Owning Mahowny (2003)
81%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 5 nominations
Owning Mahowny is a film that delves into the dark and twisted world of addiction and greed, with a performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman that is nothing short of mesmerizing. The film’s unflashy style and tight runtime make for a compelling character study, as we watch Mahowny’s obsession with numbers and gambling spiral out of control. While some may find the lack of tension and rooting interest to be a drawback, the film’s social satire and outlaw character study make for a thought-provoking and engaging experience. Hoffman’s portrayal of Mahowny is hauntingly vacant, leaving the audience with a chilling reminder of the dangers of addiction. Overall, Owning Mahowny is a must-see for fans of character-driven dramas and those interested in exploring the darker side of human nature.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you feel better about your own gambling habits, Owning Mahowny is the one for you. Hoffman’s portrayal of a repressed Canadian with a weakness for numbers is both chilling and relatable. The movie may not have the pyrotechnics of a Hollywood blockbuster, but it’s engaging and transfixing in its own right. Just don’t expect to be rooting for anyone by the end of it.
Production Company(ies)
13 Productions, ARTE Fondazione Montecinemaverita
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some sexuality
Year of Release
2003
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 44m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2003 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin, John Hurt, Sonja Smits, Ian Tracey, directed by Richard Kwietniowski, written by Maurice Chauvet and Gary Ross, drama, R rating, addiction, gambling, bank employee, bookie, casino, box office gross $1.0M, reviewed by Jay Boyar, Steven Rea, James Berardinelli, Adam Nayman, Randy Cordova, Geoff Pevere, Jas Keimig, Jonah Koslofsky, Brian D Johnson, Mark Halverson, Dragan Antulov, produced by Andras Hamori, Seaton McLean, Alessandro Camon
Worldwide gross: $1,271,244
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,060,523
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,407
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 224,703
US/Canada gross: $1,011,871
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,640,113
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,087
US/Canada opening weekend: $33,287
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $53,954
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,183
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $16,208,717
Production budget ranking: 1,472
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,728,394
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$22,876,588
ROI to date (est.): -92%
ROI ranking: 1,970
Minnie Driver – Belinda
Maury Chaykin – Frank Perlin
John Hurt – Victor Foss
Sonja Smits – Dana Selkirk
Ian Tracey – Detective Ben Lock
Director(s)
Richard Kwietniowski
Writer(s)
Maurice Chauvet, Gary Ross
Producer(s)
Andras Hamori, Seaton McLean, Alessandro Camon
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (97) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (76) | Rotten (21)
Whether or not you think of gambling as a vice, you can bet on Owning Mahowny.
September 12, 2003
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Owning Mahowny is an unflashy but fascinating meditation on addiction and greed.
July 22, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A motion picture that never ceases to be worthwhile.
July 22, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
A clammy, compulsively watchable almost-comedy.
July 8, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/5
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY
TOP CRITIC
Despite its intelligence, it’s dreary and uninvolving, more an exercise in style than an act of love.
July 4, 2003 | Rating: 2/5
Randy Cordova
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Works so well both as social satire and outlaw character study.
June 27, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
Through it all, Hoffman plays Mahowny with no glamor or glitz, but with a type of studied vacuousness that’s chilling.
January 20, 2022
Jas Keimig
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
There’s not much to root for one way or another, not much tension across the film’s admirably tight runtime.
March 29, 2021
Jonah Koslofsky
The Spool
The drama is a narrow, one-way street. And Hoffman is no Russell Crowe or Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s just a brilliant American actor playing a repressed Canadian with a weakness for numbers.
October 11, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
what was fascinating character study becomes banal and unconvincing cautionary tale
July 3, 2005 | Rating: 5/10
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews
…a movie that rejects the pyrotechnics, glamour and spectacle-mongering of mainstream Hollywood yet manages to engage, connect and transfix.
January 29, 2005 | Rating: A-
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette…
Plot
Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) was a rising star at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. At twenty-four, he was Assistant Manager of a major branch in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. To his colleagues, he was a workaholic. To his customers, he was astute, decisive, and helpful. To his friends, he was a quiet, but humorous man who enjoyed watching sports on television. To his girlfriend, he was shy but engaging. None of them knew the other side of Dan Mahowny, the side that executed the largest single-handed bank fraud in Canadian history, grossing over ten million dollars in eighteen months to feed his gambling obsession.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film in the Fresh Kernels database.
Richard-Kwietniowski.jpg
