Kevin Spacey dominates in a film that cannot decide if it is comedy or “ripped from the headlines” drama, or both. Either way, the story of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff is fascinating.

The film follows Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) through his successes as a Republican Washington lobbyist, the scandal involving the Indian casinos, his final venture and his arrest and eventual incarceration. Norman Snider’s screenplay shows Abramoff as a religious Jewish man (in the midst of his collapsing career he plans to open a Jewish day school and a kosher restaurant) who loves his family. He seems to charm people wherever he goes, has private meetings with then President Bush and attends interfaith prayer meetings with powerful members of Congress. Together with his partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper), Abramoff exorbitantly overbills clients like Bernie Sprague (Graham Greene) for lobbying services on behalf of Indian casinos. The film shows Abramoff and Scanlon on elaborate junkets, sometimes trading donations and gifts for votes. Eventually, the two men invest in a casino boat with Adam Kidan (Jon Lovitz). The venture leads to involvement with unsavory characters that are connected to a murder. According to the film, Abramoff felt no remorse for any of his actions; instead he felt they were justified.

Director George Hickenlooper gives the film a light and jaunty feel, which at times seems unsuited to the material. This may also be to blame for some of the uneven performances here.  I have no objection to the laughs, but Casino Jack stops short of a serious and thorough examination of Abramoff’s motives and the real repercussions for all involved with him. We see a lot of his wife Pam (Kelly Preston) and children, but do not really see the effect of the scandal on them. The fantasy sequence in the courtroom seems heavy handed and out of place.

Kevin Spacey gives a terrific, if somewhat larger than life, performance as the morally challenged Abramoff. Spacey’s charisma is appropriate for the role, and we can see why people were so willing to give Abramoff money. Spacey clearly shows the self righteousness that must have fueled Abramoff’s actions. The film shows Abramoff as a movie fan who likes to quote his favorite films, which Spacey does with energy and enthusiasm. “Washington is Hollywood with ugly faces,” Abramoff declares with certainty. Spacey manages to make the hypocrisy of Abramoff’s strong religious convictions and moral lapses somewhat understandable. Barry Pepper plays Michael Scanlon without an ounce of charm. He is so unlikable that he is practically a cartoon. Perhaps director George Hickenlooper felt that this would make Abramoff more likable, but it detracted from the film.  Jon Lovitz is very funny as Adam Kidan, but some more serious details about the man and his situation might have better served the film. The two best supporting performances in Casino Jack belong to Graham Greene and Rachelle Lefevre. Greene plays Bernie Sprague with dignity and holds his own in his scenes with Spacey. Rachelle Lefevre is lovely and dynamic as Scanlon’s wronged girlfriend Emily Miller.

Casino Jack ends with Abramoff in jail. In real life, Abramoff was released from jail in June and was put on home confinement. He worked at a kosher pizza shop for 6 months and is now on probation. I wish the film had taken a more serious look at this complex person.  Casino Jack moves at a fast pace and is easy to watch, but it left me wanting to know more about the real Abramoff.

Casino Jack. Directed by George Hickenlooper. Kevin Spacey (Jack Abramoff), Graham Greene (Bernie Sprague), Barry Pepper (Michael Scanlon), Rachelle Lefevre (Emily Miller), Jon Lovitz (Adam Kidan) and Kelly Preston (Pam Abramoff).  ATO Pictures, 2010.

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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