Owning Mahowny

R

Released May 2, 2003

1 hr. 44 min.

Drama

List

78%

96 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Toronto bank employee Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) seems like an honest man to his coworkers and loving girlfriend, Belinda (Minnie Driver). None of them realize that he is actually a compulsive gambler who steals from the bank's accounts to pay off his bookie, Frank (Maury Chaykin), and fund regular trips to casinos. Sleazy casino boss Victor (John Hurt) encourages Dan to amass more and more debt, until the missing money becomes hard to hide, and Dan's life spirals out of control.

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Critics Consensus

This story of addiction may lack the typical flash and glamour, but Hoffman makes Mahowny compelling.

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Alec B

A fascinating character study of a man who would be totally unremarkable if not for his vast financial crimes. Hoffman is perfect (obviously) and Hurt excels in the kind of role he rarely gets to play.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

Full Review

phil h

great movie about addiction

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/06/23

Full Review

Gareth v

An underrated movie on the downward spiral of addictions that go unchecked. While not a flashy movie, Seymour Hoffman's performance makes this quite compelling.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very well crafted and put together! Minnie Driver was just excellent in her supporting role! Each actor was quite believable and the movie has a nice flow right to the end. Based on a book but as well it must be based on a true story? A solid 8.5 of 10 stars!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If you can find a copy of this - watch it. Great indie flick and awesome performance by one of the best.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great little film. It's the choices like Love Liza, Happiness and Owning Mahowny that make me such a Philip Seymour Hoffman fan. His every man facade only disguises the absolute acting clinic he puts on with every performance he ever did. Gone far too soon.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/28/21

Full Review

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Richard Kwietniowski

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Dan Mahowny

Minnie Driver

Belinda

Maury Chaykin

Frank Perlin

John Hurt

Victor Foss

Sonja Smits

Dana Selkirk

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Whether or not you think of gambling as a vice, you can bet on Owning Mahowny.

Sep 12, 2003

Full Review

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

Owning Mahowny is an unflashy but fascinating meditation on addiction and greed.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 22, 2003

Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

A motion picture that never ceases to be worthwhile.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 22, 2003

Full Review

Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Through it all, Hoffman plays Mahowny with no glamor or glitz, but with a type of studied vacuousness that's chilling.

Jan 20, 2022

Full Review

Jonah Koslofsky

The Spool

There's not much to root for one way or another, not much tension across the film's admirably tight runtime.

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

The drama is a narrow, one-way street. And Hoffman is no Russell Crowe or Leonardo DiCaprio. He's just a brilliant American actor playing a repressed Canadian with a weakness for numbers.

Oct 11, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Toronto bank employee Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) seems like an honest man to his coworkers and loving girlfriend, Belinda (Minnie Driver). None of them realize that he is actually a compulsive gambler who steals from the bank's accounts to pay off his bookie, Frank (Maury Chaykin), and fund regular trips to casinos. Sleazy casino boss Victor (John Hurt) encourages Dan to amass more and more debt, until the missing money becomes hard to hide, and Dan's life spirals out of control.

Director: Richard Kwietniowski
Executive Producer: Edward R. Pressman, Sean Furst
Screenwriter: Maurice Chauvet, Gary Ross
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Alliance Atlantis Communications
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)