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Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

A Disappointing Continuation

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Once I had the pleasure of speaking to a gentleman who taught young people circus skills, especially with regard to the trapeze. He mentioned that there was a certain stage in the training when all pupils needed extra support and supervision. Asked why, he replied : "That's when people know enough to get themselves in really deep, dangerous trouble, but not enough to extract themselves from that trouble". Now this remark applies also, in a more general sense, to a phase in human life, let us say late adolescence and early adulthood."The odds" is a mystery (and a good, nicely unpredictable mystery at that) but it is also a psychological portrait of a group of adolescents helplessly adrift in a sea of trouble, most of it of their own making. It also illustrates, masterfully, how people in difficulty have a sad habit of spreading their problems around ; it is a phenomenon often seen in addiction and crime, where drug users become drug sellers and prostitutes become madams. "Misery loves company" - indeed."The odds" boasts excellent performances, most notably from protagonist Tyler Johnston, who is wonderfully convincing as a messed-up ball of insecurity, resolve, dishonesty and remorse.This, for clarity's sake, is not a happy and jolly viewing experience. But it is a very rewarding one.

Desson Orr (Tyler Johnston) and Barry Lipke (Calum Worthy) are gambling in school. Barry gets into a fight with Sam Cartier when the wrestler throws a match. Desson is moving out and his father is selling the house. He gets detention with Colleen Calloway (Julia Maxwell) and brings her to a gambling party hosted by Paul Morrow. Paul threatens Barry who owes him money. The next day, Desson finds Barry in an apparent suicide. Desson tries to find the truth of his death by questioning Benson.This movie depends heavily on writer/director Simon Davidson. While the writing has some interesting darkness, the directions are unimaginative. This should be a movie of dark intensity but it meanders too much. I like the intentions of a dark gritty movie about teen gambling. It doesn't executes very well.

there were high school underground gambling in this film, but what we saw was not quite convincingly realistic enough. what we saw were texting bets, basement gambling scenes, but we never saw any paper money changed hands only chips and betting amount. where was the money? we never saw anything tangible only hollow words and look-like gambling scenes. how that moronic kid would have the credit to lose 2 large? if this kid was always with the main character kid, how come the latter never knew? and how come a high school kid would lose his life over only 2 large gambling debt? this kid was driving a mini cooper, dude? a car at least worth as high as thirty thousand dollars. there's not enough logic to such murder. there were so many unconvincing scenarios and plot twists in this movie that simply won't add up. besides, what a lousy movie could have such a loud sound track music that was so loud that blocked all the dialog? the music was just so stupidly loud and if i were a 'lips reader', i might understood what those characters were talking about, but sadly i am not. what a stupid sound track messed-up during the post production!!!!

The Odds has an interesting take on high school students living a double life in a secret, dark gambling world. It starts off with the main characters texting bets to underage bookie Paul (Jaren Brandt Bartlett) on their high school wrestling championships.The depths of character development really added to the plot of the death of Barry over the greed that goes hand in hand into the gambling world (such as the Death of the main characters mother, the evidence that slowly creeps up over Barry, and the main characters father's struggle with his career and grieving over his wife). Davidson possesses a keen eye for filmmaking, instinctively knowing how to build tension without a great deal of unnecessary stylization and filler material. This movie touches on a lot of demographics because of these deeper character profiles and the ending of the long spider-web like connections that developed because of this secret gambling society that made perfect sense at the end of the movie. I loved that this was a Canadian movie also!