We love gambling films because they show us the type of people we can become if we give. But, at its heart, the movie explores the inability to walk away from a sure thing that makes a movie anyone who believes in luck. The movie 21 highlights the thrill of manufacturing luck with ingenuity and skill in a way anyone whose bank account has been at the mercy of Las Vegas casinos. But, it's Adam Sandler's picture-perfect of the emotional instability of gambling addict Howard Ratner that makes that gives the gambling existential stakes far beyond a huge payday.
Yes, films like The Safdie Brothers' Uncut Gems feature a series of huge sports bets. This innate desire to change your life is probably why the best gambling movies focus more on the humans gambling than the gambling itself.
You've probably had to fight back FOMO after seeing someone on you Instagram feed turn a $.10 10-team parlay into your yearly salary. Humans were gambling on horses before they were riding in cars. A little luck can change your life as quickly as a queen of diamonds landing next to an ace of spades and a jack of hearts in a blackjack game.
