California Split
Bill Denny (George Segal) and Charlie Walters (Elliott Gould) are two compulsive gamblers with nothing in common except incredibly bad luck. But after a chance meeting at an LA card parlor, these two losers find that together, they make an unbeatable team. Embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime winning streak, Bill and Charlie bet their way from the tacky racetracks and bars of Los Angeles to the plush casino tables of Reno, where they end up staking their good fortune on a "friendly" little game of poker with the legendary world champion, Amarillo Slim. A high-rolling comedy about two friends with an uncontrollable urge to score.
Member Reviews
Decent but not the most entertaining film regarding gambling - vadim
Its a decent film, but not one of Altman's best. Roudners is a much better film that deals with the subject matter of gambling. What dissapointed me the most was the supposed "epic" poker game at the end. It built up but the viewer does not actually witness the game itself only snippets and we are told that the protaganist won 82,000.Not a movie to share with your spouse if you like to gamble - Pokerdogg
This movie paints an intense and utterly believable picture of gamblers. It does not get into the mechanics of the games themselves (poker fan expecting to see WPT type scenes might be disappointed), the mood and tone of the gaming arenas are ever present. Don't see this movie with your spouse if he/she has an issue with gambling (and your gambling in particular), some scenes are pretty grim on the effects of binge gambling. The ending is a bit of a leap and not as believable as the rest of the film.
All in all, I really liked this film.my2cents- this is a classic? - gerard
I googled the top gambling films of all time and California split showed up on most list. Why? I have no idea. From the awful dialogue, to the poor camera work to the 1 page script, this film doesn't deserve to be in the top 100. I can honestly say' i've watched films like the gambler and the cincinnati kid and this film doesn't come close to those 2 classics. I have to commend the writer in trying to put a little humour into the subjuct of compulsive gambling but the saturday night bits the comprise California Split are not particularly funny. If you like gambling, trying watching Rounders, that has allot more laughs than this supposed classic.
Member Reviews
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Decent but not the most entertaining film regarding gambling - vadim
Its a decent film, but not one of Altman's best. Roudners is a much better film that deals with the subject matter of gambling. What dissapointed me the most was the supposed "epic" poker game at the end. It built up but the viewer does not actually witness ...Not a movie to share with your spouse if you like to gamble - Pokerdogg
This movie paints an intense and utterly believable picture of gamblers. It does not get into the mechanics of the games themselves (poker fan expecting to see WPT type scenes might be disappointed), the mood and tone of the gaming arenas are ever present. ...my2cents- this is a classic? - gerard
I googled the top gambling films of all time and California split showed up on most list. Why? I have no idea. From the awful dialogue, to the poor camera work to the 1 page script, this film doesn't deserve to be in the top 100. I can honestly say' i've ...