I have to say that I did enjoy this movie. I have only seen Elisha Cuthbert in one other role which didn't impress me. Here, she was stellar. Her performance carried this movie with ample assistance from her wise and loving mother, Sherrie Miller (Valerie).
It seemed credible that this gifted and intelligent "teenager" was drawn to gambling as a way to use her gifts to acquire (I won't say earn) money for her European adventure. As she gradually became obsessed with the next big payoff, it became clear that this was more than an obsession: it was a disease.
My issue with the denouement was that Katlin (Cuthbert) received a very light sentence for her transgressions (rehab and return to school and no European trip). Wow, that was painful! She harmed a LOT of people in addition to harming herself. It is, of course, necessary to receive treatment for this addiction as it is for drug, alcohol, or any other addiction.
It is also necessary to perform restitution for all the harm that she has engendered. The very end of the film shows that not only did she escape any serious punishment, but she apparently is going to "game the system" and use her intelligence to indulge her passion, regardless of any consequences (there may be none). Rather than being a sympathetic character, she becomes someone you might like to smack in the face a couple of times and then walk away. And I believe that this is exactly what the film makers wished to say.
It seemed credible that this gifted and intelligent "teenager" was drawn to gambling as a way to use her gifts to acquire (I won't say earn) money for her European adventure. As she gradually became obsessed with the next big payoff, it became clear that this was more than an obsession: it was a disease.
My issue with the denouement was that Katlin (Cuthbert) received a very light sentence for her transgressions (rehab and return to school and no European trip). Wow, that was painful! She harmed a LOT of people in addition to harming herself. It is, of course, necessary to receive treatment for this addiction as it is for drug, alcohol, or any other addiction.
It is also necessary to perform restitution for all the harm that she has engendered. The very end of the film shows that not only did she escape any serious punishment, but she apparently is going to "game the system" and use her intelligence to indulge her passion, regardless of any consequences (there may be none). Rather than being a sympathetic character, she becomes someone you might like to smack in the face a couple of times and then walk away. And I believe that this is exactly what the film makers wished to say.