Win It All

Directed by Joe Swanberg, Win It All follows compulsive gambler Eddie Garrett (Jake Johnson) as he agrees to hold a money-filled duffel bag for a prison-bound acquaintance and eventually finds himself scrambling to replace the cash after a few bets go predictably haywire. Filmmaker Swanberg, working from a script written with Johnson, delivers a low-key character study that consistently benefits from Johnson’s often spellbindingly accomplished performance, as the actor does a superb job of stepping into the shoes of his thoroughly affable character and transforming him into a figure that one can’t help but sympathize with and root for – which ensures, certainly, that much of Win It All‘s midsection boasts an unbearably tense vibe as the viewer roots for Eddie to get his act together. (And it doesn’t hurt, either, that Swanberg includes a very sweet romantic subplot revolving around Eddie’s tentative relationship with Aislinn Derbez’s single mother.) The engrossing atmosphere is heightened by Dan Romer’s percussion-heavy score and the ongoing emphasis on palpably suspenseful set-pieces, and it’s worth noting, too, that Johnson’s career-best work here is matched by a strong supporting cast that includes Joe Lo Truglio and Keegan-Michael Key. By the time the abrupt yet satisfying finale rolls around, Win It All has undoubtedly cemented its place as a better-than-expected drama that likely stands as Swanberg’s most accomplished (and entertaining) effort to date.

***1/2 out of ****

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