Stuey (2003)

Director:

A.W. Vidmer

Writer:

A.W. Vidmer (writer)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Gambler. Addict. Loser. Legend.

Plot:

Based on the true story of the rise and fall of poker legend Stu "The Kid" Ungar. |

Plot Keywords:

Legend | Poker | Gambler | Vegas | Genius

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Michael Imperioli	...	Stu 'Stuey' Ungar
Renee Faia	...	Angela
Michael Nouri	...	Vincent
Joe La Due	...	DJ
Steve Schirripa	...	Anthony
Todd Susman	...	Max
Peggy Walton-Walker	...	Flo
Pat Morita	...	Mr. Leo
Jonathan Press	...	Young Stu
Michael Pasternak	...	The Stranger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kelly Adkins	...	Escort (with Pat Morita in limo)
Antonio Albadran	...	The waiter
Jeffrey Alfiero	...	Spud
Bill Allison	...	Floorman
Larry Bartels	...	Dealer
Al Bernstein	...	Himself
Kerry Bishop	...	Kate
Cynthia Brimhall	...	Sondra
Evan Broder	...	Goldstein
Nate Bynum	...	Gerald
Tommy Canary	...	Sol
Matthew Carlton	...	Carmine
Zach Consalvo	...	Extra (stickball boy)
Richard Cowl	...	Gus
Johnny Dark	...	Johnny
Bob Dellaposta	...	Emcee
Anthony DiMaria	...	Tony
Sam DiNicola	...	Extra - Card Player
David Dwyer	...	Poker Player #2
James A. Fulton	...	WSOP Opponent
Vanessa Rene Gall	...	Older Nicole
Lon Gary	...	Poker Player #1
Ransom Gates	...	Arnie
Andrew N.S. Glazer	...	Himself
Andy Jarrell	...	WSOP Announcer
William Johnson	...	Walter (as William Patrick Johnson)
Brian Kaplan	...	John Strzemp
Joe Keenan	...	Herman
Shaina Krashin	...	Young Nicole
John Lombardo	...	Mario
Robert Archer Lynn	...	Waiter
Elizabeth Perez	...	Casino Girl
Elaine Perryman	...	Extra in Gambling scenes
Sam Phaphol	...	Asian Poker Player
Perry Poston	...	Gino
Eric Randall	...	TV Announcer
Schatar Sapphira	...	Dealer (as Schatar White)
Diana Saunders	...	Poker Hostess
Craig Sawyer	...	Book Vender
Vincent Van Patten	...	Jimmy D.
A.W. Vidmer	...	Gin Victim

Also Known As:

High Roller (Australia) (DVD title)
High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

120 min | USA:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Singapore:M18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Tennessee, USA

Company:

AWV Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: Jewish funerals never have open caskets. Therefore, Stuey's father would not have been laid out in an open casket at his funeral.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Al Bernstein: Welcome back, everybody, to the 1997 World Series of Poker, where Stu "The Kid" Ungar is attempting to make one of the greatest comebacks in poker history, by winning the no-limit Texas Hold'em Championship a record third time.
Andrew N.S. Glazer: And Al, the amazing thing about this is, that Stuey would be achieving that feat after sixteen years of personal struggle, where victories were really few and far between.
Al Bernstein: And standing between Stuey and history is John Stremp, a local casino executive who's shown remarkable fortitude, actually, in making it to this point. And here it is, Stu is raising enough to put Stremp all in.
[...]

Soundtrack:

HOLLYWOOD

Recognize yourself?

What is it about certain films that generates such polar opposite reactions?

Some people here have called High Roller "disgusting." Some have called it "extraordinary" (as would I, actually).

Why? I think it's because films like this don't make heroes out of jerks, or glamour out of degeneration, and some people just can't deal with that emotionally. They NEED a hero. And I'd also add that if they're gamblers or poker players, they might feel personally betrayed when their existence isn't justified.

High Roller in NOT a poker movie. It's a PEOPLE movie. It's not perfect, but it looks good, is well-written, and wonderfully acted. And best of all, it generates an emotional response and inspires reflection.

And maybe that's what makes some people so damn mad.