Owning Mahowny

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Owning Mahowny

R

Released May 2, 2003

1h 44m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

96 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

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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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

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

Sep 12, 2003

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Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

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

Rated: 3/4

Jul 22, 2003

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Adam Nayman

eye WEEKLY

A clammy, compulsively watchable almost-comedy.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 8, 2003

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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

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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

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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

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Penelope Y

One of my all-time favourite films, showcasing Philip Seymour Hoffman’s outstanding acting. The first time I watched it in the early 2000s, his masterful portrayal of the antagonist left a lasting impression- making you truly feel his character’s pain and addiction. I’ve followed his work ever since. Rewatching it recently, it’s every bit as powerful as I remembered. Highly recommended if you haven’t seen it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/25

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Alain E

A great movie about addiction with hardly a wrong step. The characters and situations are based on real events. To emphasize the grip gambling had on him, Hoffman is shown as having one major motivation in placing bets and no need for smoking, alcohol, sex and often forgetting to eat. Hoffman who gives a spectacular performance, unfortunately could not draw an analogy with his own dependence on narcotics which ended up costing his life at age 46.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/25

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Isa B

The subtle greatness of this film is a sight to behold. Philip Seymour Hoffman is his usual outstanding self in Owning Mahowny. The film creates suspense and strong feelings of anxiety as it progresses. I most definitely recommend it. 92/100

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/04/24

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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

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phil h

great movie about addiction

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/06/23

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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

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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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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
Producer: Andras Hamori, Seaton McLean, Alessandro Camon
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
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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