New on DVD

Hal Ashby's 1982 gambling comedy, directed from a script co-written by star Jon Voight, was a critical and commercial flop on its original release. Seen today, in a longer cut than was originally released, it looks better, if not quite great. Voight is a hopeless gambling addict with unflagging optimism and perpetual motion energy who sets off to Vegas with his good-hearted schlub of a best friend (Burt Young) for a "big score" to settle a gambling debt. The plot is a completely unconvincing series of coincidences, but the dynamism of the characters and their friendships is marvelous. Voight and Young are like kids when they get excited, immature but utterly devoted to each other, and Ann-Margret is touching as a woman from Voight's past whose romantic optimism is tempered by her growing realization that her old lover is completely unsuitable as a father to her daughter. Ashby's indulgence allows the film get lost in comic chases and brawls (not to mention the crazy plot involving mistaken identity and a washed-up gambler played by Bert Remsen), but he always returns to the characters, who are the real story of the film. But, oh, that '80s synthesizer score is painful.

Hal Ashby's original cut was edited down by 15 minutes under studio pressure. His original two-hour version was recently discovered in the studio archives and premiered at a Hal Ashby retrospective in 2009, and that's the cut featured on the DVD debut. The story is explained in the 16-minute retrospective featurette "Lookin' to Get Out: The Cast Looks Back," featuring new interviews with actor/co-writer/co-producer Jon Voight, co-writer Al Schwartz, and co-stars Burt Young and Ann-Margret. It's the only supplement (besides the trailer) on the disc.