Performing artist and poker master Vincent Van Patten draws on close to home understanding as co-essayist and star of a satire about an insane wager.
There are habitual players, and after that there's whatever remains of us — a reality that Walk to Vegas grasps with a friendly soul. The best thing about the film, the main element coordinated by on-screen character Eric Balfour, is that it doesn't consider itself excessively important. Co-scripters Vincent Van Patten and Steve Alper get the crazy excite ride of high-stakes bets, and the cast, driven by Van Patten, is in a state of harmony with the genuine loopiness of the current venture: a 280-mile trek from the San Fernando Valley to Sin City, for a seven-figure bonanza.
Between the film's promising opening hand and its triumphant spot of a result, not all things click, yet in the midst of the young men will-be-young men silliness, it's anything but difficult to excuse the parts that don't work, if not the to a great extent brightening job of the few onscreen ladies.
The film draws upon not simply the screenwriter-star's betting encounters and poker know-how — Van Patten has over 15 years of experience as an observer on World Poker Tour—yet additionally his life as a Hollywood insider. He and co-star James Van Patten, children of the late Dick Van Patten (Eight Is Enough), experienced childhood in the business. The screenplay is peppered with wry references to the business, particularly through James' character, Carl, a previous flack for the practically well known. (He worked with Stallone. Straight to the point Stallone.)
Prize for Best Foreign Film at Palm Springs Film Festival
The genuine siblings play kin in the parody. Vincent is Duke, who, winding up broke after his acting vocation breaks down — briefly conveyed through a montage of infomercial gigs, headshots and B-motion picture one-sheets — has discovered his depression as host of a productive poker amusement with his significant other, KC (Vincent's genuine companion, cleanser musical show on-screen character Eileen Davidson, in a job that could have been progressively generous). The hot-ticket diversion in the long run moves from their San Fernando Valley farm house to a Beverly Hills club's reserved alcove, where youthful British chief Sebastian (played to pompous flawlessness by Ross McCall) rapidly lays hold of the cordial amusement, goal on removing the novices and increasing the stakes. Duke isn't cheerful about it, however he and Carl (a diehard card shark who dresses in drag for three months on a 50-thousand set out) can't avoid the days-long competitions and insane side wagers that result. Also, Duke doesn't hesitate when Sebastian raises the stakes by offering a cool million if the previous on-screen character can stroll to Las Vegas in seven days (wearing a suit, normally).
A childishly diverse team of bad-to-the-bone card sharks accumulate around this endeavor, following Duke's advancement from the cooled extravagance of Sebastian's RV: a cheerful grifter (James Kyson), a recipient of an endless family fortune (Danny Pardo), the properly nicknamed Angry Jim (the dynamite character performing artist Don Stark) and a website mogul turned wannabe ventriloquist (Paul Walter Hauser). A TV star with substance-misuse issues (Lucas Bryant) floats all through the activity, and Seinfeld's John O'Hurley seems quickly as a speculative stock investments tycoon, who's in charge of a portion of Duke's most sensational good and bad times on the monetary front.
Balfour and manager Paul Buhl set up an energetic pace in the early going, however can't exactly keep up the vitality amid Duke's schlep through the desert, which starts at the motion picture's midpoint. With some comic setups crashing and burning — the proposed funniness of a series of pretenses in a dust storm, for instance, never fully emerges — the voyage now and then feels like a whole deal. However, Chad Lowe's short turn as a district sheriff with showbiz hallucinations is an elegantly composed, breathtakingly played feature. (Jennifer Tilly appearances as her poker-canny self, as do proficient players Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari.)
The screenplay inclines intensely on Duke's voiceover portrayal — which is to a lesser extent an issue than it may be on the grounds that the combo of delightful, slangy dialect and Van Patten's imposing voice loans the procedures a hard-bubbled punch. (In spite of the fact that at the film's reality debut in Palm Springs, the amped music soundtrack was regularly at war with the voiceover and discourse.)
With its for the most part unflashy camerawork and calm creation structure (the exemption being Sebastian's apropos conspicuous white-and-fuchsia house), the low-spending motion picture is definitely not self important. Notwithstanding when the story feels stressed, the science among the entertainers has oomph as their characters insult each other, celebrate enormous successes, ride out misfortunes and driving force betrays. Also, the uneven trickeries cruise home easily with an invigorating and ultra-fulfilling switcheroo.
Setting: Palm Springs International Film Festival (Local Spotlight)
Creation organizations: Van Patten Brothers Entertainment and Wonderstar Productions in relationship with Big Block Media Holdings and WPT Studios USA
Cast: Vincent Van Patten, Ross McCall, Paul Walter Hauser, Eileen Davidson, James Van Patten, James Kyson, Willie Garson, Lucas Bryant, Don Stark, Danny Pardo, John O'Hurley, Chad Lowe, Jennifer Tilly
Executive: Eric Balfour
Screenwriters: Vincent Van Patten, Steve Alper
Story by Vincent Van Patten
Makers: Vincent Van Patten, James Van Patten, Kim Waltrip, Adam Weinraub, Mark R. Harris, Dylan Vox
Official makers: Adam Weinraub, Kara Weinraub, Joseph Siprut, Denise DuBarry Hay, Robert Fitzpatrick, Seven Volpone, Scott Prisand, Jamie Bendell, Michael Speyer, Vineyard Point
Executive of photography: Christopher Gallo
Creation architect: Caitlin Laingen
Ensemble architect: Brittany Ann Cormack
Supervisor: Paul Buhl
Music: Bret Mazur
Throwing executive: J.C. Cantu
Deals: Scott Moesta
95 minutes
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