Let It Ride

source: Let It Ride

Trailer—Let It Ride

Let It Ride

Great movie! I'm surprised that it didn't do too well. My husband and I constantly quote it. "God likes me! He really, really likes me!" If you like Richard Dreyfuss, you'll love this movie. It highlights his comedic talent perfectly!

This is one movie everyone in my family can watch multiple times and still find funny and quote at random and everyone is able to respond with the right line. Every actor is absolutely brilliant, no matter how small the part (standouts in the supporting cast are Jennifer Tilly and Robbie Coltrane, whom you would never believe is English.) Hialeah is beautiful. And true to the advertising, Trotter (Richard Dreyfuss) drinks, smokes, gambles, and thinks about committing adultery, and you WILL love him. Horseplayers like myself will also recognize a lot of the track atmosphere, and appreciate that the movie may be poking fun, but it's affectionate fun. Major bonus: you can use the opening scene to start fights at Chinese restaurants. This will feel like an especially good day at the track, down to the authentic voice of Trevor Denman calling the races.

I'm not a horse racing fan, but Let it Ride is one funny movie. Richard Dreyfuss plays Jay Trotter with over the top enthusiasm. I bet he had a lot of fun making this movie. He has three or four scenes with David Johansen,(former lead singer of the New York Dolls) that show that an old pro like Dreyfuss doesn't have to step on the innate comedic talents of the former rock star. Robbie Coltrane(our friend Hagrid from Harry Potter) takes a small role as the betting-window employee and embellishes it with charm and wit to become the "conscience" of the movie. Jennifer Tilly's role is the kind that only a Tilly could play, the gold digger, with, ironically, a heart of gold. And of course, no one can play a nouveau-rich envelope magnate better than Allen Garfield. My only niggling criticism is with Terry Garr. She's played this role before, and it shows. She doesn't bring much to her long-suffering wife role, but all in all, this movie is a real treat, even if you're not into the horses.

What could have been an average at best TV movie is instead a very successful motion picture comedy in large part due to Richard Dreyfuss's performance. Stopping just short of being over-the-top in the very funny comedic scenes, he also creates a three-dimensional character who is warm and touching -- you really are rooting for him. The other thing I really liked about this movie was its willingness to stray from the usual formula: good things happen/conflict something bad happens/resolution. This entire film depicted a happy and lucky protagonist -- a great tonic to cure the blues is this underrated gem.

You know it never ceases to amuse me. The character development, or lack there of, isn't deep, but, it is thorough enough that we have an empathy for the characters. This is one of Dreyfuss' better roles and he plays it with aplomb. The other Runyanesque cast of characters we find at the track are colorful and charming, with excellent performances by Robbie Coltrane, Terri Garr, Jennifer Tilly, David Johansen and Joe Roselius, among others. I think what appeals to me about this film is that the good guy 'wins'. As American's it is our nature to 'love' winners and when we find a sympathetic nice guy who is having 'a very good day'. Well, we root for him and wish him well. This is a fun little movie that I strongly recommend if your looking for some light fair to enjoy a few smiles.

This movie is on cable a lot. My intention to watch a few minutes invariably turns into my watching until the end. I love this movie. It is a simple and very funny movie with a fine cast portraying an array of eccentric characters. Yet there is often a sweetness in this film reminiscent of a movie like Roxanne. The premise is that at times the universe can align in such a way that you just know in your bones that nothing can stop you from having a really good day. Watching Richard Dreyfuss come to this realization and watching him savoring it while it is happening is appealing. It struck me last night that of all Mr. Dreyfuss's admirable body of work, I like him the best in Let It Ride.

I used to bet the horses, so I related a bit to this movie. No, I never had a day like Trotter had, but how I wished. :) This movie had lots of support in the comedy that ensues in the movie. "Cheeseburger" was so good, as was the cashier he returned to after every race he bet. Not a blockbuster, of course, but worth your time to view it. One reviewer said he felt the tension as the last race started and I have to agree. It was rather predictable, but as the horse trainers told Trotter after he returned the audio tape, "You never know!" Fun fun flick!Enjoy!