As I settled in to forget the break up with my dreamy beloved, I popped in a DVD for Bigger Stronger Faster, a film I noticed last year and had been meaning to get around to (more on that in a subsequent post). I’m not entirely sure when it happened but now one has to sit through a bazillion trailers to get to the feature.

I was puttering around while the never ending stream of trailers just kept on playing. About 5 trailers in, one opens with a shot of Santa Anita. Then a voice over says “when was the last time you went to the track?” as the opening shots transitions to a shot of Matthew Broderick watching the race and then another of him wrapping the Form on the rail in disgust.

What? I’m kind of out of when it comes to current movies but not THAT out of it that I missed one with a racing sub-plot!

Apparently this was a direct to cable/DVD situation as I couldn’t uncover much about it. Here’s the synopsis from the official site:

From director Peter Tolan, creator of the hit television series Rescue Me, comes Finding Amanda, a hilarious and heartbreaking autobiographical comedy about the compulsions we can’t shake, and the unlikely lengths we’ll go to while trying.

Taylor Mendon (Matthew Broderick) is a television writer and producer working on a low-rated, little-respected half-hour sitcom. Once destined for bigger and better things, Taylor’s compulsive gambling, recreational drug use and drinking all conspired to throw his career off the rails. After kicking the alcohol and drugs, he only has one more hurdle…the horses.

His beautiful twenty - year old niece Amanda (Brittany Snow) has her own habit to kick. Living in Las Vegas, working as a “dancer,” her family has just discovered she is actually a prostitute, and they suspect hooking for drug money.

On their way home from an emergency family meeting, Taylor’s wife Lorraine (Maura Tierney) finds recent racing stubs in Taylor’s glove compartment. After years of standing by him, she leaves.

Taylor comes up with a plan: he’ll win back his wife by doing the right thing. He’ll go to Las Vegas, find Amanda, and deliver her to a rehabilitation center in Malibu. While he’s at it, he might even catch up with some old friends (like slimy casino host Steve Coogan). But besides that, it’s strictly the business at hand—while he’s there, he vows, he won’t gamble a single cent, but things don’t turn out quite as he’d planned.

I’m sure they don’t!

Most of the user reviews at IMDB were favorable, but had spoilers. Looks charming enough to me, in a Ferris Buehler gone astray kind of way. It’s now next in my Netflix queue… who knew?

Posted by dana on Apr 05 2009    
Filed Under: 2009, Film, Gambling, Racing

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