‘The Million Dollar Bet’ Review – A Smart Vegas Movie Less About The Sin And More About The Win

“Life is too short for not gambling.”

from The Million Dollar Bet.

Las Vegas, a.k.a. Sin City, or America’s Playground. The things people do for money are the lesson in The Million Dollar Bet. Wild, provocative, and at times chaotic. The plot is entirely absurdist, yet brimming with comedy akin to a stoner buddy romp. At times, that movie resembles the marathon it emulates, running nearly on empty. Despite these pacing issues, the story is engaging, the characters are likable, and there is an interesting cautionary tale at the end of it all.

The improbable story begins with Hank (Douglas Smith), a Las Vegas gambler at the end of his rope. Exhausting the patience of those around him, including his friend Jack (Justin Cornwell), Hank makes an impulsive wager. He bets one million dollars that he can run three marathons in 24 hours. Despite protest and weary doubts, Hank begins his run, even as a sandstorm threatens Sins City. Soon, exhaustion, injury, and prevailing doubt close in as both his body begins to fail and his friends reach their breaking point. Still, Hank persists, with the eyes of Vegas on him and a million reasons on the line, he must decide whether winning is worth losing everything, including himself.

The story is straightforward and wastes little time on tedious exposition or backstory. Hank is presented as fully formed by the time the movie starts and acts like the kind of person who would make such a high-stakes bet. There exists an element of drama to the entire ordeal, particularly as the seemingly whimsical wager takes a dangerous turn. The use of comedy keeps the story overall breezy, though at the core, there is some stirring commentary on the nature of obsession.

Hank is relentless, and despite his obsessive tendencies and willingness to wager his life for money, Smith plays him as a loveable everyman whom the audience at least roots for to succeed. However, it is his friend Jack who is the movie’s emotional backbone. Loyalties strain over 24 hours, leading to a reckoning that is both comedic and cathartic.

Despite the setting being Vegas, the story does not concern itself with the usual trappings or aesthetics. Forget high-rollin’ casinos, hotels, and jumbo slot machines. This story finds itself in quiet neighborhoods outside the hustle and bustle of Sin City. It is a way that makes the story more relatable. While the presence of gambling culture and the allure of Vegas is in the air, by focusing less on the urban jungle and keeping this to quiet suburban streets allows this story to take on a daring aspirational quality, which adds, of course, to the drive of Hank as he attempts to run the impossible!

Now, the film’s drawback is its pacing, which is a bit tedious. At its core, the story seems like an idea from a short stretched to extraordinary lengths to justify a nearly ninety-minute runtime. The pacing prattles at times, and at various points there seemed to be a natural ending, only for the story to continue in a way that doesn’t feel clever or subversive. There is a general exhaustion by the end, which is part of what makes sense given the focus on running a marathon, but when the story stretches like a rubber band, it can only go so far before it snaps back and smarts.

Still, aside from these minor issues, the film looks beautiful. Despite what appears to be a shoestring budget, the filmmaker, Thomas Woschitz, delivers something special. There is a resonant message of friendship and personal endurance. In addition to the slippery slope of gambling. I don’t believe this movie is trying to make a moral statement on the vice, but it does leave a lot to chew on. The film stirs questions, despite its rather silly plot, which at the very least is the mark of a successful film. 

The Million Dollar Bet is currently available On Demand courtesy of Persimmon.