Casino Jerk...er, Jack

Stop slouching.

I wanted to like Casino Jack, what turned out to be director George Hickenlooper's final film (he died of an accidental drug overdose last October, at age 47, a few months before the film was released). I'm a big fan of Hickenlooper's The Man from Elysian Fields and of Hearts of Darkness, his classic documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now.

The Jack in Casino Jack is Jack Abramoff, conservative lobbyist who went to jail in 2006 (he was released in December of last year). He was big during the Clinton years, but really came into his fullest powers during the Bush Administration. He was also best buds with Ralph Reed, Grover Norquist, and Tom Delay. Business, as usual, with a big take-no-prisoners credo. He got his "casino" nickname from all the lobbying work he did for Indian tribes who set up gambling businesses.

I think the reason I couldn't get into Casino Jack is that Kevin Spacey plays Jack Abramoff. People who like Kevin Spacey like him very much, but for me, he just seems too much. He's like an ingredient that has an overwhelming flavor, or a seasoning that can take over a dish. If a dish has green peppers or rosemary in it, those are the only ingredients I can taste. I'm not saying that's true of everyone else, but it's true for me. (I suspect that it takes a very strong director to get Kevin Spacey down to a tolerable volume.) I haven't been able to watch a Kevin Spacey performance in which the "Kevin Spacey factor" didn't get in my way since he was Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects. In Casino Jack, I couldn't see "Jack Abramoff" because he was wearing a Kevin Spacey suit.

I think a better choice on the subject would be Alex Gibney's documentary, Casino Jack and the United States of Money. Gibney made that fantastic Enron doc, The Smartest Guys in the Room, and also last year's well-received Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer. He's in post-production on a doc about Lance Armstrong (I love that The Onion sells "Cheat to Win" bracelets -- I'm curious to see what Gibney's doc finds out about the performance-enhancing drugs in cycling) -- and Gibney's in pre-production on a Wikileaks doc. Can't wait -- but please, don't let Kevin Spacey narrate either of them.