Critic Reviews

Owning Mahowny (2003) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Movie critics combined give Owning Mahowny (2003) a score of 2.8559 out of 4
based on (168) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
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Reviews by Score:
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
The situation is not too far removed from that of Jayson Blair and The New York Times. The corporate oversight in place to catch deceptions is lulled into becoming part of the deception. Mahowny wanders through this film as if waiting to get caught, ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
The worst part of it is not losing his bets, it's that he has to pay off his debt before he can gamble again -- something like telling a bee it can't have pollen. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
A stark and revealing film that's as moving as it is disquieting. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for LA Weekly (John Powers)LA Weekly (John Powers)
Atlantic City casino boss played with pointedly corrupt amusement by John Hurt, doesn't merely oversee hell but gets a real kick out of the damned. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at LA Weekly (John Powers)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
As channeled by the extraordinary Hoffman, Dan Mahowny is less a freak than a nerve-deadened Everyman with the courage to search for something that makes him feel alive. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
Kwietniowski has managed to create a surprisingly engrossing and suspenseful narrative without resorting to cosmetics, melodrama or hype. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for eFilmCritic.com (Brian Mckay)eFilmCritic.com (Brian Mckay)
Holds your attention the same way a train wreck in slow motion does. There's just something about watching a man slowly throw away his life that is darkly fascinating. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Brian Mckay)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for eFilmCritic.com (Scott Weinberg)eFilmCritic.com (Scott Weinberg)
The flick's absolutely worth seeing for Hoffman's performance alone, but there's also enough Casino / Heist goodness to keep you entertained. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Scott Weinberg)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Boxoffice Magazine (Annlee Ellingson)Boxoffice Magazine (Annlee Ellingson)
Hoffman brings this incredibly reserved character to vivid life. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Annlee Ellingson)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Daily News (Evan Henerson)Los Angeles Daily News (Evan Henerson)
That we want this addicted schmo to win -- or maybe we just want him not to lose -- is a testament to Hoffman's sad-sack charisma. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Evan Henerson)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for National Post (Chris Knight)National Post (Chris Knight)
The film does a good job of portraying '80s excess -- power suits, leather briefcases, fancy cars. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at National Post (Chris Knight)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
[Hoffman's] understated and powerful performance ... is a lucid study in the obsessive force of one man's gambling addiction. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Premiere (Glenn Kenny)Premiere (Glenn Kenny)
At its best, Mahowny is intricate, engrossing, wryly funny, and strangely poetic. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Premiere (Glenn Kenny)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Owning Mahowny is an unflashy but fascinating meditation on addiction and greed. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Portland Oregonian (Kim Morgan)Portland Oregonian (Kim Morgan)
Owning Mahowny may at times feel futile in its colorless, disheartening subject matter, but that's the point -- to see how barren Mahowny's life becomes. Hoffman gives the film relevance. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Portland Oregonian (Kim Morgan)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)
Kwietniowski turns up the tension so incrementally, we don't realize the scope of Mahowny's moral wreck until it is too late. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
This may be the quietest addict ever to hit movie screens, as well the most disturbing. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)
Rarely has addiction been so addictive to watch and yet so sad and frightening. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jeff Strickler)Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jeff Strickler)
Hoffman's soft-spoken, ultra-low-key demeanor is a perfect fit for Mahowny. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jeff Strickler)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
Add another movie to the list of those in which Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a pasty, schlubby, mouth-breathing loser in a suit so cheap it shines -- and put it at or near the top. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Eleanor Ringel Gillespie)Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Eleanor Ringel Gillespie)
An odd little acting exercise for Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Hurt, two of the best actors of their respective generations. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Eleanor Ringel Gillespie)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
What really carries the movie is our identification with a main character who can't quite put his finger on what's missing from his life. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)
Hoffman rewards us with a subtle performance, never quite opening himself up. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
Who else could play the role of a guy both nasty and vulnerable like Philip Seymour Hoffman! ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (Linda Cook)Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (Linda Cook)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Movie Boeuf (David N. Butterworth)Movie Boeuf (David N. Butterworth)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Premiere Magazine (Glenn Kenny)Premiere Magazine (Glenn Kenny)
At its best, Mahowny is intricate, engrossing, wryly funny, and strangely poetic. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Premiere Magazine (Glenn Kenny)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Hoffman plays it so close to his chest we can't help but be amused by a hubris that resembles self-hypnosis. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
When Hoffman steps from the shower, the blond spitcurl plastered to his forehead increases his resemblance to a big, pathetic Kewpie doll. He's simultaneously lovable and repulsive. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Hoffman makes it impossible for us not to watch and not to enjoy it all on some subliminal level. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
An unflashy but fascinating meditation on addiction and greed. The junkie was clearly Mahowny, but the greed, in a way, was everybody else's: the bankers', their flush clientele's, and the casinos', all busy feeding his habit. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli)ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Owning Mahowny casts an unflinching gaze into a window of addiction of a sort not often portrayed in movies. Based on the true-life book "Stung" by Gary Stephen Ross, the film chronicles the facts of the case of a Toronto bank vice president who stole mor ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Citysearch (Bill Pearis)Citysearch (Bill Pearis)
A fascinating look at addiction that's perhaps a little too clinical for its own good. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Citysearch (Bill Pearis)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
Kwietniowski might have tried for some edginess that would express a measure of the excitement Mahowny is experiencing. Despite the driven intensity of the banker, the film threatens to slip into the lifelessness of the drab world it depicts. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Another actor might not have been able to carry the film, given such a creepily monomaniacal character, but Hoffman lets the humanity soak through, registering split seconds of panic when he's on the verge of getting caught, then just as quickly creating ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.77 out of 4 stars for 3 Black Chicks ("Cass")3 Black Chicks ("Cass")
Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) makes a decent living as an assistant bank manager at a Toronto bank and his colleagues consider him a savvy banker. But at first glance, Dan looks like the perfect candidate to appear on the reality show "What Not to ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at 3 Black Chicks ("Cass")
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.71 out of 4 stars for Kamera.co.uk Kamera.co.uk
The pacing of the story is perfect as the excitement levels rise in parallel with Mahowny's rising debt burden and criminality. The film is skilfully edited by Mike Munn and never loses momentum or interest; but above all this film has some great acting, ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Kamera.co.uk
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.64 out of 4 stars for Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
"Strictly a case of textbook gambling addiction and not much else." ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.60 out of 4 stars for Haro OnlineHaro Online
Philip Seymour Hoffman is blazing a trail through movies. When looking at whole body of work, Hoffman appears to be an incredible actor. He takes a wide variety of disparate roles, and sinks himself into each one. However, when looking at movies ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Haro Online
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.58 out of 4 stars for Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Based on real-life events as chronicled in Gary Stephen Ross's book, "Stung: The Incredible Obsession of Brian Molony," Owning Mahowny is a character study of a man with an uncontrollable addiction to gambling. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Magnolia, ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.52 out of 4 stars for New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
Hoffman is a fine actor in a rut, working on a string of socially alienated characters who are variations on the same theme. That's too bad, because the story being told around his static presence is amazing. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
Owning Mahowny (2003) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for New York Post (Lou Lumenick)New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Hurt, who starred in Kwietniowski's earlier study in compulsion, "Life and Death on Long Island," is oily perfection as the devious Victor. ...read the complete Owning Mahowny movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
 
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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Overall Rating:
2.9094
Owning Mahowny (2003) is ranked overall as  out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
2.8559
Owning Mahowny (2003) is ranked overall as  out of 4 stars
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