Customer Reviews

Hustle

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I saw this movie on ESPN several times. It is an eye opener, if factually correct. Tom Sizemore plays Pete Rose and depicts him getting stooges to place bets for him. Rose's complicity in gambling on baseball is no longer in question, indeed, the movie closes with actual footage of Rose making admissions. What was a revelation to me was the depiction of Rose as a totally self centered user. Dash Mihok is very convincing as a sucker Rose uses to place bets for him and, as Rose gets more deeply involved, Rose cajoles him into laying out money on his behalf. Rose was smooth and he was adept at sucking others in and assuring them that all is OK with breezy assurances and back slapping. He had no real friends, only poor suckers who, starry eyed at being part of a celebrity's inner circle, were taken advantage of. They were Rose's "friends" only so long as they were useful to him. Otherwise, Rose would dump them and not return their calls.

Rose comes across as a prize BS artist who, cajoles and gets the celebrity stricken hanger on, played by Mihok, to do his dirty work. Rose's sin of betting on baseball, and particularly the Reds, was unforgivable but, not nearly as unforgivable as was his use of others. He ends up smooth talking his stooge rather than paying him back the money he owed. In fact, through his lawyer, Rose attempted to make it appear that he was doing the poor guy a favor when he paid back only a portion of the debt. Being involved in gambling was not half as bad as dragging others in with him and then attempting to leave them holding the bag. I am fully aware that filmakers resort to dramatic license but, if Rose's amoral use of others is subtanially true, then he certainly should never, ever, be allowed into baseball again. Perhaps, he should be allowed into the hall of fame, so long as his plaque does not gloss over his misdeeds. However, he should never be allowed on a baseball field in any official capacity.

This movie does a pretty good job of showing what Pete Rose is about.....himself. He may have admitted to betting on baseball and the Reds after fourteen years of denial but he believed then and now that he is bigger than the game. The movie shows this.
The special features on this DVD are very good. It has interviews with the investigator John Dowd, Fay Vincent & Paul Janzen who was dumb enough to listen to Pete. Also included is the press conference with Bart Giamatti & the interview where he admits his guilt but STILL denies that they showed him the evidence that they had against him. Just check out these interviews and the movie and you'll agree that Pete doesn't belong in the Hall Of Fame.

One thing made apparent from the extras included with this very first ESPN TV movie is that the pleasant-looking yuppie of the teleplay whom Pete Rose convinces to place bets for him with mob bookies looks like a thug in real life.

The story mainly sticks to Rose's gambling addiction and his self-inflicted downfall from placing bets on his own team, then lying about these and showing no remorse after being caught.

Sizemore gapes, mugs and exaggerates Pete's ambling monkey gait.

An only-OK sports bio directed by Peter Bogdonovich.

Includes these extras:

ABC PRIMETIME LIVE - Charlie Gibson interviews Pete Rose (7/18/89)
SPORTS CENTURY - interview: Pete Rose (6/13/98)
Bart Giamatti press conference: "Banishment for life" (9/9/89)
Paul Janszen interview excerpts (12/18/02)
ESPN interview: Pete Rose ((1/8/04)
Tommy Gioioso on P. Rose (9/24/89)
ESPN interview: atty John David ('90)


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 IMDb viewer poll rating.

(4.2) Hustle (TV-2004) - Tom Sizemore/Dash Mihok/George DiCenzo/Jayne Eastwood

Hustle is the correct name for this movie. I learned so much from this movie.

A movie all would enjoy.

Tom Sizemore did a good job as Pete Rose, except for the way he was walkign when he entered the gym in the very beginning. The Special Features were really neat, and it made me realize I hate Charlie Gibson even more than I thought, because it seemed to me that he asked Pete Rose the same question two times in a row, but reworded it the second time, which is stupid, because you're going to get the same answer you got before. Pete Rose did bet on baseball, and what he did did not affect the outcome of baseball games, yet he's banned from baseball for life, whereas Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, and numerous other steroid users, are either still playing baseball, or srill affiliated with baseball in some way when what they did affected the outcome of games. They wouldn't have hit like they hit if they didn't do steroids. Bud Selig told Hal McCoy off the recored that Pete Rose will never be reinstated as long as he is commissioner, so hopefully we will get a new commissioner in 2012 that will reinstate Pete Rose, and make him eligible for the Hall of Fame, where he belongs.

Saw it on ESPN when it was released. Not worth anyones time. Unless they like to hate Pete, then it would support their hatred.

Too bad the story had to be made. Rose was a good player. Off field activities bring down others, also. Can we forgive as a nation?

Tom Sizemore has been in some outstanding performances but I for one do not feel that he resembles Pete Rose. In some ways yes, he evokes the anger and power trip as well as the fan friendly appearance that Rose was known for, but in the end I did not feel that Sizemore should have been cast as Rose, to me it just was not the best fit.

The movie portrays a lot of truth but one has to wonder how much is actually embellished. It was interesting to get a behind the scenes look into how a gambling addiction can consume a person and destroy everything and everyone around them. For the most part this is just a made for T.V. movie and although interesting at times, I came away disappointed with it.

Its like watching a bad saturday movie but its cheap so it the cost out ways any recentment that its a bad movie. like to see them do a movie about the big red machine, but not if its as boring as this