Mark Wahlberg’s money troubles surface in The Gambler teaser
Most of the news surrounding Mark Wahlberg’s upcoming movie The Gambler has focused on his weight loss for the role, and now that a red band teaser trailer has surfaced we can see what all the fuss is about. The film looks like a pretty straightforward owe money to the wrong people kind of flick, but the short preview shows us a shaggy and slimmed down Wahlberg mincing words with a menacing-looking John Goodman. There’s nothing on display to necessarily make one jump to buy tickets when the movie hits theaters, but there’s enough here to pique curiosities.
Give the red band teaser (NSFW due to language) for The Gambler a watch after the jump.
Maybe it’s just that we’re so used to seeing Wahlberg beefed up and bulky that the sight of him without the muscle is a bit shocking, but the trailer didn’t make his weight loss or physical appearance seem that outstanding. I was more interested in Goodman’s bald head than anything. What do you think?
Here’s a plot synopsis for The Gambler to fill us in on the story:
Jim Bennett is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank, a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett’s future. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance…
Yes, you just read “English professor and high-stakes gambler,” but the involvement of director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) will hopefully help silence that guffaw you just let out.
The Gambler stars Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Michael Kenneth Williams, Richard Schiff, and George Kennedy. The movie hits theaters in limited released on December 19, 2014 and wider on January 2, 2015.
