But to its credit, the movie gambles on a really nasty lead character and doesn't bother trying to make him 'likeable.' The movie knows that Abramoff is a terrible person and allows the audience to know that, too. There isn't much room for others in this kind of one-man show, but Lovitz gets in some nice moments as the sleazy, small-time hood.ĭirector George Hickenlooper - who passed away in October of 2010 - can't quite fine-tune the movie into the tight comedy it should have been it's a little uneven in places and a little wobbly in others.
Spacey is clearly enjoying every manic moment here (throwing in the occasional celebrity impression to boot), and the screenplay by Norman Snider does a nice job of feeding his frenzy.
The biggest asset in Casino Jack is Spacey, who plays Abramoff as the cynical, snappy type of character he made so memorable in American Beauty.
