Overrated

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

We recently had the opportunity to spend an entire hour talking to Richard Dreyfus! Richard was surprised that this is our favorite Richard Dreyfus movie. Not Jaws, Goodbye Girl, Close Encounters, But Let it Ride. We left that chance meeting saying, "I'm having a great day." The film is all about characters and what a bunch of characters. If you break down the movie, a loser becomes a winner and has a great day at the track winning race after race. Snoozers! But what a cast of crazies that make every minute either hilarious or at least amusing. Dreyfus was great. David Johansen is exactly the kind of loser that hangs out at the track or a casino. Poor Terry Garr always playing the suffering wife (See Close Encounters and Oh God.). She plays the long suffering wife. Again! Lots of funny people in small parts. It was shocking that so many of the professional critics dissed this very funny comedy. One idiot goes off on cinematography and editing. The test of a good comedy is: "Is it funny?" The answer is yes. The other key to great comedy is "Does it speak the truth?" Again, yes. I grew up in Las Vegas, worked in Casinos for 6 years. I met everyone of these characters. The sad fact is that Yes Jay Trotter won a fortune, but he'll be back and eventually lose it all back. But see the movie, You'll have a great day.

Jay Trotter is a cab driver who has a slight problem with gambling.Instead of reconciling his failing marriage as planned, he instead goes to the track, and mystically, it seems as though he can't lose, no matter how much he bets, and has an incredible day, in more ways than one....The surprising thing about this movie is that there isn't any twist to the movie. That's the twist if you would. Any other film would have our hero lose everything, or lose almost everything and win something back. But not here.He just keeps winning and winning, and it sounds like its a boring narrative, but it's what happens between races that make the film so watchable.It's a farce basically. Trotter thinks he his having the best day of his life, but in reality, his world is falling apart around him, and it's this tenseness to the story that makes you think 'once a loser, always a loser'.Ironically you would bet good money on Trotter losing everything come the end, but then gambling is a bit of a mugs game.Dreyfuss is wonderful, full of energy and zest throughout his hectic day,and the support are equally wonderful, and somewhat bizarre.It's a bit of a forgotten movie, but it's a lot of fun.

A good friend of mine drug me out to Beulah Park racetrack for my first time back in 1990. Over the years I've become a passionate horseplayer and I've watched as the subject of my passion has withered with the onset of the internet. Horseracing attendance at most small tracks has plummeted, while the "handle", or amount bet on the racing at a given track has generally increased. Most people sit at home and watch and play on the internet. But I'm here to tell you- when I first watched Let It Ride, I could quickly associate just about every character in the movie with a character I knew at Beulah. My favorite part of the movie is when Trotter polls friends, strangers, anyone, about who they liked in a given race. He immediately scratched their selection off !! When he was down to one horse left on his list, that was his wager. I can't tell you how many times I've been at the track amongst six or seven friends, and the only horse that won was the one none of us had bet on !! What a great movie about a subculture that only still exists at the big New York, Florida, Kentucky, and California racetracks. Horseplayers are an interesting group, to say the least, and this movie does a great job capturing the typical personas that you'll find at the track. Its Post Time !!

This is no doubt the greatest horse racing movie ever made. I doubt there is no true horse racing fan that has not seen this movie at least five times. I have often wondered if Dreyfus is a race nut but I was told by his wife that he has never been to the races. That makes him an even greater actor than I originally thought. I have used many of the lines in this movie many times since I first watched this movie. Some of my lines are, "Is this a great country or what?" Other lines I use are, "You can't put a price tag on a day like this!" Another is "God loves me, I'm due". And, "I didn't know we were having a beauty contest today!" And, finally, "I just saw my life flash before my eyes!"