"Bookies" offers a glimpse into gambling that lacks basic insights into the fundamentals of sports betting and the psychology of gambling.

The story focuses on three college students who start a bookmaking business on campus, and they immediately attract a thriving and seemingly endless supply of customers. The film suggests that gambling is a novelty, ignoring the fact that anyone may go to the internet and place a bet on a sporting event.

The psychological mindset of the three students was another shortcoming of this film. We did not see addictive personalities or much of the pressures that should have been apparent on three students who were breaking the law in running their bookmaking operation. Instead, the only pressure came from a rival pair of mob-like bookies, not from the inept campus police.

There are two very fine independent films, "Stuey" and "Bought and Sold" that get to the heart of gambling as an addition. Those two films offer better acting, directing, and screen writing than the amateur style of the "Bookies." I wager 10-to-1 that this film will never make it over the 6.0 rating in the IMDb rankings!

Bookies sometimes feels like a tv-movie but that doesn't mean it was a bad movie. It's just not a high budget movie, again nothing wrong with that, but it made it look like it was ready to be aired on television and nothing else. The story isn't bad though, it's easy to watch and the acting was decent. Johnny Galecki finally plays in something else than that dumb show The Big Bang Theory (never got what all the fuss was about with that show),and he did okay. I wouldn't categorize this movie in the comedy genre though. Comedy is supposed to make you laugh and this was clearly not the case in Bookies. It's just easy entertainment, an easy to follow story with an interesting subject of gamblers and bookies.

watched this the other day on IFC, pretty interesting movie about college guys trying to make a buck. they set up a bare bones bookmaking system with an illicit way of picking up and dropping off money. as they make more money , they upgrade to computers and the like,, only problem is the mob soon finds out what the young men are up to,, then it starts to get very interesting. not a bad little movie, especially for an independent,, it's a study in bookmaking old school i guess you would say.. everything from writing bets down on a marker board to a massive computer system,, i particularly like the express drop off and pick up at the local library,, taking envelopes full of cash and stuffing them into books that have never ever been checked out,, very sneaky but brilliant also.