So far, the word on Stephen Frears' Lay the Favorite has not been good. The gambling comedy got raked over the coals at Sundance, and even though it packs a strong cast including Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Rebecca Hall, it still doesn't have a release date. Not here, anyway.
The film is set to release in the UK on June 22nd, and so a new trailer has just been unveiled. The story is based on Beth Raymer's memoir of her time in Las Vegas, arriving with a dream of being a cocktail waitress, but ending up serving at a Thai restaurant. Her life starts to get exciting when she starts working for Dink, one of the biggest sports gamblers in town. The trailer has lots of sitcom stabs at humor, but nothing that actually lands. It has the same wacky vibe as Willis' misguided The Whole Ten Yards. Lots of quirky characters doing strange things and nothing really coming together.
It's hard not to expect more from Frears, as it hasn't been that long since he led great films like Dirty Pretty Things and The Queen. He's been struggling mightily the last few years, though, and if the buzz is any guide we won't be seeing that change with Lay the Favorite. Check out the trailer below....
