Shuffle Off to The Theater And See "DEAL":
Flushed with anticipation, I went to an advance preview of ?DEAL?. Wanting to give you the straight dope about the film (in case I was ?carded? in any way), I carefully watched as BURT REYNOLDS (playing Tommy Vinson) gave a nicely restrained job portraying the coach ? mentor to talented 21-ish poker-player Alex Stillman (acted by BRET HARRISON). Burt uses some unexpected ?props? to help build Bret?s self-confidence and show him how to better ?read? his opponents. All the while, he has to deal with the royal pain of his wife Helen?s (MARIA MASON?s) objections to his returning to playing cards himself. Eventually, there?s the almost-inevitable ?showdown? between the teacher and his ?student?. It wasn?t unanticipated? but, it was surprisingly WELL-HANDLED overall. If you saw a report on the film, you might not expect it to ?work?-- but it DOES. So, while it's not great, since it?s effective and entertaining, I recommend you ?shuffle? off to the theater and enjoy it for what it is.