I was able to see this early as part of a sneak preview, and I almost walked out of the movie it was so bad.
Briefly, and I don't think I'm giving anything away, but I ticked the "spoiler box" just in case: Marky Mark said he "prepared his life for this role"...it doesn't show. A lot of laconic acting coupled with forced "teacher dynamics". I guess I haven't been in college recently, because his professor character is atrocious.
He's a gambler, yet we don't see anything to indicate history, addiction, etc. He plays blackjack, and in the opening scene we are expected to experience the roller coaster that is his life in 6 hands? Nope.
He's issues with his mom. And while Jessica Lange kills it, she can't prop up the fill-in lead singer of Steel Dragon.
Another bright spot is Omar from "The Wire". Michael K. Williams actually demonstrates acting ability and character immersion...maybe he should have been the lead.
I just realized I've spend way too long on a movie I was about to walk out of. Here's the short version: The main character is a Lit Teacher so he can have soliloquies to demonstrate depth. That device doesn't work. The main character is a "loser" gambler who keeps chasing and making poor decisions to draw in the audience to his plight. That doesn't work. The main character ruins relationships in a quest for the "rush of winning"--which we never actually see. And in the end, when it of course ends favorable for our hero (OK, I guess that's a "spoiler"), the main character demonstrates hubris and altruism by, literally, walking away...and then running for hours (without sweating a drop, btw) to see the only person he cares about--His Elizabeth Shue, 'Leaving Las Vegas' wannabe, student who is the only person who "gets him". Yeeech! OK, I'm changing my rating from 3 to 2.
और दिखाएं 
