Gambling, the lure of which, thank goodness, has never appealed to me, is the focus of Even Money, a film with interlocking stories involving gamblers, bookies, addicts, and gangsters.

Stars include Kim Basinger as Carol Carver, a blocked novelist and gambling addict; Danny DeVito as Walter, a magician in need of cash and a comeback; Jay Mohr as Augie, a bookie with stress-induced stomach problems; Forest Whitaker as Clyde Snow, a debt-ridden plumber; Nick Cannon as Godfrey Snow, Forest's basketball-playing brother; Tim Roth as gangster Victor; Kelsey Grammar as Detective Brunner who, on crutches, always seems to be one step behind; Ray Liotta as Professor Tom, Carol's devoted husband; and Carla Gugino as Veronica, a nurse.

Director Mark Rydell's Even Money revolves around gambling and its affects, both high and low, during the weeks leading up to a championship college basketball game. Three stories are developed throughout the film, with each story's ending slipping over to affect the lives of others in the film.

Novelist Carol, busy depleting her family's life savings on the slots, meets Walter, who sees in Carol the opportunity for the comeback of the century. Both characters are almost childlike in their naiveté, believing that in the end all will work out fine, when in fact both of their worlds are crumbling down around them. They cling to each other like two drowning people, and in true fashion each drags the other deeper and deeper into oblivion.

Mohr brings humor to his role as Augie, the bookie with an upset stomach. Unfortunately, his story, involving his partner in crime and his partner's girlfriend, is probably the least engaging of the three storylines, mainly because it's pretty hard to feel sorry for someone who is ruining other people's lives, or at least enabling the ruin of said lives.

The standout storyline is that of the Snow brothers. Anyone with a sibling is sure to recognize the intricacies of helping out a brother in need. Ironically, it is also Clyde Snow who shines as the moral compass in the film, first asking his little brother for help fixing a game, then, when the help is needed most, putting his relationship with his little brother first and foremost.

There's nothing easy about gambling in Even Money, and the film does not sugarcoat the fallout that can happen when the line between a trip to the slots and laying it all on the line is crossed.