  Forest Whittaker, Danny Devito, Kim Basinger, Kelsey Grammar, Ray Liota amongst others.  I struggled a bit with the acting and the notion that there is apparently little history to these people’s gambling problems.  I would suspect that there would be a greater history to the gambling addiction especially in the characters of Forest Whittaker and Kim Basinger and more anger on the parts of their family members that were asked to play a part or politely ignore their gambling.  The longer I think about this movie, the more that I can appreciate, though, the sloppiness and darkness of the characters.  The actors captured that part of addiction well—an addict can no longer carry off the pretense that there is no addiction.  And there is a juvenile hope that just around the corner they will break even and then it will be done, “I’m out”, moving away, gonna start over.  But, no one stops.  And, the icy, dark character of Victor portrays the violence of not only a bookie, but of addiction itself.  Every time someone encountered him, they came away bullied, bloodied or dead. 

One theme that stood out to me after watching his movie was that of community.  So many good movements are in place in our world today for people to experience more community and togetherness—this is a primary need that is lacking for many.  I was in a class a few years ago and the topic of negative “community” came up.  How can negative community be defined?  I think Even Money provides a good description for me—a group of people wherein individual acts of integrity actually serve to disintegrate the community.  The hopes and connection of the people at the end of the movie all hinged on deceit for personal gain–an inside tip on point-shaving will save everyone.  This begins to unravel the moment Clyde Snow (Whittaker) overheard his brother’s coach confronting him about point shaving.  He has now seen the effects of his dark addiction on another–something of care and concern for another has the potential of trumping self-concern.  When the Whittaker character tells his brother to not fix the game, there is both a sigh of relief that he has acted with some sanity and the somber knowledge that he has just signed his death warrant.  With this action and the subsequent outcome of the basketball game, this interdependent community of gamblers violently disintegrates.  And what follows is part fairy tale (Kim Basinger magically finishing her book and potentially getting her marriage back), part Gospel (Whittaker’s character taking a bullet to save his brother’s career and life) and part old West (bodies everywhere).