Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Jason Keller and Michael Ritchie
Directed by Ernest Dickerson
Starring David Krumholtz, Jennifer Morrison, Tory Kittles, Alex Rocco, and Nick Turturro.

Features:

• Audio commentary with Dickerson, Silman, Krumholtz, and Messick
  
• ”The Real Bookie: Benny Tells His Story”
  
• NCAA sport wagering video
  
• TV spots and trailers
  

Rated: R

Anamorphic: Yes

My advice: Wait for cable

Benny (Krumholtz) is a fairly ordinary guy from NYC, preparing to take the biggest step of his young life ­— moving away from home to go to college. Much to his wailing mother’s dismay, he decides that Arizona is the place for him (the implication is that this decision has something to do with the effect of Arizona’s climate on co-ed fashion). His college life is fairly typical, until he gets involved with a local bookie, running numbers and making cash on the side.

After his first year of playing second fiddle to a petty crook, Benny decides to go it on his own, and becomes the full-blown, full-time campus bookie. In short order, he’s rolling in money (at least by student standards), with all the toys and party money he could want. His girlfriend (Morrison) is bemusedly tolerant of his shady nature, and his friends are eager to help him rake it in. Some bigger fish are attracted to the action Benny has stirred up, and so he suddenly finds himself dealing with made men that want some percentage of campus betting action.

Things take a turn for the decidedly bad when Benny befriends the school’s star basketball player "Hedake" (Kittles), and the two of them scheme to shave points in an upcoming game, in exchange for several thousand dollars. It all goes smoothly, and the intoxication of their success (and their obscene amount of money) lures them into doing it again. And again. And eventually, it bites ‘em both in the ass when a game doesn’t end like it was supposed to end, and several very dangerous people are out hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the FBI is nosing around because of all the money riding on a meaningless game between unranked schools.

Big Shot tells the true story of Benny Silman, who made himself wealthy, lost it all, went to prison, and became one of the most infamous figures in the recent history of college athletics. His fixing of Arizona State basketball games (though he only managed a few before it all fell apart) drew national attention, landed him in prison, and ended the career of his “bought” player. Krumholtz is excellent in the lead, and Nick Turturro has a nice role as one of his more dangerous Mafioso friends. Outside of these two performances, though, the whole thing smacks of a made-for-cable movie (which it was). Acting is mediocre, writing is likewise (outside of Benny’s dialogue, which pops pretty nicely).

The DVD puts forth some interesting extras, including an interview with Silman in which he basically tells the story from start to finish himself. The movie does seem to capture the facts of the event pretty well, but never goes beyond the basics that Silman himself covers in a span of about 15 minutes. Makes for a pretty thin movie. The commentary is decent, mostly due to Silman’s own comments on the depiction of his life. The NCAA wagering video is the sort of thing they show to incoming players to warn them against the sort of thing that Benny indulged.

You’re better off waiting for this one to get sent into the re-run rotation on any of a number of Fox cable stations. It’s not a terrible movie, it’s just a made-for-TV movie, and has all the shortcomings that implies. But I can’t imagine spending money to rent it or own it.