Let It Ride (1989)

Fantastic!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

A good friend of mine drug me out to Beulah Park racetrack for my first time back in 1990. Over the years I've become a passionate horseplayer and I've watched as the subject of my passion has withered with the onset of the internet. Horseracing attendance at most small tracks has plummeted, while the "handle", or amount bet on the racing at a given track has generally increased. Most people sit at home and watch and play on the internet. But I'm here to tell you- when I first watched Let It Ride, I could quickly associate just about every character in the movie with a character I knew at Beulah. My favorite part of the movie is when Trotter polls friends, strangers, anyone, about who they liked in a given race. He immediately scratched their selection off !! When he was down to one horse left on his list, that was his wager. I can't tell you how many times I've been at the track amongst six or seven friends, and the only horse that won was the one none of us had bet on !! What a great movie about a subculture that only still exists at the big New York, Florida, Kentucky, and California racetracks. Horseplayers are an interesting group, to say the least, and this movie does a great job capturing the typical personas that you'll find at the track. Its Post Time !!

You know it never ceases to amuse me. The character development, or lack there of, isn't deep, but, it is thorough enough that we have an empathy for the characters. This is one of Dreyfuss' better roles and he plays it with aplomb. The other Runyanesque cast of characters we find at the track are colorful and charming, with excellent performances by Robbie Coltrane, Terri Garr, Jennifer Tilly, David Johansen and Joe Roselius, among others. I think what appeals to me about this film is that the good guy 'wins'. As American's it is our nature to 'love' winners and when we find a sympathetic nice guy who is having 'a very good day'. Well, we root for him and wish him well. This is a fun little movie that I strongly recommend if your looking for some light fair to enjoy a few smiles.

I feel like most of the people who commented on this movie. I absolutely love it and have watched it many many times. It is a feel good movie that can lift you up when you feel down. There are so many funny scenes and great lines. My favorites are 1) when the cop is holding the money box in the bar and he claims to have peripheral vision...it's a gift and 2) when Trotter is recanting his day after his last big bet and he says "You can't put a price tag on a day like that". My boyfriend and I use that line after a really good day and laugh peppering it with comments like "paid Looney's tab". Oh my God, it's just the best Jerry, the best!!!

I have always been a huge Richard Dryfuss fan and have seen him portray so many characters ranging from Jaws to Mr. Holands Opus and he always seems to nail his characters down and add a personal touch. With Seabiscut coming out two years ago, there really haven't been to many films that showed the lighter, funnier side of horse racing like Let it Ride did. It is a great film to watch and I really never get tired of watching it. It has a lot of fun down to earth characters who each leave a unique mark on the film. Comedies today just aren't as witty, original and fun as this one was. It doesn't get the attention or recognition that it deserves but give it a chance and I am sure that you will at least walk away with a smile.