Director Gil Cates, Jr. and co-writer Mark Weinstock play a no-risk hand with this no-twist story of young hotshot Alex (Bret Harrison from “Orange County” and “Lightning Bug”) who is recruited by over-the-hill Tommy (Burt Reynolds “Deliverance” and “Boogie Nights”) for a comeback by proxy. Alex’s parents think he’s putting his Yale degree to good use as a law firm intern operating a photocopying machine. Tommy’s wife thinks he’s keeping his twenty-year vow to never bet again. But when the big game goes down, guess who’s there in spades for the duo? “This is going to be a great story,” lies Vincent Van Patten, playing himself as the TV host of “The World Poker Tour.” What a card legend sees in a player who’s never heard of “tells” is in itself hard to tell. Tommy teaches: “You don’t play the cards, you play the player.” He tips his protege with a prostitute named Michelle (Shannon Elizabeth) with a heart of platinum, and the kid doesn’t have a clue about his swell luck with the hottie for hire. In the end, Alex does what every hotshot does for a mentor making his grand exit. Cates and Weinstock must regret that some retirees from the screen game never spotted their promise and passed along tricks of the trade. With Charles Durning, Maria Mason and a table of pro players playing themselves handily. 86m. (Bill Stamets)
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