Does anybody else think this movie has a tragic ending? *spoilers*

Poker was Mikes calling, its made clear in the movie the law isnt.

-He doesnt seem interested in doing assignments, group studies, even the mock trial He's late, disorganized, not prepared, etc

-He was very interested in the judges game, going as far as to calling out what everyone had

-He was good at cards in general, he may or may not have been interested in the law. Maybe he was at first but realized it wasnt for him.


IMO the tragedy of the movie is Mike getting back into poker because of Worm. The crooked Worm got Mike on his path, where as Jos path was more straight, but Mike wanted little to do with it. That make sense?

Its def a happy ending. He ends up doing something he enjoys doing unlike Law which he clearly wasn't interested in. Worm showing up was probably a good thing. Think of the alternative, he ends up being pussy-whipped by Jo for the rest of his life. I know what I would prefer...

I thought the ending was refreshing. Usually in gambling movies like this, the lead learns his lesson and goes "straight" by the end of the film. In this movie Mike follows his gift and ignores what is expected of him to live his dream.

Why is becoming a lawyer a better life goal? I think its been proven that for a select few profession poker can be a very lucrative and steady lifestyle. The movie made it clear that Mike had that type of talent, and it was what he loved. He could have been a good lawyer, but he would probably had become miserable always wondering if he had what it took to live his life dream.



We are the children of children, and we do as we are told - "Joe vs. The Volcano"

Unless he is an unbelievable card player, he probably has taken out at least some school loans since a legal education costs $150,000 these days (albeit this was back in 1998) and winning all of the 75 k it would take to get through half of law school is sort of doubtful.

2 roadz diverged in a wood, and I took da 1 less traveled by, and dat has made all da diff.

Werd 2 ur mudda, bruddafcker

No, he ended up where he belonged. Jo was too narrow minded to "get" the game.

I know this is an old imdb thread, but you must have missed the conversation, which is the entire message of the movie and the whole point of the thing:

Michael, May I tell you a story?

Please.

For generations, men of my family have been rabbis. In Israel, before that in Europe. It was to be my calling. I was quite a prodigy. The pride of my yeshiva. The elders said I had a thirty-year-old's understanding of the midrash by the time I was twelve. But by the time I was thirteen I knew I could never be a rabbi.

Why not?

Because for all I understood of the Talmud, I never saw God there.

You couldn't lie to yourself?

I tried. Tried like crazy. I mean, people were counting on me.

But yours is a respectable profession.

Not to my family. My parents were destroyed, devastated by my decision. My father sent me away to New York to live with distant cousins. Eventually, l... I found my place, my life's work.

What then?

I immersed myself fully, I studied the minutiae, I learned everything I could about the law. I mean, I felt deeply inside that it was what I was born to do.

And did your parents get over it?

No. I always hoped that I would find some way to change their minds, but they were inconsolable. My father never spoke to me again.

If you had to do it all over again, would you make the same choices?

What choice? The last thing I took away from the yeshiva is this. We can't run from who we are. Our destiny chooses us.

Later in the movie:
This is temporary? Will you be back next semester?

Oh, I think we both know I'm no lawyer.

I hope my story didn't discourage you.

No. It inspired me. I think I was on my way out anyway.

Jo and Mike had zero chemistry and they look like siblings.

Mike's heart is in winning poker, straight and clean which is even above how he learned on the street with his degenerate buddy Worm who proved to be bad luck in the end. Mike's decision to pursue legit poker matches is where his heart is set, and with Worm gone, and Jo not around to distract him with unnecessary regret he could probably reach celebrity poker levels and even end up teaching the game on the West Coast.