n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This movie was a bit hard to find...Mainly because the title was changed without my knowledge...When I first saw it on cable TV...It was simply called "Vig"...But it wasn't until I found it on Netflix under the title "Money Kings" did I realize it was the same film...Either way...The performances for the most part were absolutely wonderful...Peter Falk was great as a bookie working for the Mob and looking forward to retirement...Timothy Hutton was very convincing as an alcoholic unemployed father who tries too hard to win a quick buck at gambling to support his wife and children...Tyne Daly turns in a very solid performance as an understanding wife to Peter Falk's character...And there were even a couple of actors who made good credible sideline characters...Frank Vincent as a debt collector...And Colm Meany as a police detective...I also liked the brief cameo by Tony Sirico as the head of the mafia organization...The real stand out acting was done beautifully by Lauren Holly who delivered what was by far...The best performance in the movie...She played the wife to Timothy Hutton's character...A struggling Mother working two jobs to makes ends meet...Not only is she a hard working Mom trying to take care of her children...But also an amazing wife willing to do whatever it takes to keep her marriage from falling apart...She easily stole the show every time she was on screen... The only major problem with this film was the casting of Freddie Prince Jr. as the new young mafia persona looking to take over Peter Falk's booking operation...I can see now why he does so many romantic comedies...Because those are the only kinds of films he can do where he can at least come off as a somewhat credible actor...Beyond that...This was a pretty solid film with great acting and a great story...And in my honest opinion...It should have received a lot more attention than it did...Thanks to Netflix...I can say that I have a great deal of respect for this film now than when I had seen it before...And That's All There Is Too It...

OMG, I love this movie. In the first place, Peter Falk is in it and that makes any movie at least good. Second, there is Tyne Daly... same thing. Two absolutely natural actors who bring up the real estate wherever they are But what really impressed me was Freddie Prinze Jr. He played a character so despicable, I wanted to spit at the screen Anne hope he'd feel it. (I didn't) The only real Boston accent was from Steve Sweeney who after all is a Boston based comic as well as an actor. I lived around those accents so I'm sort of an expert.The simple story is that Falk is an Irish guy who really is decent but has to make his way in a less than honorable profession. Now he is saddled with a tough punk (Prinze) There's slightly less cursing than a Scorcese flick but not more than a Tarrantino, but this doesn't hurt the story. It makes it just real enough.Add a couple of Sopranos cast members and it's even more real. Lauren Holly and Timothy Hutton (doing a great Boston accent) as a couple with their own problems. A husband who's a drunk who would steal his wife's check to gamble and a woman who has to deal with him because she loves him, and he's l she's got.Once again, Frank Vince.t plays his.usual tough guy character who saddled Falk with the punk in the first place.Not a perfect movie, but a true slice of the underbelly of Boston life and with a "wow" finish.I can't believe it had problems finding a distributor. There's magic here.

*****CONTAINS SPOILERS******* There's no way for me to discuss this movie without revealing plot points because the way the script squanders its cast and an interesting storyline is what disappoints me most.I'd never heard of the film, but any film with Peter Falk, Tyne Daly, Timothy Hutton, etc. should be interesting, right? Well, the pity of the movie is that they DO start out with an interesting premise. They have actors who radiate intelligence and charm and, because of their past works, carry a lot of goodwill--especially with audiences who are old enough to want to watch this film because Peter Falk is in it and not because they want to see Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s early work.Peter Falk and Tyne Daly make a charming, believable married couple.Tyne Daly's speech about some tough times early in their marriage is particularly moving. You feel for the Lauren Holly character. You wish the Timothy Hutton character would get a clue. There's a chance for a slice of life movie about a bookie who's as ethical as such a profession will allow him to be and what happens when the vultures want to muscle in--a particularly annoying plot point by the way, since Falk's character has said he's retiring in a year and we believe him.As soon as the Freddie Prinze, Jr. character takes center stage, the movie goes wrong. It's not Prinze's fault. He's playing a cruel, stupid, violent, perverse gangster wannabe whose story arc sends the movie in a different, starker, more hopeless direction. It's as if I started out watching a movie directed by Gary Marshall and ended up with a movie directed by Quentin Tarrantino. "The Lemon Drop Kid" plus the most bleak episodes of "The Sopranos" = this movie. The cast and set-up deserved a less nihilistic ending. It's an ending calculated for maximum "bum-out." It made me sorry that I watched it until the end.The actors are always worth watching. The script should have served them better.

Excellent performance by Peter Falk as a man of good values reduced to making a living as a bookie. He is wealthy in the love he shares with Tyne Daly in a good performance as his loving wife. Tim Hutton plays a useless drunken loser and Ms. Holly gives a fine performance as his loyal wife. Freddie Prinze Jr. gives a posterboy performance for just say no to cocaine.