"Anybody who tells you that money is the root of all evil doesn't HAVE any..."      

BOILER ROOM (R)

Reviewed February 20, 2000 - Check out the Boiler Room Website.

Studio Synopsis: Boiler Room chronicles the rise and fall of Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi), an enterprising college drop-out who, determined to prove his worth to a demanding father, takes a job at a small brokerage firm. There, in the company´s "boiler room", where young men eager to earn their fortunes work the phones, Seth soon masters the art of the cold call and with his new job, begins to regain his father´s respect. But the "boiler room" quickly draws Seth into a world of corruption and greed, ultimately jeopardizing all that he has gained, and all that he had before. Co-worker Debbie Hilliard (Nia Long) becomes involved with Seth, while Vin Diesel plays Chris Varick, a young broker who teaches Seth the ways of the "chop shop".

Fuzzydog Review: In what is a high-energy, frantically-paced film full of hard sells and fast talkers, Boiler Room somehow manages to pull together one extremely watchable and entertaining story.  It's a story about greed and ambition, and it's a story whose sheer energy is both attractive and disturbing all at once.  Giovanni Ribisi, in a wonderful lead performance as Seth Davis, really makes this film click, taking us along on his wild ride and making us root for him even as he crosses a series of ethical lines.  At first excited about his new position as a broker at J.T. Marlin, and then later disillusioned by the fraudulent world in which he's found himself, Seth continually alternates between being a heartless predator and a vulnerable victim, and his simultaneous confidence and uncertainty is magnetic.  Add to this some equally engaging performances by Ben Affleck and Chris Varick, and Boiler Room really begins to click.  It's too bad the father-son subplot of Boiler Room never really plays out as well as the "chop shop" brokerage conflicts.  As a "money, greed and ambition" story, Boiler Room really does cook; as a tender "father-son" melodrama, however, it falls a bit short.  Still, all in all Boiler Room is a film worth seeing...heck, you may never look at cold-calling telemarketers the same way again...

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

joeyr239@cs.com gives this movie  stars: "Vin Diesel Ruled in this movie!" (8/5/01)

www.ascotcasino.com gives this movie  stars: "www.ascotcasino.com this is the originas of the boiler room scenes!" (2/16/01)